Duck, duck, Rousseau

I want to try something a bit different as I talk to students one-on-one today. A Socratic Seminar. We’ll take some time to get to know Rousseau together.

But first, read this article called, “Creative Class, Dismissed.” about a teacher and her efforts to teach Rousseau. In a short blog post, summarize what Rousseau seems to be saying according to the teacher and how her students react to his argument. Then, compare and contrast that with your understanding of “The Creed of the Priest of Savoy” (Book 4 — scroll down to section 943).

We’ll talk briefly, but then on cards we’ll write out 4-5 questions, get in a circle and then talk about what Rousseau is saying and why? How does it connect to our world? How does it challenge our assumptions about education, arts, theater, and how to lead a good life?

Afterwards, I want to debrief a bit on Socratic Seminars and how well the work/don’t work.

Finally, we’ll talk a bit about philosophy and how we read it differently than other kinds of essays.

HW: Read Animal Liberation by Peter Singer in 50 Essays and write a 2-paragraph Graff template post.