Coffeehouse Prep; Things Fall Apart; Introduction to Philosophy

By -
Period 1:

Coffeehouse preparation. Please gather in two small groups of 6-7 students for the first 20 minutes of period 1. Read your selected coffeehouse piece to each other. Each member should have the opportunity to speak and practice. Monday and Tuesday of next week we will be using the Ensemble theater where you can practice for your coffeehouse presentation on Tuesday.

For the last 20 minutes or so of the period, either finish sharing/performing your work--or work on assignments for your writing portfolio. See previous posts for details and ideas.

During period 2, we will finish our conversation about Things Fall Apart, and pick up our last novel: The Stranger by Albert Camus.

Introduction to Philosophy

Under the main heading of philosophy, there are several branches. These are divided by the kind of questions they ask. Here are the main ones:
I. Ethics: the study of values in human behavior or moral problems: (what is good or right?)
II. Aesthetics: the study of what is beautiful or artistic: (is this art? What is beauty?)
III. Axiology: the study of value (value theory): (what is at stake or what is of value in a life or human action?)
IV. Epistemology: the study of knowledge. (what is truth?)
V. Ontology: the study of existence. (what is real?)
VI. Metaphysics: the study of extra-normal existence (really a sub-branch of ontology). (what created the world? Do we have a soul? What is God?)
VII. Existentialism: also a sub-branch of Ontology--it seeks to answer: What is the meaning of life? Here's an example: Monty Python sketch from The Meaning of Life (1983) 
What is philosophy for?
HOMEWORK: Complete The Stranger by May 30. We will discuss the book and have a quiz on the book then. In the meantime, we'll discuss various philosophy/culture and prepare for our coffeehouse. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Namesake Analysis/Discussion Chp. 1 & 2; How It Feels To Be Colored Me

By -
Image
Let's go back to examining  The Namesake , Chapter 1 this morning to continue examining the writing style going on here. Take a closer look at these passages: Pg. 3 (1st full paragraph) to 4 (end of 1st full paragraph): How is Ashima's character compared/contrasted with the American women in the hospital? What do you notice about the sentence structure of this paragraph? What does the use of dialogue in this paragraph provide for the reader? What literary devices do you notice? Can you find figurative language/metaphor/alliteration or other elements of imagery? How are the sentences similar to a contraction (the action in the scene)? Pg. 10-12: how is Ashoke's character presented? How does his story parallel or contrast with his wife's? How is Ashoke different from the other American men in the waiting room? What details do we learn about him?  Pg. 13-14: Nickolai Gogol and the short story "The Overcoat" is alluded to here. Just notice it for now. This al...
Read more

How It Feels to Be Colored Me & Writing Prompts

By -
Image
"How it Feels to Be Colored Me" is an essay by  Zora Neale Hurston . Take a moment to read a bit of information about Zora Neale Hurston, then we'll read the essay in class. Look closely at how the article opens (the hook, lead-in, thesis), and how it develops (the body, topic sentences, argument), and notice the sentence structure (length, diction, syntax). After studying some of these elements respond to the article in writing. ESSAY PROMPT: What defines you? What single physical, mental, emotional trait defines you? Why? What is the significance of this trait?  ESSAY PROMPT: Think about your own educational experience. How multicultural has your experience been?  ESSAY PROMPT: Is there value in having a common culture (for example stressing the idea that we are all 'Americans' over fragmenting our culture)? Why or why not? ESSAY PROMPT: Does this idea of multiculturalism need updating? Is this issue still important--and, if so, why? ESSAY, PLAY, or M...
Read more

Mythology Prezi Projects

By -
Myths. Watch the following short videos concerning mythology. W hat makes a hero ? Anti-hero of One's Own A Host of Heroes Due at end of class , please complete your mythology Prezi project.  You should know the major gods/goddesses of your chosen mythological subject. Create a slide or two where you discuss/list who are the major gods/goddesses in your chosen mythology and what they represent You should know the creation myth that goes with that tradition. In a few slides tell the story of that creation myth through videos, pictures, text, etc. [note: most cultural mythology traditions have more than one creation myth. Pick the one you'd like to use.] You should identify key cultural traditions/beliefs that are represented in the myths of this culture: for example: arête (strength) is a common cultural quality examined in many hero myths. Find examples of some others. At least one slide should include the cultural tradition--note that this slide could come before ...
Read more