Introduction to Philosophy and Education

[Pages:8]I n t r o d u c t i o n t o P h i l o s o p h y a n d E d u c a t i o n ( Phil115)

PennsylvaniaStateUniversity,UniversityPark

Tu-Th1-2.15p,109Boucke 27Aug?12Dec2013 Instructor:ChristopherMoore

DepartmentsofPhilosophyandofClassics&AncientMediterraneanStudies Office:Sparks243 Phone:814-865-1607(office) Email:crm21@psu.edu OfficeHours:TR2.30-3.30,andbyappt. RequiredTexts Plat,ProtagorasandMeno,Penguin A.N.Whitehead,AimsofEducation,FreePress J.Dewey,ExperienceandEducation,FreePress J.D.Salinger,CatcherintheRye,LittleBrown A.S.Neill,TheSummerhillSchool,rev.ed.,St.MartinsGriffin E.Duckworth,TheHavingofWonderfulIdeas,3rded.,TeachersCollege M.Nussbaum,NotforProfit,Princeton Course Philosophyofeducationarticulatesandevaluatestheconcepts,arguments,andvalues thatpeopleuseorcouldusetojustifyschoolarrangements,beliefsaboutthesources andguidesforhumandevelopment,theappropriatetreatmentofchildren,attitudes towardteachers,andotherelementsofaculture'seducationalsituation.Atitsmost fundamental,thephilosophyofeducationseekstounderstandthemeaningoftheidea "education"itself--itsideals,itstolerancefornon-idealinstances,therolespropertoit, andthepeoplepropertothoseroles.Athigherlevelsofdetail,itdistinguishes educationfromothermodesofinfluence(e.g.,punishment,conditioning,"nature"), coordinateseducationwithothersocialstructures(e.g.,economicwork,family participation,religiousobservation),andorientsthinkingabouteducationamongother disciplines(anthropology,childpsychology,politicaltheory). Inthiscourse,wewillapproachthephilosophyofeducationthroughaseriesof excellentandsometimescanonicaltexts,andletourquestionscomefromour interpretationofourauthors'questions.Wewillassesstheiranswers,tryingmostlyto determinewhatanswerstheauthorsgive,andwhytheydoso.Wewillalsoworkto developtheskillsappropriatetophilosophicalinvestigation:makingourassumptions explicit;inferringtotheconsequencesofthoseassumptionsinastep-wisefashion; construingourremarkspreciselyenoughsothatothersmaydevelop,critique,or

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contradicttheminwaysthatwill,inturn,behelpfultous;usingimaginationto generateasmanypossiblesolutions,interpretations,orfurtherinvestigationsas possible;andcomingtorecognizetherelativesignificanceofgeneralandconcrete statementsmadebythoseattemptingtojustifytheirpositions.Inourreadings,wewill focusonseveralprincipalthemes:theliberalarts,democraticcitizenship,the developmentoffreedom,andtheanxietyofburgeoningresponsibility.Wewillbe especiallyinterestedintheassumptionsandexpectationsunderlyingthequestion, "HowamItobecomeagoodperson?" Bycourse'send,youshould(i)appreciatetheconnectionbetweenconceptual- "philosophical"difficultiesandpracticaldisagreementsineducation,(ii)havegreater skillinargument,judgment,andexposition,and(iii)developcriticalself-knowledge aboutyourowneducationalidealsandevaluations. Classtime Mostclasseswillbeginwithstudentpresentations.Wewillthenmoveintogeneral conversationaboutthereadinginspiredbythosepresentations.Sometimesstudents willworkinsmallgroupsondirected-readingassignments.OthertimesIwillpresent somephilosophicalorhistoricalbackground.Atallmoments,everystudentshouldbe engagedbytalking,listening,takingnotes,andbeingotherwisevisiblyattentive. Presentations[30pts] Studentswillbedividedintoelevenpresentationgroups;eachgroupwillgivetwoclass presentationsduringthesemester.Theprimarytaskofthepresentationistopresent theday'sreadinginasclear,organized,incisive,effective,andimaginativewaypossible. Yoursecondarytasksincludeidentifyingimportanttopicsforcontinueddiscussion, relatingthepresentreadingtopreviousreadings,andintegratingrelevantblog discussions.Youmayalsodiscuss,toalesserdegree,recentarticlesorothermedia relatedtoquestionsorthemesyourbookraises. Eachpresentationmustincludeeachgroupmember,thoughmembersmayhave distincttasks.Youmayusehandouts,slide-shows,demonstrations,lectures,orother pedagogicalmethodsstudiedorimagined.Presentationsshouldlast20minutes.They mayinvolveparticipationbyothermembersoftheclass,buttheyshouldnotbesimply asequenceofquestions(asmyownclass-leadershipwilloftenseem).Presentationsare animportantpartofyourgrade.Theywillbegradedprimarilybythedegreetowhich theyimproveuponallpreviouspresentations,inthefollowingterms: ?preparationandprofessionalism

?pedagogicaleffectivenessandcreativity

?comprehensionandconveyanceofthemeaningandsignificanceofthereading

?groupdynamic

?incisivenessandinsight,includingcognizanceoftherelationtootherreadings

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 Papers[40pts] Youwillhavetwoshortpapers,eachwithonerevision.

Thefirstpaper,onepageaboutsomeargumentsinPlato'sMeno,isdueWednesday,25 September,hardcopy,bynoon,inmydepartmentmailbox(inthemailroomacrossthe hallfrommyoffice).Youwillreceivethepromptthepreviousweek.Iwillreturnyour draftswithcopiouscomments.Youwillthenrevisethepaperandturnitinthe followingweek(withthecommented-upondraftstapledbehindit).Partofthegrade willcomefromtheclarity,accuracy,effort,andincisivenessofthefirstdraft;theother partwillcomefromthepromptedandself-directedimprovementsoftheseconddraft. Thesecondpaper,twopagesaboutsomeargumentsaboutradicaleducation,isdue Tuesday,12November,intriplicatehardcopytoclass.Youwillexchangepaperswithin assignedgroupsofthree.Youwillcommentonthetwootherpapersfromyourtriad, withthehelpofarubric.Thenyouwillmeetinpersonasatriadtodiscusswaysto improveyourpapers.Aftermeeting,youwill(i)reviseyourpaperinlinewithall comments,and(ii)filloutadescription-and-evaluationdocumentaboutyour commentsontheotherpapers,thequalityofthemeeting,yourpeers'commentson yourownpaper,andtheimprovementyourownpaperunderwent.Halfthegradewill comefromyourfirstandseconddrafts;theotherhalfwillcomefromyourdescription- and-evaluationdocument. Readingquizzes[20pts] Onoccasionthroughthesemester,classwillbeginwithsomequestionsabouttheday's reading.Thesequestionswillrevealwhetheryoureadandthoughtabouttheevening's assignment,andprovideussomematerialwithwhichtobegindiscussion.Quizzesmay notberetaken.Onlythetopfourscoreswillstand. Blogs[30pts]

Our class blog is at sites.psu.edu/phileduc -- you may access it by going to sites.psu.edu and, after signing in with your PSU ID, going to "My Sites." You are to post before each class, by 8pm. Each week, you should make at least one new post and one substantial response to another person's post (in either order). In each, focus on the reading: articulate what you find most perplexing, the reasons for your perplexity, and possible solutions (offered by the author, by other writers, or by your own imagination) for the perplexity. These blog posts should show the following:

? familiarity with the entire reading or listening assignment

? concern for clarity, directness, and completeness of expression

? curiosity about the philosophy of education

? effort to bring fellow students into productive exchange

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On several occasions, the syllabus lists discrete blog tasks; and I may later stipulate other discrete blog tasks in class or on the blog itself. You are always expected to respond to others' responses to your posts, in addition to your other posting duties. In class or on the blog I will often identify strong posts; you may wish to model your own on these until you find a suitable voice of your own.

Each week, you will receive a blog grade, on a 2-1-0 scale. 2 is for genuinely thoughtful and productive posts and comments; 1 is for inadequately thoughtful or productive posts and comments, or just one post or comment; and 0 is for useless posts, or no posts. Bonus: each week I will give the blogger or bloggers with the most effective exchanges--containing, I would hope, insights into the text, reflections on class discussion, vivid personal observation, and/or careful argument reconstruction--a bonus of 2 points. This will, in effect, double your score for the week.

Podcast[30pts]

Ingroupsoftwoorthree,youwillspendthesecondhalfofthesemesterassemblingan

5-8minutepodcast,tobepresentedduringourFinalsexammeeting.Thesepodcasts

maytakereportorial,descriptive,interpretative,dramaticorstory-telling,round-table,

montage,orothersuitableformorcombinationofforms.Thepurposeofeachgroup's

podcastistoconsideraquestioninthephilosophyofeducationinthemostvivid,clear,

engaging,andproductivefashionpossible.(Consideringaquestioninvolvesaskingitin

aprecise,thoughnotnecessarilyexplicit,fashion,andtakingstepstowardansweringit,

evenifthosestepsinvolveonlylistingpossibleanswersandevaluatingthestrengths

andweaknessesofthoseanswers,againnotnecessarilyinanexplicitfashion.)

Youshouldlistenregularlytoradioshowsforexamplesofgoodsegments(theseare

mostlyonNPR,e.g.,"ThisAmericanLife,""Radiolab,""PlanetMoney,"etc.;seealso

worldsbestradio/2013/).Youwillbeassignedseveral

radioshowsabouteducationtolistenandreactto.WewillmeetasaclasswithMedia

Commonstwicetolearnaboutpodcast-design;youwillalsogainaccesstopodcasting

roomsinPatteelibrary,withtechsupport.

LaterinthesemesterIwilldistributeagradingrubricandatimelineforgroup

formation,storyboardproposal,MediaCommonssessions,andtrailerexposition.

Administrativedetails

Grades

A 140-150?Extraordinary

C+ 115-119

A- 135-139

C 105-114?Acceptable

B+ 130-134

D 90-104?Minimalpass

B 125-129?Good

F 00-89?Fail

B- 120-124

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Technology Pleasecheckclass-relatedemailseachweekday,andrespondwithinaday.Iwilldothe same.IwillemailyouadditionalhandoutsifIdonotdistributepapercopies.Please checkwithfellowstudentstoensureyouhavenotmissedanyhandouts.Atnopoint mayyoulookatortouchyourphoneorotherelectronicdeviceunlessaskedtodoso. Failuretofollowthispolicymayresultinloweringyourcoursegradebytwoletters. Youmustsilencesuchdevices;vibratemodeisnotacceptable.Imayalsorestrictuseof computersandtablets,asnecessary,unlesswediscussgood-faithreasonsfortheiruse.

Absencesandlateness

Becausethevalueofthecoursedependslargelyontheconversationsduringthe seminars,attendanceisrequired.Repeatedfailuretoattendmayresultinlowering yourgradebyuptotwoletters.Ifyoumustmissorhavemissedclassbecauseof legitimateuniversityormedicalactivities,youmusttellthistomeinperson,preferably inofficehoursandaheadoftime. Becauseclassbeginsimmediatelywithstudentpresentations,anytardinessis inacceptablydisruptiveandlimitsyourlearning.Continuedlatenesswillloweryour gradebyuptotwoletters. Accessibility PennStatewelcomesstudentswithdisabilitiesintotheUniversity'seducational programs.Ifyouhaveadisability-relatedneedforreasonableacademicadjustmentsin thiscourse,contacttheOfficeforDisabilityServices(ODS)locatedinBouckeBuilding Room116at814-863-1807(V/TTY).ForfurtherinformationregardingODS,please visittheirwebsiteatequity.psu.edu/ods/.Ishouldbenotifiedasearlyinthe semesteraspossibleregardingtheneedforreasonableacademicadjustments. Cheating Academicdishonestyinanyportionoftheacademicworkforthiscourseshallbe groundsforfailingtheentirecourseandcommunicationofdishonestytotheCollege. Thisincludes,butisnotrestrictedto,anyplagiarismonanyhomework,orcheatingon anyquizorexam.Pleaseaskaboutanycaseyou'reconcernedabout.Fordetailsonthe PSUpolicy,seepsu.edu/oue/aappm/G-9.html.

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ReadingandAssignmentSchedule

AugT27 Visionsofeducation.Syllabusandsummaryofcourseactivities.

Read:Heller,"LaptopU."

R29 Themesinthephilosophyofeducation.Studentintroductions.

Read:Nussbaum,NotforProfit,title-pagetop.26.

Listen:foursegmentsfromradio-archives/tag/77

Blog:reflectontworadiosegmentsandNussbaumreading,together

SepT03 Outliningphilosophicalargumentsabouteducation.Learningtocritique

ideasandtoacknowledgepeople.

Read:Nussbaum,NotforProfit,pp.27-94

R05 Presentation1.Thevalueofliberalarts.IntroductiontoSocratesandPlato.

Read:Nussbaum,NotforProfit,pp.95-154

Listen:threesegmentsfromradio-archives/tag/77

Blog:reflectononeradiosegmentandNussbaumbook,together

T10 Thequestion"Isvirtueteachable?"ReadingaPlatonicdialogue.

Read:Plato,Protagoras309a1-328d3

R12 Presentation2.Thestudyofliterature.Thedifficultyofbecominggood.

Read:Plato,Protagoras328d4-348c5

T17 Presentation3.Thepleasure-maximizingview.Teachingprudence.

Read:Plato,Protagoras348c6-362a5

R19 Definitionsandunderstanding.

Read:Plato,Meno70a1-80b8

Blog:assessthedialogue'smostplausibledefinitionsofvirtue,and

thenprovideabetterdefense,orpresentanewdefinitionanda

strongdefense

Receive:Paperprompt1.

T24 Presentation4.Geometryanditsrelationtothehumanities.

Read:Plato,Meno80b9-86c3

W25 Paper1due(noon,hardcopy,mymailbox)

R26 Presentation5.Theexcellenceofknowledge.Thescandalofnewteaching.

Plato,Meno86c4-100b9

OctT01 Presentation6.Frameworkforthinkingaboutphilosophyofeducationinthe

modernage.Democracyandeducation,onceagain.

Read:Emerson,"TheAmericanScholar"

W02 Paper1revisiondue(noon,hardcopy,mymailbox,withdraftw/comments)

R03 Presentation7.Howphilosophydeterminesthestructureofschools.

Read:Dewey,ExperienceandEducation,chapters1-3

Read:learning/general/onthisday/bday/1020.html

Listen:foursegmentsfromradio-archives/tag/77

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 T08

R10 T15 R17 T22 R24 T29 R31 NovT05 R07 T12

R14 T19 R21 T26 R27

Presentation8.Freedomattheheartofprogressiveeducation.

Read:Dewey,ExperienceandEducation,chapters4-6

Blog:describeanytensionsinyourhighschool'sconcernsforboth

freedomanddiscipline;giveyourexampleswithlivelinessandcare

Presentation9.Deweythephilosopherandeducator.

Read:Dewey,ExperienceandEducation,chapters7-8

Read:iep.utm.edu/dewey/

Presentation10.Learning"dutyandreverence."

Read:Whitehead,AimsofEducation,chapters1-2

Presentation11.Discovery,pace,andgeneralization.

Read:Whitehead,AimsofEducation,chapters3&5

Presentation12.Thebenefitsofthespecificdisciplines.

Read:Whitehead,AimsofEducation,chapters4&6

Presentation13.Universitiesanda"classicaleducation."

Read:Whitehead,AimsofEducation,chapters7-8

MediaCommonssession1:PatteeLibraryKnowledgeCommonsW140

Read:Neill,Summerhill,"SummerhillSchool"

Presentation14.Makingaschoolfitthechild,or,a"goasyoupleaseschool."

Read:Neill,Summerhill,"ChildRearing"

Receive:Paperprompt2.

Presentation15.WilhelmReich,psychoanalysis,andupbringing.

Read:Neill,Summerhill,"Sex,""ReligionandMorals"

Presentation16.Radicalschools.

Read:Neill,Summerhill,"QuestionsandAnswers,"editorialmatter

Presentation17.Rethinkingthephilosophyofeducation.

Read:plato.stanford.edu/entries/education-philosophy/

Read:plato.stanford.edu/entries/civic-education/

Due:Paper2(threehardcopies,toclass)

Presentation18.JeanPiaget.

Read:Duckworth,HavingofWonderfulIdeas,chapters1-3

Presentation19.Epistemologyandeducation.

Read:Duckworth,HavingofWonderfulIdeas,chapters4-7

Presentation20.Knowingothers'minds.

Duckworth,HavingofWonderfulIdeas,chapters8-10

Due:Paper2revision,evaluationdocument,andsupportingmaterial

Thanksgiving:NoClass Thanksgiving:NoClass

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DecT03 R05 T10 R12 TBA

MediaCommonssession2:PatteeLibraryKnowledgeCommonsW140

Read:Salinger,CatcherintheRye,chapters1-7

Presentation21.Caulfieldandhisschools.

Read:Salinger,CatcherintheRye,chapters8-14

Presentation22.Maturity,bildung,coming-of-age.

Read:Salinger,CatcherintheRye,chapters15-20

Onhavingone'sownphilosophyofeducation.

Read:Salinger,CatcherintheRye,chapters21-26

FINALEXAM

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