I have been spending a lot of time trying to come up with a good paper assignment. I want to give you some options and some room to say something you care about, and enough inspiration to motivate you to spend lots of time grappling with words and ideas.
Here are some thoughts I have been tossing around. I thought maybe you would like a chance to help me shape this assignment. Read my thoughts, and then post a comment. I'll write up the assignment before class on Monday, so comment soon!
Nietzsche, Rives, and Ghandi
These three authors have lots to say about the nature of human connection and society. How is individual difference related to “goodness?” Can we be “good” in a group? Does our community create a cage for us, or do they provide the human connections which give us a reason to live?
How do we create community? What is necessary for its health? Can both the community and the individual be whole at the same time? What do we give up to live in groups? What is gained?
What is the role of language in having a good life?
IS civilization a sickness? What is the cure?
Take a look at the past Core Essay Contest winners to see the kinds of theses there, and try to figure out what the assignment might have been. Please help me to shape an assignment you will like!
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5 comments:
I like the first choice best. That was one of the best parts of Nietzsche. It will be a bit of a challenge trying to connect such varying forms of writing but I would choose the first option. Perhaps you could give us options on essays like last time?
I like the idea of individual morality compared to a group's or a society's morality and also how standards are created is an society. Could we also use Tao Te Ching? Following standards is also talked about iin those poems. I felt like there was only one poem from rives that talked about standards of society and that was the "Gorgeous" poem.
I also like the first one, i think there's a lot to say about group morality and the idea of civilization as a cage. I agree that there might be some parts of the Tao that we could use.
I think our essays should answer the question, "Does a community create a cage for us, or do they provide the human connections which give us a reason to live?". In answering this question I would prefer to use the works of Ghandi and Nietzsche, as both authors make numerous references to the impact that the outside world has on individuals. If you dont decide to go with this question, please include a reference to this idea in the the question you formulate.
I like the topic about the good and bad in a community, whether communities bring out the good or the bad in people
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