Socratic Seminars

Socrates, the famous Greek philosopher so fondly written about by Plato, taught his students solely by questioning them.  He believed that true knowledge was not learned, but rather recalled, that students inherently possessed knowledge, and that a teacher did not instruct; instead, he simply tapped into the intrinsic knowledge base that students already possessed.  Hence, the Greek word for teaching, the root word for our present day verb educate, literally meant “to draw forth” as one draws water from a well.  Socrates believed, then, that the knowledge was already there, and his job as an educator was merely to draw it forth.  

This is where we begin with the idea of Socratic seminars.  During the course of this class, I will (hopefully!) impart some wisdom upon you through class discussions, and you will become privy to other useful information through class readings and outside research.  Perhaps most importantly, however, you will learn no small amount of wisdom through the drawing of your own thoughtful, analytical conclusions regarding class discussions, class readings, and outside research.  The Socratic Seminars will be an invaluable tool in developing your thoughtful, analytical conclusions regarding course material.  

The week before a Socratic Seminar, I will give to you a list of questions regarding the course readings.  You will have a week to prepare thoughtful responses to these questions.  On the day of the Seminar, I will basically act as the class mediator/facilitator for the discussion of these questions.  In other words, on a Seminar day, YOU WILL DO ALL THE SPEAKING, and I will just shut up and listen to your brilliant answers to these questions, much as Socrates did thousands of years ago.  

Your grade for these Socratic Seminars will be based on a few things.  First, as rewarding as an oral discussion in class can be, this is a composition course, so I am requiring you to prepare IN WRITING essayistic outlines of your answers to these questions, one outline for each question.  This is not a formal writing project, however, so handwritten outlines are fine.  Moreover, they need not exceed one page in length.  Second, on the day of the Seminar, you will be expected to respond orally twice during the Seminar.  Furthermore, you will be expected to respond thoughtfully, using textual evidence to substantiate your answer.  I will also expect your answers to be rational and logical.  In other words, I will not accept answers like, “I can't prove it, but I just feel that. . . .”  Finally, you are expected to be an active listener.  Don't interrupt others when they are talking, and be attentive to what others have said in your responses to the questions.

After the Socratic Seminar is over, I will tally how many times you spoke, used logic, used textual evidence, and listened attentively without interrupting others.  Then I will collect your written outlines to the questions.  Your grade will be based upon the total weight of everything taken into account.  In a nutshell, if you have outlines for every question, if you speak twice, use logic, use textual evidence to support your answers, and listen attentively without interrupting others, you will get an “A” grade for this assignment.  If some of your outlines are missing, if you don't speak twice (with thoughtful responses), if you don't use logic or textual evidence, your grade will be in the “B” or “C” range.  If you don't turn in any outlines, if you don't speak at all, if you don't use any logic or textual support, your grade will be in the “D” or “F” range.  

Ultimately, this should be one of the easiest forms of examination that you've ever encountered.  You are given the questions a week in advance; you have relatively little preparation; and you only have to speak twice, using logic and textual evidence to get an “A” on this assignment.  The rest of the time, you just need to sit there quietly.  This should be a “slam-dunk” if you do it right.   

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