A very brief guide to the first exam
Our first exam will be an
essay exam. I will ask you two or three questions and you will write a short
essay in response. There will be two types of questions, in general, that I
will expect you to be able to answer:
- Argument analysis/evaluation. Here the concern
is with your ability to analyze/evaluate a specific argument that Plato
uses in one of the dialogues we have read. You should be able to identify
his conclusion or point or purpose in making the argument and organize and
present the actual argument/evidence that Plato develops in support of
that point. You should also be able to evaluate the argument. The
evaluation does not have to be elaborate—but it should not be a mere “I
don’t like it” either. Also, most importantly, I want you to evaluate the argument not attack the
conclusion—go after the evidence or argument that supports the conclusion,
not the conclusion. Below are two example questions:
- Explain/evaluate how Socrates confounds Euthyphro’s first real
definition of piety in the Euthyphro.
- Explain/evaluate the argument Socrates uses to
prove that the soul is immortal in the Phaedrus (at the beginning of Socrates’ recantation).
In
general both of these questions can be answered in about 2-3 paragraphs of well
developed written work. I imagine it should take you somewhere between 10-15
minutes to write one.
- Thematic essay. This question will ask you to
develop, using Plato, a theme, idea, or concept that we see developed in
the dialogues. All of these questions will focus on some aspect of the
course’s general theme: love, sex and death, and they will ask you to make
use of material from more than one dialogue. When writing this essay you
will need to do at least three
things: (a) develop a thesis—stake a claim in response to the prompt
or question that I pose; (b) develop an argument in defense of that
thesis—use Plato here, show me you understand and can make use of the
material; and, (c) consider, in conclusion, the implications or
ramifications of your thesis for how we ought to live in the contemporary
world. Below is an example question of this type.
- What, ultimately, is the proper object of
desire or love, according to Plato? How does this focus or orientation of
desire impact the relations between people that we see described in, for
example, the Phaedrus and the Symposium?
Now, two last points:
You can use notes—in fact
you must use notes. You also must turn in these notes with the exam. You can
use two pages (both front/back) of notes. Type them. Take notes on each
dialogue. Identify the key ideas, concepts, and arguments of each dialogue.
These are the dialogues we
have read and that I will expect you to be able to answer questions about:
Euthyphro
Apology
Phaedrus
Symposium
Phaedo