Welcome to the Torrey Academy

Plato

Orientation

Our Goals for Tonight

• Review of class requirements

• Overview of Plato-specific requirements

Course Description

Plato

• Students will become competent in early Greek thought surrounding Socrates

• Students will develop an understanding of Plato’s arguments about beauty, God, justice, virtue, and knowledge

• Students will increase their ability to discuss carefully and productively

• Students will create Socratic dialogues, in play or film

Parent Involvement

• Supervise computer time• Proof-read writing

assignments• Oversee time-management• Continue discussion at home• Guide the heart and hand• Communicate with the TA

staff

Course Components &

Expectations

Reading

• Finish each dialogue by the first scheduled discussion session for that dialogue.• Failure to do so will result in a “0” on the discussion for that class.

• Plan ahead.• Dialogues, though short, are philosophically

dense, and take more time, therefore, allow more time for them. (Examples: Republic, Meno)

• Begin reading the next section when discussion has started for the previous section.

Reading• Preview each book first

• Use the information in the Writing Lab about previewing books

• Use the background information on the Torrey Academy website

• Read the questions from both Plato and Foundations to help you begin thinking about the key cross-over ideas

• Read carefully• Focus on key ideas and sections• Write in your books!

Class Meetings

• Discussion Format:• Prayer & announcements• Socratic discussion• Summary

• Audio conferencing for online students• Attendance & Participation:• Attendance is mandatory• Aim for at least three substantial

comments per discussion session• Use common sense and courtesy

Discussion Guidelines

• Strive for humility; listen to others.• Show courtesy; use titles of respect

(Mr., Miss).• Attack ideas, not people.• Stay on topic and respect the tutor.• Use reason, and avoid emotive or

dogmatic assertions. • Cite the text and explain your

interpretation.• Remember that the tutor will play

Devil’s Advocate- what he/she says is NOT necessarily what he/she believes.

Writing

• Pull Questions each class

• Platonic Dialogue fall semester

• Interpretative Project (group) spring semester

Pull Questions

• To be completed once a week• Hand-written in a journal• Answers a question given by tutor• A continued “pulling together” of

the ideas from class

Pull Questions cont.

• Should answer question fully, demonstrate an understanding of the text and the importance of each question, and should include textual citations and quotations

• No official length requirement, but should be thoughtful and lengthy enough to fully answer assigned question and address its implications (in general, aim for about 1 page)

• Turned in and evaluated at Mid and Don Rags

Class Make-ups – handbook p. 57

Options for making up missed class session:

A) Copy class notes from a classmate AND answer an additional pull question from the week you were absent B) Copy class notes from a classmate AND read and summarize an additional text assigned by your tutorC) Attend the same session in another Plato class

Additional Course Components

• Context Lectures• Notebooks• Computer Requirements• Google Apps

Late Work Policy• No late work accepted

– No late work will be graded after the due date; a score of 0 is awarded for assignments submitted after the due date without an extension

– However, you must still submit the assignment, even though you receive the zero

– Ask for help from your tutor if you get behind• Extensions

– Ask for extensions if you suspect you might not be able to finish an assignment

– All extension requests must be emailed to tutor at least 24 hours before class begins

– An extension request may or may not be granted– A 5% penalty is deducted from assignments

submitted after the due date with an extension

Extra Credit• Torrey Academy seeks to avoid

grade inflation while at the same time providing grade equity

• Torrey Academy seeks to balance high standards and realistic expectations

• Sustained effort balances out a few lower scores over the semester

• Ask your tutor about possible extra credit opportunities

TA Student Survival Tips• Don’t panic!• Scheduling

• Check Google Apps and Gmail often.• Keep a calendar and schedule. Prioritize. • Do not turn in late work.• Ask for help when you need it .

• Papers• Proof-read every paper• Keep an electronic and a paper copy of assignments.• Do not plagiarize. • Get extra print cartridges now & find the nearest FedEx Office

• Reading• Read ahead, especially longer assignments• Practice intelligent pre-reading (see How to Read a Book)

• Pray daily

Grading & First Assignments

First Assignments• Order books• Check computer set-up

• Login to your Google Apps account• Login to your TA web toolbox account

• Read once through the TA Handbook• Read Alcibiades two times• Attend site orientation

Break

On behalf of myself and Torrey Academy, thank you for coming!

Drive safely!