Overview
Course Objectives
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- CO1: Examine and analyze a variety of issues confronting human beings today.
- CO3: Develop critical thinking to be employed in the diagnosis of the issues under discussion as well as other perplexing issues of contemporary life.
- CO4: Demonstrate the ability to present complex and detailed arguments using clear and concise language.
- CO5: Cultivate an attitude of understanding and cooperative problem resolution.
This week you will do something a bit different that what you may have done for other assignments, create a slide outline. Again, the hope is that you have continued researching and contemplating your topic and the points you want to make. In an effort to help you present the material in the most efficacious way, creating a slide outline should help you visualize how all the pieces will go together.
On a properly formatted document, present an outline listing slide numbers and what content you expect to put on that slide. Your final presentation should be between 15 and 20 slides long. In the outline, be sure to include the resources you plan to include on each slide to support the points you intend to make. See the details on the Week 8 Final Presentation.
This is basically a pass/fail assignment. Doing it will earn the points.
Example for a paper making the argument that free will, as commonly understood, does not exist.
Slide 1 – cover slide
Slide 2 – Introduction with outline
Slide 3 – Stating the problem – Justice demands culpability and no free will means a person is not culpable (Miller; Perez).
Slide 4 – Stating the problem – Neuroscience proves humans are not as free as they believe they are (Shermer; Harris).
Slide 5 – Stating the problem – However, properly understood, humans can give up free will and still hold each other culpable for actions (Caruso).
Slide 6 – Evidence - graphics
Slide 7 – Evidence
…Slide 19 – Conclusion
Slide 20 – Conclusion – I am right, I win!
Slides 21-22 References.
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Course Objectives
- CO1: Examine and analyze a variety of issues confronting human beings today.
- CO3: Develop critical thinking to be employed in the diagnosis of the issues under discussion as well as other perplexing issues of contemporary life.
- CO4: Demonstrate the ability to present complex and detailed arguments using clear and concise language.
- CO5: Cultivate an attitude of understanding and cooperative problem resolution.
The task at hand is to create a 15-20 slide presentation demonstrating not only expertise in some contemporary topic or subtopic of something addressed in this course, but to argue some key point(s) related to some philosophical problem addressed by the topic or subtopic. Specific guidelines for the presentation will be given below, but the key is taking a position and being able to argue that position effectively in the presentation.
Some examples:
- After exploring the relationship between neuroscience and morality, you may argue that the evidence rejects the notion of free will (or demands it).
- After exploring the various concepts of an enduring self, you may choose to argue that memory is all that matters and someone with severe dementia is no longer the same person and physician-assisted suicide can be seen as the morally right thing to do.
- After exploring the nature of sex identification and gender, you may choose to argue that “gender” is a social construct and fluid OR gender is biological and people must accept their DNA.
- After exploring the philosophies around “love” (types) you may choose to argue that “love” is subjective and even the practice in Japan of men marrying anime characters or pillows is morally justifiable.
The choice is yours, but clearing it with your instructor is not a bad idea. The presentation must present an overview of the topic AND make a logical, academically defensible argument for some point related to that topic.
The overarching goal for this assignment is for you to become an expert on one specific topic or aspect of one topic. The method we have used to get you here is scaffolding, where each assignment builds on the one before it. You had a chance to ponder several topics in terms of level of interest. After selecting one, you researched resources to give you the information you need to gain that expertise. After researching you were given the opportunity to visualize how the information would be arranged and presented. The hope is that all of you will not only become experts on the topic, but that you will be able to lucidly and logically argue a philosophical position.
The technical aspects of the presentation are as follows:
- One cover as well as one slide with a clear outline of what will be covered and in what order.
- Bullets on the slides with an explanation in the notes.
- If you choose to narrate the presentation, have the transcript in the note section.
- At least one citation for each resource referenced occurs in the notes or on the slide where the resource was used.
- At least one slide for properly formatted references.
- Try to make the presentation aesthetically pleasing.
- Be sure your logic is valid and sound or inductively strong.