| Instructor: Dr. Jeff Webb |
Interpretations of Plato's Cave
Read the following texts:
Gordon Harvey, Elements
of the Essay.
Susan Sontag, On Photography, Anchor Books: New York,
1989. (Selections distributed in class.)
Christopher Yeo, "What are Bacon's Idols of the Mind?
Can these Idols Be Purged From the Practice of Science?"
Conexus, University Scholars Programme, 2003: 115-121.
(Distributed in class.)
Preparation:
Harvey's description of the academic essay will be our model
in this course. Although some of these elements occur more
obviously in essays from the humanities, they also exist--in
some form--even in genres from engineering and science.
1. Learn the "Elements": Read and annotate your
copy, supplying synonyms for each of the elements where possible
and using your dictionary to look up unfamiliar words. Concentrate
especially on the first three--motive, thesis, and evidence.
Come prepared with questions.
2) Apply the "Elements": Read Christopher Yeo's
essay. On a separate sheet of paper, to be handed in after
class, identify Yeo's motive and thesis, and observe the
way he uses evidence. Also note what you think works particularly
well in this essay. Was there anything you found confusing
or that you thought could be improved upon?
3) Revise the question and paragraph you wrote for last class,
in light of our discussion about questions, and your study
of Harvey's "Elements." Bring this to class.
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