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 1-2 page essayistic outlines of your answers to these questions, one outline for each question.  Your outlines will count for half of your overall grade on this project, so make sure you put your best effort into constructing these.  This is a formal writing project; while your essayistic outlines need not exceed one page in length, I expect them to be typed and grammatically sound.  In short, they will be subject to the scrutiny of any other piece of writing that you turn in.  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. . . .”  Instead, I expect responses to make use of textual evidence.  A well-phrased response to a question should have something like this in the answer: “On page sixty-three we see that the author makes reference to. . . .”  In other words, your readings will help to delineate the boundaries of your responses.  If you cannot find evidence to support your answer from the text, it is highly unlikely that your answer will be considered as well-constructed.  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 most fulfilling and rewarding forms of examination that you've ever encountered.  It allows you the opportunity to respond thoughtfully regarding class readings, and it provides you with instant feedback on your point of view.  Furthermore, you get to hear what your peers also have to say about this topic.  It is a relatively low-pressure method of verifying your knowledge.  You should enjoy this method of examination more than any other kind that you encounter in a collegiate environment.  

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