Mid term writing assignment.i uploaded the instructions in the file
Slide 1 What is Enlightenment? Immanuel Kant What is Enlightenment? Why Don’t We Have It? Historico-Political Context: Freedom of Religion Private vs. Public Liberalism vs. Revolution Agenda Week 1 check-in The Age of Enlightenment Kant’s What is Enlightenment? Why should I care (cont.) The plan from here Office Hours: James (RCW310): Tues. 1:00-2:00 & Thur. 4:00-5:00 Ashton: (OD104): Mon. 11:30-12:30 The Basic Enlightenment Assumption Everyone has the ability to think rationally for themselves. 1) Universality – while there may be natural differences between people, on at least one level everyone is equal. 2) Rationality – the world makes sense in a way that is both predictable and deductible 3) Critical Thinking – people can and should question received knowledge The Age of Enlightenment – the emergence of reason… Has consequences for… 5 Modern vs. Traditional Authority -In place of traditional authority (“…because I said so!”) modern forms of authority emerged, based on rationality and reasons (“…because this and this…”) Integrative comments The revolution of reason (the age of enlightenment) fundamentally overturned the grounds of political authority 6 3. Kant’s What is Enlightenment? Enlightenment is man's emergence from his self-imposed immaturity. Immaturity is the inability to use one's understanding without guidance from another. What does describing Enlightenment as a kind of maturity suggest about our relation to it? Is there a power relation implied here? Self-Imposed Laziness and cowardice are the reasons why… men… gladly remain in lifelong immaturity. If Laziness and cowardice are our motivations for remaining unenlightened, what two characteristics does this imply about the process of Enlightenment? (Benevolent?) Guardians The guardians who have so benevolently taken over the supervision of men have carefully seen to it that the far greatest part of them (including the entire fair sex) regard taking the step to maturity as very dangerous, not to mention difficult. Does Kant really mean benevolent? How does Kant think about gender? Lead-Strings Demean us Both The guardians show men the danger that threatens them, should they attempt to walk alone. Now this danger is not actually so great, for after falling a few times they would in the end certainly learn to walk. -To renounce Enlightenment or deny it to others is to violate and trample man's divine rights underfoot Historico-Political Context: Frederick II of Prussia -Kant is in an awkward position. He is writing this piece in response to a question asked by the Reverend Johann Friedrich Zöllner, an official in King Frederick’s government. -A prince who allows enlightenment is enlightened and deserves to be praised both now and forever. Public Use of Reason Public use of reason must always be free. It is the use that anyone as a scholar makes before the entire literate world. Private use of reason is that which a person may make in a civic post or office that has been entrusted to him. It may be very narrowly restricted. -Is this how we usually understand public/private? Why Does Kant Restrict The Private Use of Reason? -In many affairs conducted in the interests of a community, its members must conduct themselves in a passive manner so that through an artificial unanimity the government may guide them toward public ends, or at least prevent them from destroying such ends. Only an enlightened ruler says: "Argue as much as you want, but obey!" Really? 14 Quebec Bill 21 Liberal Gatekeepers vs. Revolution -A select few, after having themselves thrown off the yoke of immaturity, will spread the spirit of rationality. Thus a public can only attain enlightenment slowly. A revolution will only lead to new prejudices. So… The masses shouldn’t try to walk by themselves, because they might fall? Hmm… 5. The Plan from Here Tuesday the 14th: come to class as usual Thur the 16thth Continuing with The Enlightenment theme Galileo Darwin Jan 21st & 23rd The Scientific Method: Popper and Kuhn BF190 Assignment Handout MIDTERM WRITING ASSIGNMENT Purpose: This writing assignment will further develop the skills and building blocks you will develop throughout BF190 and 199. You will explain and apply concepts foundational to the humanities and social sciences to a news article chosen from a list provided by the professor. You will also articulate your own position on the article and practice the academic integrity skills you learned in BF190 by referencing your sources using Chicago in-text citation. This assignment is important to your success in your program because it teaches you to not only understand, but make use of concepts that may not only be foundational to your own discipline, but others as well. Instructions: Choose at least two concepts covered in the course from different authors. You may use the same concepts you used in your online discussions. It is up to you. Try to choose concepts that make sense to you, that you find interesting, that relate to one another, and that fit the object you have chosen. Choose at least one direct quote from the course readings that best represents each of the concepts you have chosen. Choose a news article from the News section of the MyLearningSpace page to apply these two concepts to. Try to choose an object that makes sense to you, that you find interesting, and that fits the concepts you have chosen. Choose at least one direct quote from the object that best represents the part of the object that you plan to apply the concepts to. Reference all the quotes you have chosen using the Chicago in-text citation style (NOT footnotes or endnotes) with a works-cited list (or bibliography) at the end of your document. Using this material, write a 5-6 page (plus works cited) double spaced formal paper that answers the question: What might each of the authors you have chosen have to say about the object you have chosen, and what do you have to say about it? This should include: A brief introduction in which you: State what the paper is about. Name the authors you have chosen. Name the concepts you have selected from each author's work. Name the news article you have chosen. Suggest what relationship you are setting up between the concepts and the news article. A series of body paragraphs in which you: Incorporate the quotes you have chosen. Wrap those quotes in sentences of your own words. Explain the concepts you have chosen in your own words. Support your understanding of those concepts by linking them to the quotes. Describe news article you have chosen. Apply the concepts you have chosen to the news article. Explain why you think they are related, why one made you think of the other. Try to answer the question: "What would the author I have chosen make of this news article? What argument(s) might they make about it?" Try to incorporate some of the key words used in the quotes you have chosen to show the connections you are making. Consider explaining the relationship between the applications you have described. Try to answer the question: what would each of these authors say to each other if they were having a conversation about the news article? Would they agree, or disagree, and about what? What might they offer to each other to produce a novel interpretation? A conclusion in which you: Articulate your own position on the news article you have chosen. Do you find yourself taking sides with or against anyone in the story? Do you agree or disagree with the way it was reported? Are there multiple ways that you are tempted to understand the story? Does it raise further questions for you? What does it imply about the contemporary world? How does it make you feel? Relate your position to the positions you attributed to the authors. Do you find yourself agreeing with one author over the other? Are there specific ways in which you both agree and disagree with each author? What would these authors think of your position? Formatting: Your paper should: Be a .doc, .docx or .pdf file type. .PAGES FILES AND WEBLINKS WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED!!! (there are online resources to change file format if your computer will not save as a doc, docx, or pdf. Be 5-6 pages in length, plus the works cited (or bibliography). Use Chicago in-text (not foot-note or end-note) citations. Be double-spaced. Be in 11 or 12 point font. Make use of the academic integrity practices that you learned in the guest lecture and online quiz. Submission: You must submit your completed writing assignment to the Midterm Writing Assignment dropbox. Late submissions will penalized 5% per day. MyLearningSpace may crash moments before the deadline... Take this into account! Don't leave this to the last minute! AFTER YOU HAVE SUBMITTED, DOUBLE CHECK THAT THE FILE IS THERE (return to the drop box and click on ‘completion status’ – you should see your file) AND THAT YOU HAVE SUBMITTED THE CORRECT FILE (download it and make sure it is what you meant to submit). You will be sent a confirmation email that your file was submitted in your MYLS email. It is your responsibility to submit the correct file on time. Grading: Your Midterm Writing Assignment will be graded and commented on by a marker-grader using a discretionary rubric. Look at the rubric, posted on the MyLearningSpace page, before you start writing, so that you understand how to get the highest grades! Slide 1 The Enlightenment, Rationality, Universality and Critical Thinking Part 2 of 2 1 Three bits of administration: The Weekly Guided Note-taking Templates are recommended but not required. You do not submit weekly guided note-taking templates You are required to do Online Discussion Groups You all do two per semester Week 2 open today (due Wed. Jan 22, 11:59pm) The Online Academic Integrity Quiz is now open. Find it through the Learning and Study Skills page on MyLearningSpace (due Friday Jan 31) Questions about the Midterm Writing Assignment Due Feb 2 Read instructions (available on MyLS under Content / Assignment Handouts) How do I choose “concepts”? 2 Agenda How do you know? Galileo Darwin What’s wrong with Social Darwinism? The plan for next week 3 Fake news How many heard of fake news What is it? Why matter? Informing political debate! But not just Trump Election claims (Can want taxes cut… Can want services extended) HOW DO YOU KNOW? Some combination of evidence and frameworks of making sense of the evidence (theory) Next few lectures… - early examples of scientific reasoning & major developments in theory - debates around how science works over time (proof /false… revolutions) Major developements of Enlightenment period, deeply shape our world today Not so distant as it first seems… 4 The Assayer, Galileo Galilei to the Most Serene Grand Duchess Mother Galilei Galileo Legitimacy of knowledge Scientific method Start with Galileo - Pisa / Italy (1564 two-hundred years before What is Enlightment) Famous for many things Use of telescope, developments in math, arguing that things fall through space according to their density, not weight (people dropping things out of learning tower