Socratic Seminar

Hi Guys,
Next Friday (5/03) our class will be participating in a Socratic seminar. In a Socratic seminar, issues and questions are discussed in an open, yet civilized way. Students will be encourage to share their opinions and to provide evidence in support of that opinion. Opinions are expected to be educated, informed and well-reasoned. As you might expect, student participation is critical to the success of a Socratic seminar. Students will prepare for the seminar by reading a series of articles and taking notes on those article.

Grading
1) Participation (30 points): Students will be graded on their participation in the Socratic seminar. I will not only the consider the number of comments made during the seminar but the quality of those comments. Quality is more important that quantity. EVERY STUDENT IS EXPECTED TO PARTICIPATE!

2) Notes/Preparation (70 points): Students are expected to read and take notes on at least six articles in preparation for the seminar. In addition, we will watching two films and taking notes on those films. I will collect all notes, for both the articles and the films, immediately AFTER the seminar.

Topic for the Socratic Seminar
Being that we spent a significant amount of time reading Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream," speech, the topic for the Socratic seminar will be equality in America today. Possible discussion questions might include:

1. How does equality/inequality exist in America today and why?
2. How far have we come from the 1960’s in achieving equality in America? Have we come far enough?
3. Have we finally achieved the American Dream of equality for all as expressed in the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and by MLK in his "I Have a Dream Speech"? Where do we fall short as a country and why?
4. Is inequality an inherent element in human societies?
5. What are the remaining barriers to equality in America, if any?
6. What groups experience unequal treatment in America today, if any?
7. How do we encourage further acceptance and equality? Is this something that we should prioritize?

Students should prepare to discuss these questions by reading and taking notes on at least SIX of the following articles.

Articles
 A Challenge to the Voting Rights Act
Ending Affirmative Action
Freedom Fighters
Interracial Dating
The New Face of America
Scenes from the Border
The Equal Rights Amendment (Women's Rights)
The Marriage Debate
Women in the U.S. Today
Income Inequality in America

All articles can also be found in the "View Only" folder on Google Drive.