Homework for October 13, post PSAT madness

     Today we began the "6 philosophers walked into a coffee shop..." project. Your task is to each take on the role of a philosopher/religious founder from the Classical Era, and as a group (formed in class today) compose a dialog/skit of what the conversation would be like if they all met up in a coffee shop and started talking about a modern dilemma.  Each group must have at least one representative from each of the major civilizations we see in the Classical Era: China (Confucius, Lao Zi), Persia (Zoroaster, Amos, Job), India (Gautama, Mahavira), and Greece (Socrates, Plato, Solon).

You are to open up a Google Document in which (on which? prepositions are hard...) you will compose your dialog, share it among the groups and with me. Make sure everyone has the ability to edit the document!

Develop a dialogue that illustrates how each one of these characters would react to or explain the modern dilemma. Make sure you are being true to each philosopher’s own unique nature.

This should be a dialogue, not a series of monologues, so make sure your characters are responding to one another.

Each character must “speak” at least five times. (And “I agree.” Doesn’t count as speaking…)

You may begin the discussion any way you like, but you should be sure to identify who you are, address your fellow group members in character and start the conversation about your modern dilemma. You can add stage directions also, if that makes it more fun. For example:

Zoroaster: (Walks into Starbucks and orders a black, fire-roasted coffee with lots of foam)

“Hello there friends. Have you heard the news? President Obama is planning on taking troops out of Iraq and adding troops in Afghanistan. I applaud his attempts to maintain balance …"

     You need to each type your character's portion, though you do not all have to get together to do so. (or, you could actually meet in a coffee shop...) So, start by listing which student is which philosopher, and I will add in your topic of conversation.  For tonight, you should read the section of the packet that pertains to your philosopher's region.   The document is linked here in case your scanning history wiped, or it never loaded properly.  So if you are Confucius, you are reading the section about China. (note that the section on Greece doesn't discuss Socrates or Plato directly.  You still need to read it!) You should all skim the introductory material, but it will largely be a repeat of what the textbook has covered for you.  Remember the Axial Age is the Classical Era.  Tomayto, Tomahto...

     The final script is due by next Wednesday by the start of class. (Not the end of the day!) You don't want to wait on this folks.  Your grade is based on your individual contributions, so if you lose the internet at the last moment, and you waited, you are out of luck...

     Scoring categories for this project include: Mechanics of writing (punctuation, spelling, grammar); Accuracy/Authenticity (You have to sound like your philosopher and reference his beliefs); Number of times you speak (at least 5!); Relevance (You are discussing what you are supposed to be discussing!). This will be counted as a full project grade.

     Lastly, the score guide for the DBQ, which we went over today, is linked up here. Spend some time with it, get comfortable with it, 'cause it will be with us all year long.