Reference no: EM133811680

Homework: Philosophy

Goals/Outcomes:

The goal of this homework is to apply the principles and method of Socratic inquiry to a contemporary or universal ethical issue. In particular, this homework will demonstrate mastery of the course goals of (i) understanding the intellectual debates occurring in Socrates' lifetime and his contributes to them, particularly by (ii) identifying and dramatizing core Socratic beliefs and practices.

Although this is a creative homework and therefore affords you leeway in developing and presenting your ideas, the project offers you an opportunity to demonstrate that you've achieved the course learning outcomes, especially (i) understanding and articulating cultural values; (ii) engaging with complex texts and ideas through critical reading and application of these of ideas in your own writing; and (iii) communicating your ideas clearly and effectively in writing.

What Your Project Should Include

To satisfy the homework goals and outcomes, your logos Socraticos needs to include the following elements:

A. Topic: This should be one word and give the most general answer to the question "what is the dialogue about?". Think "courage," "love," "happiness," etc. - some ethical term or cultural principle.

B. Setting: Choose a specific time and place as the background to your dialogue. The setting should be significant to the overall meaning your reader takes away. There is creative license with your setting: it can be in the past, present, or even future.

C. Characters: Socrates will be one of your characters. Consider (a) how many more you want to have and (b) who you want them to be. The characters' identities should be important to the way in which the conversation unfolds. Because this is a short dialogue, you should choose between having two or three characters, but not more! One character must be based on Socrates and have identifiably Socratic qualities, but you can change his name or gender to suit the story you want to tell.

D. Dramatic plot: Think of plot as "things that happen". If you reduced your text to a storyboard, what would you draw in each box? Do the characters meet, or were they already together? Are they going somewhere in particular? Why would the characters be thinking about the topic of your dialogue at that specific time? A key element of Socratic literature is the pivot from a specific or mundane question ("what is old age like?") to a universal question ("what is justice?"). Your plot should include a "hook" that moves the conversation in a similar, theoretical direction.

E. Tone: Is the conversation you are dramatizing friendly? Adversarial? Hopeful? How will you convey this tone in your dialogue?

F. Three attempts to define or explain the topic. Consider objections and counter-examples that can complicate or invalidate a proposed definition. I am not grading this for philosophical clarity, etc. The point is not so much that your reader agrees with the suggestions you have your characters make as that the reader can understand why those characters would give the answers they do and see what the problems with those answers might be.

G. Theme. The theme is the implicit meaning you want your reader to get from the text. The theme is related, but separate from, any explicit examples or definitions in the text. Get the instant assignment help.

1. What makes literary writing different from expository, persuasive, etc. is that literary writing conveys meaning through themes while other types of writing you normally do in school convey meaning through theses. A thesis is an explicit, transparent statement that you plan to prove and defend. A theme, by contrast, is a message that you embed in the text without stating outright; the better you develop your characters, refine your dialogue, and integrate all the background elements, the easier you make your reader's job of uncovering the message you want to get across.

2. A theme must be a full statement, like "someone must possess wisdom to live a happy life," and not simply a word or phrase like "happiness" or "the importance of wisdom."

3. A reader inside or outside this class should be able to read your work and identify the theme without you telling them explicitly what that theme is!