Study Guide for the Third Exam
 

On this exam, there will be several types of questions.  One type of question will ask you to give a fairly straightforward answer about some aspect of the texts that we have covered in class.  A second type of question will ask you to explain a quotation from the text.  Again, this will be a passage that we have covered in class.  A third type of question will ask you to make a comparison between two philosophers or to offer a criticism of one or more philosophers.  The third type of question requires some creative thought and the ability to defend your own perspective.

At least half of the questions on this exam will involve material from the first two units.  Thus, in reviewing for this exam, you should review all the questions from the first two study guides.

Here are some questions about Freire and West that should help you in your review:

What is the banking system of education?  Does Freire advocate or condemn it?  Why?

Explain why Freire thinks that there can be no teaching without learning.

According to Freire, what is the central ethical obligation of a teacher?

What does Marx’s theory of ideology have to do with Freire’s philosophy of education?

Would you expect an adherent of Freud to agree or disagree with Freire’s philosophy of education?  Why or why not?

What dogmas does West believe are putting democracy at risk today?

What is nihilism?  How and why does West see nihilism as a danger in contemporary America?

What three crucial traditions does West see as having the capacity to fuel and re-energize democracy?

What does West think of the current youth culture?

Where does West stand philosophically?  Is he best described as a Christian, a Marxist, or something else?  Do you see any influence from Nietzsche?