​​Ethics Debates

How to prepare? (to be modified for hybrid learning later)
* You'll have time in class to...
       * make a poster that clearly yet briefly gives a sense of the ethical theory
       * make sure you're solid on the theory
       * incorporate an excellent quotations in your explanation that gives us a sense of the writing as well as clarifying the theory
       * make sure you can apply the theory to EACH of these issues:  abortion, euthanasia, prostitution, capital punishment, animal welfare, censorship, drug use, exploitation of workers/prisoners, population control...
* If you have a group, you'll be graded as a group, but not everybody has to debate. You can divide the tasks. Here's the rubric. 

What will it all look like???
* You'll sit in groups with your beautiful, yet informative, poster behind you.
* You'll take turns explaining the basics of your philosopher's ethical theory - including one poignant quotations from the philosopher (likely about 5 minutes each).  
* We'll go through the issues, one at a time, and each groups will tell us how your philosopher would look at each issue (but I won't ask you about every issue - be ready just in case).  This might happen fairly fluidly - from one topic to the next - not necessarily in order.  In the past, this has taken a few days.  
* We'll look at what we really think of each issue, and how our ideas fit with the different philosophies.  
* We'll look at the limitations to each philosophy, and talk about which one works best.
* I'll take notes and post them so you don't have to worry about remembering anything that happened while you're trying to teach your theory to the class!!  
​

​​Pop Philosophy Seminar Details

You get one day to present.  If you can't make it on your assigned date - find another classmate to switch times with.  There won't be enough time for people to do the presentations on a different date at the end.  We'll be moving on.
Rubric is here.   
How to prepare...
  • Seminars should be 25-27 minutes including set-up time; you'll be cut off if you're too long and possibly asked further questions if it runs too short.
  • In general, for each point...
    • explain the theory really clearly
    • back it up with a quotation from the philosopher (briefly)
    • illustrate it with the book/movie/song...
    • then get more in-depth with some discussion on it
  • Media can take up a maximum of 8 minutes (film clips, book reading, etc.).  It's highly recommended to check if any tech you're using works the DAY BEFORE your presentation to give yourself time to fix any possible glitches.  Film clips aren't necessary and don't count as your visual aid - they're just sometimes useful to clarify connections.  
  • HINT: If you're using clips, and if you're using a slideshow (you don't have to do either), then please embed your videos into your powerpoint - copy them instead of linking them. (That doesn't work with google slides though, so don't use it!)
    • ​​download any videos to your desktop (google how to do that)
    • trim the clip to just have exactly the part you want (e.g. in QuickTime, go to Edit --> Trim - move the bars at either side, hit Save and give a new name)​
    • upload to the powerpoint 
    • bring the powerpoint on a memory stick, or on your own computer, but check it the DAY BEFORE your presentation
    • Always bring a back-up method of showing anything important (download and have the link to a clip, etc.)
  • Prepare a visual aid to help people remember the theories of the philosopher as illustrated by the popular media (Choose from a handout, blackboard, power point, poster...).  Powerpoint is just one of many options. The visual aid MUST include, in words, the three main points of the theory that you're teaching to the class, with the piece of media used to illustrate the theory. DON'T simplify each point down to one word. The explanatory statements or headings must clarify the philosophy. You don't have to make a powerpoint, and, if you do, it doesn't have to look like mine! Mix it up a bit! ***If you're using a handout, give it to me by the end of school the DAY BEFORE your seminar - then I can copy them back to back or on used paper.*** If you're using a computer, then make sure it works the DAY BEFORE your seminar. ***
  • Ask discussion questions to get the class involved.  Think of ways this theory can relate to students' lives!   HINT - make them personal enough for people to get involved. AND the second presenter on the day should find out the questions and topics of the first presenter a day before in order to avoid overlap! HINT - avoid "Is..." questions, because they tend to be yes/no answers. It's often better to start with "Why do you think..." or "How is it the case...". Try to make your questions a part of the conversation rather than saying, "My first question is...". 
  • HINT - practice your timing - you’ve got a maximum of 27 minutes in total - aim for one main point, explanation and discussion in 8-9 minutes (if you've got 3 main points), then move on even if it means cutting off some discussion (if people are feeling really discussiony that day).  And then have a few back-up points or questions at the end in case you've got lots of time left over. It's your job to watch the time as you go. 
  • Have fun teaching the theory (or at least look like it's fun to be up there)!
  • FINAL HINT: Do NOT write out what you want to say word for word, and don't memorize a script. You should know the topic well enough that the few words on your powerpoint/handout/poster or a few key words on a page will cue you - just a reminder of what to say next. Avoid reading from a page/phone/computer or using further notes if possible. Just tell us what you learned about the theory and how it shows up in the media like we're your friends at a symposium! That's the only way I know that you know the theory.

Here's a video of my seminar: Plato on Hedwig. I didn't have an audience to discuss with, so I talked to myself a bit. But notice, that, even though I use notes, the only time I read them word-for-word is when I'm reading directly from Plato's Symposium (in hindsight, my quotations are WAY too long!). The visual aid (words on the screen) focuses on the points of comparison. And the entire seminar focuses on teaching this piece of Plato, using Hedwig as an example of it. Here's the handout - notice that the points of comparison (and, therefore, the theory in general) are the most pronounced thing on the page.  Also, see my awesome slideshow below. Notice how I cite images (full citations on the very last slide) AND quotations!  (except it's the previous version of MLA)
​
As an audience, you'll each evaluate the presentations AND take notes.
SEMINARS WILL BE ON THE EXAM - This is an entire unit of study.

Current Seminar Topics

January 2021


​

Previous Seminar Topics

May 2020
Aristotle on The Blindside 
Butler on The Purge​ 
Camus on Olivia O'Brien
Heidegger in Her 
Jesus in Good Omens 
Nietzsche ​in Fight Club 
Nietzsche on The Dark Knight​ 
Rousseau in Midsommar  
Sartre in Diary of a Teenaged Girl 
Schopenhauer on ​Earl Sweatshirt 
Stoics on Djesse, Vol. 2​ 
Taoism in Spirited Away 
Taoism in Beauty and the Beast​ 

​December 2018
Aristotle in Beauty and the Beast 
Aristotle in Kingsman: The Secret Service
Aristotle in Nightmare Before Christmas 
Beauvoir in Diary of a Teenage Girl
Buddhism in Avatar: The Last Airbender 
Camus in Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead 
Chuang Tzu in The Curious Case of Benjamin Button 
Epicurus in Bastille's Wild World album 
Existentialism in Toy Story
Freud in Inception 
Gertz in three episodes of Black Mirror 
Hobbes in the "Tea Peter" episode of Family Guy 
James in Alice in Wonderland​ 
Jesus in The Hobbit 
Lao Tzu in The Little Prince 
Marx in Beyoncé's Lemonade album
Nietzsche in Running With Scissors 
Plato in ​The Good Life 
Rousseau in Boy in the Striped Pajamas
Sartre - in American Beauty 
Sun Tzu in Star Wars 
Rand in The Pursuit of Happyness 
Žižek in Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind 

​May 2018
​Arendt in Ticket to Heaven
Aristotle in Berserk
Camus in Death: The High Cost of Living
Epictetus in Rocky
Hegel in Frasier
Jesus in Surgill Simpson's A Sailor's Guide to Earth
Jung in The Shining
Lao Tzu in Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News
Nietzsche in The Dark Knight
Sartre in American Beauty 
Seneca in Candide
​
Nov. 2017
Aristotle in Halsey's "Hopeless Fountain Kingdom" 
Beauvoir in Hairspray 
Buddhism in The X-Files' "all things"
Camus in A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Epicurus in Rent
Freud in American Psycho
Jesus in Tolkein's Hobbits
Kierkegaard in Looking for Alaska
Marcus in Jurassic Park 
Marx in The Who's "Eminence Front"  
Nietzsche in Marianas Trench's "Astoria"
Nietzsche in Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance 
Plato in Rocky Horror Picture Show 
Plato in The Lion King 
Taoism in The 100-Year-Old Man... 
Thoreau in Captain America: Civil War ​

​May 2017
Aristotle on Beauty and the Beast
Aristotle on Inception
Epictetus on Memoirs of a Geisha
Epicurus on Friends 
Epicurus on The Lion King
Hegel on The World Ends With You
Jesus on Narnia
Jung on Breakfast Club
Machiavelli on Scarface
Marcus Aurelius on Serendipity 
Marx on Ender's Shadow
Montaigne on The Grateful Dead 
Nietzsche on Trainspotting
Nietzsche on Pulp Fiction
Noddings on The Blind Side
Plato on 16 Candles
Sartre on Taxi Driver
Schopenhauer on Black Books
Seneca on The Great Gatsby
Skinner on Clockwork Orange
Taoism of Nick Drake

December 2016
St. Augustine on Horns 
Beauvoir on My Big Fat Greek Wedding 
Buddhism on Spirited Away 
Freud on Picture Perfect 
Jesus on Lord of the Rings' Gandalf 
Kierkegaard on High Fidelity 
Lewis on One Tree Hill 
Nussbaum on Criminal Minds
Sartre on Mac DeMarco
Seneca on Star Trek's Spock
Taoism on American Beauty 

December 2015
Aristotle on Beauty and the Beast 
Beauvoir on 10 Things I Hate About You 
Epictetus on Apocalypse, Derren Brown 
Epicurus on Stuck in Love
Existentialism on Ghost World 
Hedonism on Bowling for Soup 
James on Alice in Wonderland 
Jesus on Forrest Gump
Jung on Breakfast Club
Kierkegaard on Seventh Seal 
Marx on Never Let Me Go  
Montaigne on Perks of Being a Wallflower 
Nietzsche on Beyoncé 
Nietzsche on Fight Club 
Plato on Wizard of Oz 
Schopenhauer on The Catcher in the Rye  
Seneca on Black Veil Brides
Taoism on Lost 
Tolstoy on Lord of the Rings 
 
December 2014
Aristotle - Mean Girls 
Aristotle on Beauty and the Beast
Buddhism - Wristcutters
Camus -  Waiting for Godot
Confucius - American History X 
Freud on Breakfast at Tiffanies
Hobbes on V for Vendetta
James - Interstellar 
Jesus on Lord of the Rings
Kierkegaard on Looking for Alaska
Locke on Dollhouse
Marx on Game of Thrones
Montaigne - Calvin & Hobbes
Nietzsche - Marilyn Manson  
Plato on The Wizard of Oz
Sartre on Breathless
Schopenhauer - Saw 
Seneca on Little Miss Sunshine
Taoism - "Echoes" by Pink Floyd
Thoreau - Kids of Summer

December 2013 
Artistotle - Beauty and the Beast 
St. Augustine on Everlast 
Buddha - The Last Airbender
Confucius on Spirited Away
Epicurus on Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Freud on American Psycho
Hume on Duchamp
Jesus on Narnia
Jesus - Beyond the Gates of Splendor  
Machiavelli on Voldemort from the Harry Potter series
Montaigne -  Juno
Nietzsche -  Trainspotting
Nietzsche on Fight Club 
Nietzsche on Rosemary's Baby
Plato on Hot Fuzz
Plato on the Truman Show 
Sartre - The Lion King
Sartre - Lou Reed & The Velvet Underground
Seneca - Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood
Socrates on House, MD
Taoism - Rain Man