2. Welcome to the Torrey Academy Plato Orientation

3. Our Goals for Tonight Review of class requirements Overview of Plato-specific requirements

4. Course Description

5. 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

6. 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

7. Course Components & Expectations

8. 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.

9. 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!

10. 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

11. 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.

12. Writing Pull Questionseach class Platonic Dialoguefall semester Interpretative Project (group)spring semester

13. 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

14. 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

15. 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 tutor C) Attend the same session in another Plato class

16. Additional Course Components Context Lectures Notebooks Computer Requirements Google Apps

17. 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

18. 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

19. 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

20. Grading & First Assignments

21. 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

22. Break

23. On behalf of myself and Torrey Academy, thank you for coming! Drive safely!