Befriending a Philosopher Project PHIL 1013 1

PHIL 1013

Befriending a Philosopher: Creative Project 1

Assignment: to read a primary source from a philosopher, to complete a project that demonstrates

your knowledge of your new philosopher-friend, and to present what you have learned about your

new friend. Befriending a Philosopher is 1 of 2 Special Projects for the course. In this project, you will

be researching a chosen philosopher and read from his/her primary texts.

You must engage with the philosopher's original work by reading at least 50 pages, which means it

must be something written by the philosopher, not just about the philosopher. The philosopher must

be listed as the author and not just as the subject.

Points Possible: 175

Objectives:

• To demonstrate knowledge of philosophies and philosophers learned in this class

• To integrate reasonable and varying evidence from experience, knowledge, and course

resources

• To achieve a tone that is both personable and academic

• To follow best-practice guidelines for your chosen medium (MLA format for essays)

Steps:

This project has four steps. See each week’s Moodle section for details.

Step 1/Week 1 (25 pts): Choose topic (philosopher and original work)

Step 2/Week 2 (25 pts): Read at least 20 pages of original work; find one source

Step 3/Week 3 (25 pts): Read all 50 pages of original work; begin project

Step 4/Week 4 (100 pts): Competed project

Form of Project:

You have the freedom to use the best medium to communicate your new philosopher-friend. You may

choose one of those listed below or get approval for another.

• Essay: MLA format 3-5 pages

• Video: 3-5 minutes with a slide/image listing sources in MLA format

• PowerPoint: 10-12 slides with a slide listing sources in MLA format

• Platonic dialogue: 5-7 pages; styled as a conversation (dialogue) between you and your

philosopher-friend

Befriending a Philosopher Project PHIL 1013 2

Topics:

You may choose one of the following or get approval for another:

• a major philosopher (Plato, Aristotle, Kant, Hume, Hegel, Heidegger)

• a religious philosopher (Augustine, Aquinas, Kierkegaard, Barthes, Otto, Eliade, Bonhoeffer)

• political philosopher (Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Rawls)

• existentialist philosopher (Nietzsche, Sartre, Camus, de Beauvoir)

• social progressive philosopher (de Beauvoir, Gillian, Friedman, Patricia Hill Collins, J. Butler,

Dewey, Ursula LeGuin)

Content Requirements:

Whatever form the project takes, you should include:

• an introduction of biographical information (use outside source and correct MLA citations)

o use only relevant and interesting info

• an evaluation of the philosopher's historical time (outside source)

o explain what was happening at the time the philosopher was writing that may have

influenced the work

• an analysis of the philosopher's main ideas (only your own thoughts; no outside research)

• a sharing of your reading experience from the philosopher's own writing (only your own

thoughts/experience)

o explain whether this experience was enjoyable

• a personal reflection on how the philosopher impacts our 21st century life and especially your

own life and thinking (your thoughts and maybe an outside source if the philosopher’s work is

now being used in a new way)

o apply the philosopher’s views to our current society (are the views still relevant?)

Presentation:

You will post your presentation for your classmates to read/watch in a discussion during Week 4.

Befriending a Philosopher Project PHIL 1013 3

PHIL 1013 Befriending a Philosopher Scoring Guide

MLA format (10 points) • MLA format for essays • Best practices format for non-essay projects

/10

Purpose (15 points) • Appropriate for subject, purpose, and audience • Min. of 3 full pages of text for essay; 5 for dialogue • 10-12 slides for PPT • 3-5 min. for video

/15

Sources (15 points) • Reputable outside sources • Citation of philosopher’s original work • Appropriate inclusion of all • Smooth integration • Documentation in MLA format • Use of in-text citations

/15

Composition (15 points) • Grammar and mechanics • Academic style • Unity and coherence • Engaging introduction • Satisfying conclusion • Logical organization

/15

Content (45 points) • Originality/creativity • College-level analysis • Inclusion of all content requirements • More analysis than facts/summary

/45

Total points possible (100)

/100