Paper Assignment

Instructions

?Each students will write a 1000-1200 word essay. A topic might include discussing the philosophic implications of an outside source (e.g. a movie, poem, television episode, song, etc.) compared to a text discussed in class. Two-thirds of the paper must be concerned with understanding and grappling with a text treated in class. This is NOT a research paper. ?No secondary sources are permitted, although additional primary sources (e.g. a movie, poem, television episode, song, etc.) are permitted with approval. Students are expected to make sufficient use of the texts considered, including quotations. Format: ?All papers must be submitted in MLA formatting. Each student must consult the MLA.

Topics

1. Compare the Delphic Oracle story and the gadfly account in Plato's Apology. Does Socrates behave identically in each account? While doing so, consider who Socrates questions and where he questions them. Most importantly, consider how Socrates seeks to persuade his listeners and why he questions them (i.e. his stated purpose). If the two differ, why might Socrates give conflicting accounts of his behavior?