Paul B Woodruff

A continuation of Philosophy 610QA, this course will carry the class discussion beyond ethics to the support for ethics—reality and our ability to know it.  In this we are following Plato’s journey from Socrates’ questions to a theory of transcendent being.  We will start by looking at recent theories of relativism and then ask whether we can have access to knowledge of objective truth.  We’ll look at Plato’s Theaetetus and ask whether relativism can be coherent, and we’ll go on to seek a definition of knowledge.  In the middle of February, in time for Valentine’s day, we will arrive at the subject of love, which Plato believes leads us to a grasp of reality, as we will learn from the Symposium.  After a foray into the history of skepticism, we will leap forward to the modern era, where we join the debate between the advocates of reason (such as Descartes) and the team of passion and experience (Hume).   We will see how these two sides handle proofs for the existence of God (with a brief look back into the middle ages). After that, we leap forward again to discuss contemporary issues about the mind and brain, then advance to a serious excursion into Buddhist metaphysics, which centers on the challenging idea that a human being has no real self. 

The course is a journey backward—and forward—in time.  We will begin with recent Utilitarian ethics, which seeks the greatest happiness of the greatest number.  After assessing the strengths and weaknesses of utilitarianism, we will move on to Kant’s approach to ethics, which is based on the dignity of human beings as autonomous—as making their own ethical laws.  Then we will explore virtue ethics—the study of character in relation to action—in both Greek and Chinese traditions. This will lead us back to Socrates, and we will ask whether we can use his foundations to build a theory we can use today.  That is the project of Woodruff’s current book writing project. In all of this we will try to go through the study of history to engage with our own real, every day ethical issues.  We will end with existentialism, seen mainly through Camus.

CTI 350 Masterworks of World Drama

33445

Paul Woodruff

Description  

Wherever there are humans, there is theater.  We all love to watch each other perform, and most of us like to have an audience, starting in early childhood. A play does not need to be a masterpiece to be richly rewarding for performers and audience alike.  But the masterpieces have staying power; plays written 2500 years ago can still be thrilling.  In this course we will read a play or scenes from a play every week, starting with the earliest ancient Greek dramas.  We will read from Shakespeare, Moliere, Chekhov, Eugene O’Neill, Beckett, Stoppard, and classics from both China and South Asia.  We will end with a recent winner of the Pulitzer Prize, “Ruined,” by Lynn Nottage, a disturbing and life-affirming drama about women surviving civil war by taking shelter as workers in a brothel.  Toward the end of the semester, all students will be involved in performing scenes from plays they choose to work on; they won’t all have to act, as there are many ways to participate in this.  But theater is a performance art.  Putting on a few scenes will be fun; it will also help us appreciate this wonderful art form.   

The Professor  

Paul Woodruff has written plays and opera libretti.  He has also translated a number of Greek plays.  His book, The Necessity of Theater, is widely read.  He is best known, however, for his work in ancient philosophy and in ethics. 

Requirements and grading  

Ten very short papers (five points each); one longer paper to be revised during the semester (15 points), active participation (ten points), two brief exams with essay questions given out in advance (10 points each), self-evaluation (5 points for completion).     

A continuation of Philosophy 610QA, this course will carry the class discussion from ethics to knowledge and metaphysics.  We will start with Nietzsche’s criticism of the ethical tradition in Europe, and then move back to the beginning of that tradition in Plato.  We will then see how Plato’s ethics leads him into questions about knowledge and reality.  From Plato, we graduate to skepticism in ancient philosophy.  Then we leap forward to the modern era, where we join the debate between the advocates of reason (such as Descartes) and the team of passion and experience (Hume).   We will see how these teams handle proofs for the existence of God (with a brief look back into the middle ages). After that, we leap forward again to discuss contemporary issues about the mind and brain, then back for a serious excursion into Buddhist metaphysics.

Description:

Our first theme this semester will be how stories reveal the people who tell them. For this, I have chosen a few books, stories, and poems in which writers or narrators discover (or hide) themselves. Our second theme will be character: How do stories reveal the people they are about? A character in a story is an agent who is responsible for some of the story's action; we will discuss how the best storytellers endow their subjects with responsibility, and how they bring certain figures in the story into the narrative foreground, while leaving others to melt into the scenery.

We'll also discuss the connection between being a character in a story and having an ethical character. Roughly speaking, an ethical character is a reliable disposition to behave in certain ways, good or bad. Is there such a thing as ethical character in real life? Should a well-drawn literary character have a consistent ethical character? For this we’ll read both fiction and plays.

Our reading will commence with the first master-storyteller of the English language, Chaucer. We will then choose at least one play by Shakespeare that most members of the class do not know. In both cases, we will study how our authors modify the stories they have received in order to make them serve new literary purposes. We will then proceed to books, plays, and stories written in very recent years. Along the way we will take time for poetry, which we will read along with letters by the poets, so that we can see how poetry and life connect. For contemporary works, we will make use of poets and other writers who will be speaking at the Joynes Room during the semester.

Assignments:

1. Two 500 word papers (5% each), one each for the first two weeks.


2. After that, a one-page reader response every other week for a total of five (pass/fail, no revisions).


3. A graded research-type term paper of about 2000 words (topic statement, at least one preliminary draft, and a final draft required, on the dates listed on the syllabus). Penalties for lateness will apply. (Counts 30% of final grade).


4. Mid-term and final exams (15% and 25% of final grade).

Attendance is also required at all classes. If you are more than 5 minutes late you are not in attendance by our standards. Penalties for absences apply. Participation counts for 20% of final grade. A poetry workshop will be offered for those interested (ungraded).

About the professor:

Woodruff is a philosopher, writer, and translator, currently finishing a book on leadership. He is also the recipient of the 2015-16 Chad Oliver Teaching Award in Plan II.

Description:

Fall: Our theme in the first semester is war and how to preserve our humanity in time of war through love.  Our reading will come from ancient Greek classics, Shakespeare, and as well as from Vietnamese and Vietnamese-American literature. We will start with the Iliad the founding epic of European culture, with its vivid depiction of the violence of war, the power of friendship, and the overwhelming value of family. After that, on to Sophocles’ Antigone, the love poems of Sappho, and Romeo and Juliet.  I’m sure you’ve read it before, but this time will be different.          

The Actors from the London Stage will be here in late September performing Richard III, so we will have a look at that.  We will then read Henry V for the king’s approach to battle  (“Once more into the breach”) and to love (“There’s witchcraft in your lips”). 

We will also read the Vietnamese epic, The Tale of Kieu, about a woman who travels and suffers like Odysseus, but is able to triumph and reunite her family.  After that, the latest Pulitzer-prize winning novel, The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen. 

Spring: Our first theme this semester will be how stories reveal the people who tell them. For this, I have chosen a few books, stories, and poems in which writers or narrators discover (or hide) themselves. Our second theme will be character:  How do stories reveal the people they are about?  A character in a story is an agent who is responsible for some of the story's action; we will discuss how the best storytellers endow their subjects with responsibility, and how they bring certain figures in the story into the narrative foreground, while leaving others to melt into the scenery. 

We'll also discuss the connection between being a character in a story and having an ethical character.  Roughly speaking, an ethical character is a reliable disposition to behave in certain ways, good or bad.  Is there such a thing as ethical character in real life?    Should a well-drawn literary character have a consistent ethical character?  For this we’ll read both fiction and plays.

Our reading will commence with the first master-storyteller of the English language, Chaucer.  We will then choose at least one play by Shakespeare that most members of the class do not know.  In both cases, we will study how our authors modify the stories they have received in order to make them serve new literary purposes.  We will then proceed to books, plays, and stories written in very recent years.  Along the way we will take time for poetry, which we will read along with letters by the poets, so that we can see how poetry and life connect.  For contemporary works, we will make use of poets and other writers who will be speaking at the Joynes Room during the semester.

Texts/Readings:

Fall

Homer’s Iliad, Tr. Lombardo

Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet, Richard III, Henry V

Nguyen, The Sympathizer

The Tale of Kieu

Sophocles, Antigone, tr. Woodruff

Various handouts

Spring
We will select readings during the fall semester, on the basis of student interest. 

Assignments:

Each Semester

1.  Two 500 word papers (5% each), one each for the first two weeks.

2.  After that, a one-page reader response every other week for a total of five (pass/fail, no
     revisions).

3. A graded research-type term paper of about 2000 words (topic statement, at least one
     preliminary draft, and a final draft required, on the dates listed on the syllabus). Penalties for
     lateness will apply. (Counts 30% of final grade).

4.  Mid-term and final exams (15% and 25% of final grade).

Attendance is also required at all classes.  If you are more than 5 minutes late you are not in attendance by our standards.  Penalties for absences apply.  Participation counts for 20% of final grade.  A poetry workshop will be offered for those interested (ungraded).

About the professor:

Woodruff is a philosopher, writer, and translator, currently finishing a book on leadership.

A continuation of Philosophy 610QA, this course will carry the class discussion from ethics to knowledge and metaphysics.  We will start with Nietzsche’s criticism of the ethical tradition in Europe, and then move back to Plato’s route to metaphysics—by way of his theory of erotic love. From Plato, onward to skepticism in ancient philosophy.  Then we leap forward to the modern era, where we join the debate between the advocates of reason (such as Descartes) and the team of passion and experience (Hume).   We will see how these teams handle proofs for the existence of God (with a brief look back into the middle ages). After that, we turn to questions about the self and the mind, reading classical Buddhist texts before we leap forward to discuss contemporary issues about the mind and brain.

A broad introduction to philosophy of the arts, starting with Plato’s criticism of poetry and moving through Aristotle’s Poetics to a set of modern theories.  We will focus on the experience of art, especially with regard to the emotions.

After the first few weeks, you will be working, alone or with a team, on developing own philosophy for the kind of art that you love the most. 

Plato’s attack on poetry gives us a target:  How can we answer Plato’s type of criticism for any art form?

Aristotle’s account of tragic poetry gives us the classic example of a definition in our field. 

Each student will choose a form of art and ask certain questions about it.  The reading will be variable; students will read about the art form that interests them, focusing on these questions (if they are appropriate):

1.  How should your art form be defined? 

2.  When your kind of art is good, what makes it good?

3.  How does your kind of art affect our emotions?

4.  Can we live human lives without your art?

Art forms include architecture, painting, cartoons, pottery, furniture design, poetry, theater, novels, music (of all kinds), dance, and more.

List of Proposed Texts /Readings :

We will use a reader with texts from these authors:

Plato’s Ion and selections from Republic, Book 10.

Aristotle’s Poetics

Selection from Tolstoy’s What is Art?

Oscar Wilde’s “The Decay of Lying”

Selections from Paul Woodruff, The Necessity of Theater

O.K. Bouwsma’s “The Expression Theory of Art”

The course is a journey backward in time.  We will begin with Utilitarian ethics, which seeks the greatest happiness of the greatest number.  After assessing the strengths and weaknesses of utilitarianism, will move on to Kant’s approach to ethics, which is based on the dignity of an autonomous being.  Then we will explore virtue ethics—the study of character in relation to action—in Aristotle and the Chinese tradition (with a brief look at modern expositions of virtue ethics).  The quest for knowledge of virtue will lead us to Socrates and the seeds of Plato’s metaphysics (which will be our subject at the start of the spring semester).  We will end with existentialism, seen mainly through Camus.

MON., 12:30 - 3:30

Graduate standing and consent of graduate advisor or instructor required.

Course Description

The course will be a study of Plato’s approach to ethics, from Socrates’ nagging questions to the grand speculations of the Republic, in the light of recent work in ethics and meta-ethics.  This will be more philosophy than archaeology—more about whether Plato’s ethics stands up to criticism than about how to read the text.

We will begin with Socrates’ questions:  What do they presuppose about common human resources?  What do they presuppose about matters such as reverence and justice?   To what extent is Socrates committed to these presuppositions?  To what extent is the questioning defined by the pretensions of Socrates’ partners to know or to teach virtue?  In particular, is Socrates really committed to defining virtue as knowledge, or is this a consequence of his partners’ claims to teach virtue?  If he thinks virtue is knowledge, and truly thinks he does not have that knowledge, how does he think he manages to live a decent life?  After that, we will give special attention to Socrates’ arguments with those who appear to reject ethical values as folly, such as Thrasymachus and Callicles.

Plato was closely related to men whose ethical failures were colossal, leaders among the thirty tyrants.  Not surprisingly, he was driven by a passion to avert ethical failure in educated people, and this drive led him to important insights about the nature of education and effect of knowledge and ignorance on behavior.  With this in mind we will study Socrates’ response to Glaucon’s challenge, as well as his unblinking realization that even the ideal state will decay as a result of ethical deterioration.  This appears to be due to a number of factors, which we will investigate.

Not everyone will read all of the texts; we will to some extent divide and conquer.  If one or more members of the class wish to read texts in Greek we will set aside time for that outside class time, not in it.

Grading

Initial paper, first week, 5%.

Class presentation, in week assigned, 25%.

Rated on basis of the focus of the talk, clarity, quality of engagement with audience, use of texts, effectiveness of arguments.  (By “focus” I mean that the presentation may not be a summary; it must be organized around a thesis or a question/)

Notes assembled for class presentation, 20%.

Rated on focus, organization, clarity, judicious use of secondary material, definitions of terms used.

Participation, 30% 

Members of the class are expected to contribute to each week’s discussion.

Paper, developed from the notes, due two weeks after the presentation, 20%.

Texts

The Cooper edition of Plato’s dialogues, with commentaries and scholarly works as appropriate for individual student projects.

All will read Plato’s Euthyphro, Apology, Crito, Gorgias, and Republic. 

Some will read Charmides, Laches, Lysis, Hippias Major, Alcibiades, Symposium, or Phaedrus.

This course satisfies the History requirement

Prerequisites

Graduate Standing and Consent of Graduate Advisor or instructor required. 

Course Description

Very new and very old approaches to the age-old problem of justice, with attention to questions such as these:  Can justice be, at the same time, a political virtue and a virtue of character?  Is compassion compatible with justice?  What kinds of difference in individuals justifies difference in expectations, whether of benefits or of duties?  Must justice be principled?  Can it be consequentialist?  What sort of commitment could a particularist have to justice?  What is fairness in relation to justice?  Can there be justice among nations?  Across nations?  Among species?

We will bring new eyes to ancient texts, and we will cast eyes steeped in ancient lore on very recent ones.  After a very brief survey of early Greek thought about justice (including tragic poets), we will spend a few weeks on Plato, then Aristotle, then John Stuart Mill.  That will take less than half the semester.  After that, we will divide up modern authors.  Members of the seminar may choose from the list below or introduce authors they are interested in themselves.

Grading Policy

Two shortish papers (well under 2000 words), both to be presented in class (assuming the class is fairly small).  After the first month, there will be at least one paper presented per week.  One paper about a topic in ancient philosophy, and one paper about a recent work chosen by you (not necessarily from the list above).  The papers will count 40% each, and seminar participation will count 20%.

Reading

I will order no books, as I assume you will have most of these already, or else we will be reading different books.  For Plato, I prefer Hackett translations (Crito, Gorgias, Republic (Grube-Reeve version, 1992).  For Aristotle I prefer Reeve's Politics (Hackett, 1998) and Ostwald's Nicomachan Ethics (LLA 1962).   

Otherwise, lay in what books you wish, borrow from me, or depend on photocopies, as we will be reading what the class decides to read, and not all the same things.  We will allow one week for a brief review of Rawls (Political Liberalism, Expanded Edition 2005).  Among recent authors, I suggest, in alpha order:  Gillian Brock (Global Justice, 2009), G.A. Cohen (Rescuing Justice and Equality, 2008), Raymond Geuss (varia), Richard Kraut (What is Good and Why, 2007)), Martha Nussbaum (Frontiers of Justice, 2007), Joseph Raz (varia) , Amartya Sen, The Idea of Justice (2009), David Wiggins (in Ethics, 2006).   I promise not to read all of these, and you will not do so either.  We will divide up the work in order to achieve a general view of current work in this area. 

This seminar satisfies the History requirement

GK 390 Seminar in Classical Studies:

Selected topics in Greek studies. Topics given in recent years include Mycenaean documents, Aristotle's ethics, Archaic poetry, and Plato's Symposium.

A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. 

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth - century philosophy. 

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

Plan II/KIPP Express – Service Orientation Course         

Semester: Fall 2018                                                                       

Instructor: Jill Kolasinski, Adjunct Professor, Plan II Honors Program

Description:

The primary focus of this course will be training students to volunteer at one of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Austin schools, within one of the existing Plan II/KIPP Partnership service programs, KAL Mentoring or Plan Tutoring.  KAL Mentoring is a cross-age mentoring program in which selected Plan II students are matched with middle school-aged mentees from KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters (KAL).  In the Plan Tutoring program, selected Plan II students tutor high school juniors and seniors during their college application process at KIPP Austin Collegiate (KAC).  KIPP Austin Public Schools is a network of high-performing charter schools that serve children in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grades in ten schools throughout the Austin area.  KIPP Austin schools target mostly minority, low-income students and provide them with an excellent option in education in order to prepare them for success in college and life.

The Plan II/KIPP Partnership (P2K) is a service-oriented program started by Grant Thomas in 2007.  P2K first started as a year-long course for selected Plan II students to mentor 5^th graders at the first KIPP Austin middle school, KIPP Austin College Prep.  Since there were many more Plan II students interested in volunteering at a KIPP school beyond the 17 students allowed in the class, KAL Mentoring and Plan Tutoring were started in 2011. There are now three branches of P2K:  the Krewe (students in the comprehensive, year-long-course TC 126), KAL Mentors, and Plan Tutors.  Over the past several years, nearly 100 Plan II students have served in one of the three branches of the P2K Partnership every year.  The original vision of P2K was to provide a positive, impactful service opportunity for Plan II students while teaching them about the place and people they would serve.  In order to fortify the original vision, this course was created for KAL Mentors and Plan Tutors.  Our hope is that through this service orientation course, students will deepen their knowledge of KIPP schools and the students they serve, as well as strengthen their mentoring and tutoring strategies and skills.

In the service orientation course, Plan II students will have the opportunity to forge mutually positive and meaningful relationships with younger KIPP students while receiving limited information related to the inequalities in the U.S. public education system, as well as broad, yet important components of the KIPP educational model. Integral features of the course will include regular mentoring/tutoring contacts, class discussions, and guest speakers.

Texts/Readings:

Over the summer before the beginning of the semester, it is strongly recommend that students read 3-4 selected chapters from Work Hard. Be Nice. and “Marita’s Bargain” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Suggested additional readings, if interested

• Articles and stories about educational reform issues, which may be included in “KIPP in the News” (KiTN), a weekly e-summary courtesy of the (National) KIPP Foundation or sent via Twitter or email
• The Next Big Thing: Handbook for Teen Bigs: Youthlaunch, 2004
• Mathews, J.: Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
• KIPP Austin Annual Report(s) (www.kippaustin.org)
• KIPP Austin Volunteer Handbook, 2015-2016 Edition
• Hochschild, J., and Scovronick, N.: Introduction to The American Dream and the Public Schools
• Gladwell, Malcolm: Outliers (Chapter Nine, “Marita’s Bargain”)
• KIPP “Five Pillars”, KIPP Austin Public Schools Mission Statement

 Assignments:

Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following and graded on a pass/no pass basis:

• Attendance and participation at all class sessions, including one group trip to your KIPP school during an extended class time
• Regular contact with your KIPP student(s) (i.e. at least weekly in-person visits, augmented by ongoing communications via email/texting, regular mail, telephone or any/all of these means—parental permission required)
• Mentor/Tutor self-profile (to assist P2K and KIPP staff in ensuring compatible P2K student/KIPP student matches)
• Mentor introductory letter to Mentee
• Mentee reflection —brief, thoughtful reflection about your mentee—to be shared with the mentee’s faculty advisor and other interested/appropriate KIPP staff
• Ongoing log of contacts with mentee (including contact above and beyond the required weekly meetings at your KIPP school)
• Self-assessment with proposed grade for the semester Mentor See-You-Next-January letter to mentee (delivered to mentee during the last visit to KACP in the fall semester)

Plan II/KIPP Express – Service Orientation Course         

Semester: Fall 2018                                                                       

Instructor: Jill Kolasinski, Adjunct Professor, Plan II Honors Program

Description:

The primary focus of this course will be training students to volunteer at one of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Austin schools, within one of the existing Plan II/KIPP Partnership service programs, KAL Mentoring or Plan Tutoring.  KAL Mentoring is a cross-age mentoring program in which selected Plan II students are matched with middle school-aged mentees from KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters (KAL).  In the Plan Tutoring program, selected Plan II students tutor high school juniors and seniors during their college application process at KIPP Austin Collegiate (KAC).  KIPP Austin Public Schools is a network of high-performing charter schools that serve children in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grades in ten schools throughout the Austin area.  KIPP Austin schools target mostly minority, low-income students and provide them with an excellent option in education in order to prepare them for success in college and life.

The Plan II/KIPP Partnership (P2K) is a service-oriented program started by Grant Thomas in 2007.  P2K first started as a year-long course for selected Plan II students to mentor 5^th graders at the first KIPP Austin middle school, KIPP Austin College Prep.  Since there were many more Plan II students interested in volunteering at a KIPP school beyond the 17 students allowed in the class, KAL Mentoring and Plan Tutoring were started in 2011. There are now three branches of P2K:  the Krewe (students in the comprehensive, year-long-course TC 126), KAL Mentors, and Plan Tutors.  Over the past several years, nearly 100 Plan II students have served in one of the three branches of the P2K Partnership every year.  The original vision of P2K was to provide a positive, impactful service opportunity for Plan II students while teaching them about the place and people they would serve.  In order to fortify the original vision, this course was created for KAL Mentors and Plan Tutors.  Our hope is that through this service orientation course, students will deepen their knowledge of KIPP schools and the students they serve, as well as strengthen their mentoring and tutoring strategies and skills.

In the service orientation course, Plan II students will have the opportunity to forge mutually positive and meaningful relationships with younger KIPP students while receiving limited information related to the inequalities in the U.S. public education system, as well as broad, yet important components of the KIPP educational model. Integral features of the course will include regular mentoring/tutoring contacts, class discussions, and guest speakers.

Texts/Readings:

Over the summer before the beginning of the semester, it is strongly recommend that students read 3-4 selected chapters from Work Hard. Be Nice. and “Marita’s Bargain” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Suggested additional readings, if interested

• Articles and stories about educational reform issues, which may be included in “KIPP in the News” (KiTN), a weekly e-summary courtesy of the (National) KIPP Foundation or sent via Twitter or email
• The Next Big Thing: Handbook for Teen Bigs: Youthlaunch, 2004
• Mathews, J.: Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
• KIPP Austin Annual Report(s) (www.kippaustin.org)
• KIPP Austin Volunteer Handbook, 2015-2016 Edition
• Hochschild, J., and Scovronick, N.: Introduction to The American Dream and the Public Schools
• Gladwell, Malcolm: Outliers (Chapter Nine, “Marita’s Bargain”)
• KIPP “Five Pillars”, KIPP Austin Public Schools Mission Statement

 Assignments:

Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following and graded on a pass/no pass basis:

• Attendance and participation at all class sessions, including one group trip to your KIPP school during an extended class time
• Regular contact with your KIPP student(s) (i.e. at least weekly in-person visits, augmented by ongoing communications via email/texting, regular mail, telephone or any/all of these means—parental permission required)
• Mentor/Tutor self-profile (to assist P2K and KIPP staff in ensuring compatible P2K student/KIPP student matches)
• Mentor introductory letter to Mentee
• Mentee reflection —brief, thoughtful reflection about your mentee—to be shared with the mentee’s faculty advisor and other interested/appropriate KIPP staff
• Ongoing log of contacts with mentee (including contact above and beyond the required weekly meetings at your KIPP school)
• Self-assessment with proposed grade for the semester Mentor See-You-Next-January letter to mentee (delivered to mentee during the last visit to KACP in the fall semester)

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth - century philosophy. 

A survey of principal topics and problems in areas such as ethics, theory of knowledge, and philosophy of religion. 

Plan II/KIPP Express – Service Orientation Course         

Semester: Fall 2018                                                                       

Instructor: Jill Kolasinski, Adjunct Professor, Plan II Honors Program

Description:

The primary focus of this course will be training students to volunteer at one of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Austin schools, within one of the existing Plan II/KIPP Partnership service programs, KAL Mentoring or Plan Tutoring.  KAL Mentoring is a cross-age mentoring program in which selected Plan II students are matched with middle school-aged mentees from KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters (KAL).  In the Plan Tutoring program, selected Plan II students tutor high school juniors and seniors during their college application process at KIPP Austin Collegiate (KAC).  KIPP Austin Public Schools is a network of high-performing charter schools that serve children in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grades in ten schools throughout the Austin area.  KIPP Austin schools target mostly minority, low-income students and provide them with an excellent option in education in order to prepare them for success in college and life.

The Plan II/KIPP Partnership (P2K) is a service-oriented program started by Grant Thomas in 2007.  P2K first started as a year-long course for selected Plan II students to mentor 5^th graders at the first KIPP Austin middle school, KIPP Austin College Prep.  Since there were many more Plan II students interested in volunteering at a KIPP school beyond the 17 students allowed in the class, KAL Mentoring and Plan Tutoring were started in 2011. There are now three branches of P2K:  the Krewe (students in the comprehensive, year-long-course TC 126), KAL Mentors, and Plan Tutors.  Over the past several years, nearly 100 Plan II students have served in one of the three branches of the P2K Partnership every year.  The original vision of P2K was to provide a positive, impactful service opportunity for Plan II students while teaching them about the place and people they would serve.  In order to fortify the original vision, this course was created for KAL Mentors and Plan Tutors.  Our hope is that through this service orientation course, students will deepen their knowledge of KIPP schools and the students they serve, as well as strengthen their mentoring and tutoring strategies and skills.

In the service orientation course, Plan II students will have the opportunity to forge mutually positive and meaningful relationships with younger KIPP students while receiving limited information related to the inequalities in the U.S. public education system, as well as broad, yet important components of the KIPP educational model. Integral features of the course will include regular mentoring/tutoring contacts, class discussions, and guest speakers.

Texts/Readings:

Over the summer before the beginning of the semester, it is strongly recommend that students read 3-4 selected chapters from Work Hard. Be Nice. and “Marita’s Bargain” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Suggested additional readings, if interested

• Articles and stories about educational reform issues, which may be included in “KIPP in the News” (KiTN), a weekly e-summary courtesy of the (National) KIPP Foundation or sent via Twitter or email
• The Next Big Thing: Handbook for Teen Bigs: Youthlaunch, 2004
• Mathews, J.: Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
• KIPP Austin Annual Report(s) (www.kippaustin.org)
• KIPP Austin Volunteer Handbook, 2015-2016 Edition
• Hochschild, J., and Scovronick, N.: Introduction to The American Dream and the Public Schools
• Gladwell, Malcolm: Outliers (Chapter Nine, “Marita’s Bargain”)
• KIPP “Five Pillars”, KIPP Austin Public Schools Mission Statement

 Assignments:

Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following and graded on a pass/no pass basis:

• Attendance and participation at all class sessions, including one group trip to your KIPP school during an extended class time
• Regular contact with your KIPP student(s) (i.e. at least weekly in-person visits, augmented by ongoing communications via email/texting, regular mail, telephone or any/all of these means—parental permission required)
• Mentor/Tutor self-profile (to assist P2K and KIPP staff in ensuring compatible P2K student/KIPP student matches)
• Mentor introductory letter to Mentee
• Mentee reflection —brief, thoughtful reflection about your mentee—to be shared with the mentee’s faculty advisor and other interested/appropriate KIPP staff
• Ongoing log of contacts with mentee (including contact above and beyond the required weekly meetings at your KIPP school)
• Self-assessment with proposed grade for the semester Mentor See-You-Next-January letter to mentee (delivered to mentee during the last visit to KACP in the fall semester)

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

Plan II/KIPP Express – Service Orientation Course         

Semester: Fall 2018                                                                       

Instructor: Jill Kolasinski, Adjunct Professor, Plan II Honors Program

Description:

The primary focus of this course will be training students to volunteer at one of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Austin schools, within one of the existing Plan II/KIPP Partnership service programs, KAL Mentoring or Plan Tutoring.  KAL Mentoring is a cross-age mentoring program in which selected Plan II students are matched with middle school-aged mentees from KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters (KAL).  In the Plan Tutoring program, selected Plan II students tutor high school juniors and seniors during their college application process at KIPP Austin Collegiate (KAC).  KIPP Austin Public Schools is a network of high-performing charter schools that serve children in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grades in ten schools throughout the Austin area.  KIPP Austin schools target mostly minority, low-income students and provide them with an excellent option in education in order to prepare them for success in college and life.

The Plan II/KIPP Partnership (P2K) is a service-oriented program started by Grant Thomas in 2007.  P2K first started as a year-long course for selected Plan II students to mentor 5^th graders at the first KIPP Austin middle school, KIPP Austin College Prep.  Since there were many more Plan II students interested in volunteering at a KIPP school beyond the 17 students allowed in the class, KAL Mentoring and Plan Tutoring were started in 2011. There are now three branches of P2K:  the Krewe (students in the comprehensive, year-long-course TC 126), KAL Mentors, and Plan Tutors.  Over the past several years, nearly 100 Plan II students have served in one of the three branches of the P2K Partnership every year.  The original vision of P2K was to provide a positive, impactful service opportunity for Plan II students while teaching them about the place and people they would serve.  In order to fortify the original vision, this course was created for KAL Mentors and Plan Tutors.  Our hope is that through this service orientation course, students will deepen their knowledge of KIPP schools and the students they serve, as well as strengthen their mentoring and tutoring strategies and skills.

In the service orientation course, Plan II students will have the opportunity to forge mutually positive and meaningful relationships with younger KIPP students while receiving limited information related to the inequalities in the U.S. public education system, as well as broad, yet important components of the KIPP educational model. Integral features of the course will include regular mentoring/tutoring contacts, class discussions, and guest speakers.

Texts/Readings:

Over the summer before the beginning of the semester, it is strongly recommend that students read 3-4 selected chapters from Work Hard. Be Nice. and “Marita’s Bargain” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Suggested additional readings, if interested

• Articles and stories about educational reform issues, which may be included in “KIPP in the News” (KiTN), a weekly e-summary courtesy of the (National) KIPP Foundation or sent via Twitter or email
• The Next Big Thing: Handbook for Teen Bigs: Youthlaunch, 2004
• Mathews, J.: Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
• KIPP Austin Annual Report(s) (www.kippaustin.org)
• KIPP Austin Volunteer Handbook, 2015-2016 Edition
• Hochschild, J., and Scovronick, N.: Introduction to The American Dream and the Public Schools
• Gladwell, Malcolm: Outliers (Chapter Nine, “Marita’s Bargain”)
• KIPP “Five Pillars”, KIPP Austin Public Schools Mission Statement

 Assignments:

Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following and graded on a pass/no pass basis:

• Attendance and participation at all class sessions, including one group trip to your KIPP school during an extended class time
• Regular contact with your KIPP student(s) (i.e. at least weekly in-person visits, augmented by ongoing communications via email/texting, regular mail, telephone or any/all of these means—parental permission required)
• Mentor/Tutor self-profile (to assist P2K and KIPP staff in ensuring compatible P2K student/KIPP student matches)
• Mentor introductory letter to Mentee
• Mentee reflection —brief, thoughtful reflection about your mentee—to be shared with the mentee’s faculty advisor and other interested/appropriate KIPP staff
• Ongoing log of contacts with mentee (including contact above and beyond the required weekly meetings at your KIPP school)
• Self-assessment with proposed grade for the semester Mentor See-You-Next-January letter to mentee (delivered to mentee during the last visit to KACP in the fall semester)

Past topics include major figures and movements in ancient, medieval, early modern, and nineteenth- and twentieth - century philosophy. 

Plan II/KIPP Express – Service Orientation Course         

Semester: Fall 2018                                                                       

Instructor: Jill Kolasinski, Adjunct Professor, Plan II Honors Program

Description:

The primary focus of this course will be training students to volunteer at one of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Austin schools, within one of the existing Plan II/KIPP Partnership service programs, KAL Mentoring or Plan Tutoring.  KAL Mentoring is a cross-age mentoring program in which selected Plan II students are matched with middle school-aged mentees from KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters (KAL).  In the Plan Tutoring program, selected Plan II students tutor high school juniors and seniors during their college application process at KIPP Austin Collegiate (KAC).  KIPP Austin Public Schools is a network of high-performing charter schools that serve children in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grades in ten schools throughout the Austin area.  KIPP Austin schools target mostly minority, low-income students and provide them with an excellent option in education in order to prepare them for success in college and life.

The Plan II/KIPP Partnership (P2K) is a service-oriented program started by Grant Thomas in 2007.  P2K first started as a year-long course for selected Plan II students to mentor 5^th graders at the first KIPP Austin middle school, KIPP Austin College Prep.  Since there were many more Plan II students interested in volunteering at a KIPP school beyond the 17 students allowed in the class, KAL Mentoring and Plan Tutoring were started in 2011. There are now three branches of P2K:  the Krewe (students in the comprehensive, year-long-course TC 126), KAL Mentors, and Plan Tutors.  Over the past several years, nearly 100 Plan II students have served in one of the three branches of the P2K Partnership every year.  The original vision of P2K was to provide a positive, impactful service opportunity for Plan II students while teaching them about the place and people they would serve.  In order to fortify the original vision, this course was created for KAL Mentors and Plan Tutors.  Our hope is that through this service orientation course, students will deepen their knowledge of KIPP schools and the students they serve, as well as strengthen their mentoring and tutoring strategies and skills.

In the service orientation course, Plan II students will have the opportunity to forge mutually positive and meaningful relationships with younger KIPP students while receiving limited information related to the inequalities in the U.S. public education system, as well as broad, yet important components of the KIPP educational model. Integral features of the course will include regular mentoring/tutoring contacts, class discussions, and guest speakers.

Texts/Readings:

Over the summer before the beginning of the semester, it is strongly recommend that students read 3-4 selected chapters from Work Hard. Be Nice. and “Marita’s Bargain” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Suggested additional readings, if interested

• Articles and stories about educational reform issues, which may be included in “KIPP in the News” (KiTN), a weekly e-summary courtesy of the (National) KIPP Foundation or sent via Twitter or email
• The Next Big Thing: Handbook for Teen Bigs: Youthlaunch, 2004
• Mathews, J.: Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
• KIPP Austin Annual Report(s) (www.kippaustin.org)
• KIPP Austin Volunteer Handbook, 2015-2016 Edition
• Hochschild, J., and Scovronick, N.: Introduction to The American Dream and the Public Schools
• Gladwell, Malcolm: Outliers (Chapter Nine, “Marita’s Bargain”)
• KIPP “Five Pillars”, KIPP Austin Public Schools Mission Statement

 Assignments:

Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following and graded on a pass/no pass basis:

• Attendance and participation at all class sessions, including one group trip to your KIPP school during an extended class time
• Regular contact with your KIPP student(s) (i.e. at least weekly in-person visits, augmented by ongoing communications via email/texting, regular mail, telephone or any/all of these means—parental permission required)
• Mentor/Tutor self-profile (to assist P2K and KIPP staff in ensuring compatible P2K student/KIPP student matches)
• Mentor introductory letter to Mentee
• Mentee reflection —brief, thoughtful reflection about your mentee—to be shared with the mentee’s faculty advisor and other interested/appropriate KIPP staff
• Ongoing log of contacts with mentee (including contact above and beyond the required weekly meetings at your KIPP school)
• Self-assessment with proposed grade for the semester Mentor See-You-Next-January letter to mentee (delivered to mentee during the last visit to KACP in the fall semester)

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

Plan II/KIPP Express – Service Orientation Course         

Semester: Fall 2018                                                                       

Instructor: Jill Kolasinski, Adjunct Professor, Plan II Honors Program

Description:

The primary focus of this course will be training students to volunteer at one of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Austin schools, within one of the existing Plan II/KIPP Partnership service programs, KAL Mentoring or Plan Tutoring.  KAL Mentoring is a cross-age mentoring program in which selected Plan II students are matched with middle school-aged mentees from KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters (KAL).  In the Plan Tutoring program, selected Plan II students tutor high school juniors and seniors during their college application process at KIPP Austin Collegiate (KAC).  KIPP Austin Public Schools is a network of high-performing charter schools that serve children in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grades in ten schools throughout the Austin area.  KIPP Austin schools target mostly minority, low-income students and provide them with an excellent option in education in order to prepare them for success in college and life.

The Plan II/KIPP Partnership (P2K) is a service-oriented program started by Grant Thomas in 2007.  P2K first started as a year-long course for selected Plan II students to mentor 5^th graders at the first KIPP Austin middle school, KIPP Austin College Prep.  Since there were many more Plan II students interested in volunteering at a KIPP school beyond the 17 students allowed in the class, KAL Mentoring and Plan Tutoring were started in 2011. There are now three branches of P2K:  the Krewe (students in the comprehensive, year-long-course TC 126), KAL Mentors, and Plan Tutors.  Over the past several years, nearly 100 Plan II students have served in one of the three branches of the P2K Partnership every year.  The original vision of P2K was to provide a positive, impactful service opportunity for Plan II students while teaching them about the place and people they would serve.  In order to fortify the original vision, this course was created for KAL Mentors and Plan Tutors.  Our hope is that through this service orientation course, students will deepen their knowledge of KIPP schools and the students they serve, as well as strengthen their mentoring and tutoring strategies and skills.

In the service orientation course, Plan II students will have the opportunity to forge mutually positive and meaningful relationships with younger KIPP students while receiving limited information related to the inequalities in the U.S. public education system, as well as broad, yet important components of the KIPP educational model. Integral features of the course will include regular mentoring/tutoring contacts, class discussions, and guest speakers.

Texts/Readings:

Over the summer before the beginning of the semester, it is strongly recommend that students read 3-4 selected chapters from Work Hard. Be Nice. and “Marita’s Bargain” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Suggested additional readings, if interested

• Articles and stories about educational reform issues, which may be included in “KIPP in the News” (KiTN), a weekly e-summary courtesy of the (National) KIPP Foundation or sent via Twitter or email
• The Next Big Thing: Handbook for Teen Bigs: Youthlaunch, 2004
• Mathews, J.: Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
• KIPP Austin Annual Report(s) (www.kippaustin.org)
• KIPP Austin Volunteer Handbook, 2015-2016 Edition
• Hochschild, J., and Scovronick, N.: Introduction to The American Dream and the Public Schools
• Gladwell, Malcolm: Outliers (Chapter Nine, “Marita’s Bargain”)
• KIPP “Five Pillars”, KIPP Austin Public Schools Mission Statement

 Assignments:

Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following and graded on a pass/no pass basis:

• Attendance and participation at all class sessions, including one group trip to your KIPP school during an extended class time
• Regular contact with your KIPP student(s) (i.e. at least weekly in-person visits, augmented by ongoing communications via email/texting, regular mail, telephone or any/all of these means—parental permission required)
• Mentor/Tutor self-profile (to assist P2K and KIPP staff in ensuring compatible P2K student/KIPP student matches)
• Mentor introductory letter to Mentee
• Mentee reflection —brief, thoughtful reflection about your mentee—to be shared with the mentee’s faculty advisor and other interested/appropriate KIPP staff
• Ongoing log of contacts with mentee (including contact above and beyond the required weekly meetings at your KIPP school)
• Self-assessment with proposed grade for the semester Mentor See-You-Next-January letter to mentee (delivered to mentee during the last visit to KACP in the fall semester)

This course is an introduction to ancient Greek philosophy. We’ll focus on three major thinkers: Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle; and we’ll examine their views and arguments on some central questions about human conduct, the natural world, and our knowledge of both. We’ll begin with a brief look at some influential earlier figures known as Presocratics and Sophists, and we’ll end with a brief look at some enduring ideas of Epicurus. The emphasis throughout will be on analyzing both what these thinkers say and their reasons for saying it. The main goal is not to memorize information but to develop a critical understanding of some problems and arguments that remain very much alive today.

Plan II/KIPP Express – Service Orientation Course         

Semester: Fall 2018                                                                       

Instructor: Jill Kolasinski, Adjunct Professor, Plan II Honors Program

Description:

The primary focus of this course will be training students to volunteer at one of the KIPP (Knowledge is Power Program) Austin schools, within one of the existing Plan II/KIPP Partnership service programs, KAL Mentoring or Plan Tutoring.  KAL Mentoring is a cross-age mentoring program in which selected Plan II students are matched with middle school-aged mentees from KIPP Austin Academy of Arts & Letters (KAL).  In the Plan Tutoring program, selected Plan II students tutor high school juniors and seniors during their college application process at KIPP Austin Collegiate (KAC).  KIPP Austin Public Schools is a network of high-performing charter schools that serve children in grades Kindergarten through twelfth grades in ten schools throughout the Austin area.  KIPP Austin schools target mostly minority, low-income students and provide them with an excellent option in education in order to prepare them for success in college and life.

The Plan II/KIPP Partnership (P2K) is a service-oriented program started by Grant Thomas in 2007.  P2K first started as a year-long course for selected Plan II students to mentor 5^th graders at the first KIPP Austin middle school, KIPP Austin College Prep.  Since there were many more Plan II students interested in volunteering at a KIPP school beyond the 17 students allowed in the class, KAL Mentoring and Plan Tutoring were started in 2011. There are now three branches of P2K:  the Krewe (students in the comprehensive, year-long-course TC 126), KAL Mentors, and Plan Tutors.  Over the past several years, nearly 100 Plan II students have served in one of the three branches of the P2K Partnership every year.  The original vision of P2K was to provide a positive, impactful service opportunity for Plan II students while teaching them about the place and people they would serve.  In order to fortify the original vision, this course was created for KAL Mentors and Plan Tutors.  Our hope is that through this service orientation course, students will deepen their knowledge of KIPP schools and the students they serve, as well as strengthen their mentoring and tutoring strategies and skills.

In the service orientation course, Plan II students will have the opportunity to forge mutually positive and meaningful relationships with younger KIPP students while receiving limited information related to the inequalities in the U.S. public education system, as well as broad, yet important components of the KIPP educational model. Integral features of the course will include regular mentoring/tutoring contacts, class discussions, and guest speakers.

Texts/Readings:

Over the summer before the beginning of the semester, it is strongly recommend that students read 3-4 selected chapters from Work Hard. Be Nice. and “Marita’s Bargain” from Malcolm Gladwell’s Outliers.

Suggested additional readings, if interested

• Articles and stories about educational reform issues, which may be included in “KIPP in the News” (KiTN), a weekly e-summary courtesy of the (National) KIPP Foundation or sent via Twitter or email
• The Next Big Thing: Handbook for Teen Bigs: Youthlaunch, 2004
• Mathews, J.: Work Hard. Be Nice: How Two Inspired Teachers Created the Most Promising Schools in America
• KIPP Austin Annual Report(s) (www.kippaustin.org)
• KIPP Austin Volunteer Handbook, 2015-2016 Edition
• Hochschild, J., and Scovronick, N.: Introduction to The American Dream and the Public Schools
• Gladwell, Malcolm: Outliers (Chapter Nine, “Marita’s Bargain”)
• KIPP “Five Pillars”, KIPP Austin Public Schools Mission Statement

 Assignments:

Students will be assessed according to their performance in the following and graded on a pass/no pass basis:

• Attendance and participation at all class sessions, including one group trip to your KIPP school during an extended class time
• Regular contact with your KIPP student(s) (i.e. at least weekly in-person visits, augmented by ongoing communications via email/texting, regular mail, telephone or any/all of these means—parental permission required)
• Mentor/Tutor self-profile (to assist P2K and KIPP staff in ensuring compatible P2K student/KIPP student matches)
• Mentor introductory letter to Mentee
• Mentee reflection —brief, thoughtful reflection about your mentee—to be shared with the mentee’s faculty advisor and other interested/appropriate KIPP staff
• Ongoing log of contacts with mentee (including contact above and beyond the required weekly meetings at your KIPP school)
• Self-assessment with proposed grade for the semester Mentor See-You-Next-January letter to mentee (delivered to mentee during the last visit to KACP in the fall semester)