Modern day philosophers fit many forms and use a variety of media outlets to reach their audiences. They take the shape of scholars and innovators giving TED talks online, pro-athletes answering questions at press conferences, reality-TV stars speaking into confessional cameras, actors commenting on politics during awards speeches, and teenagers posting opinions on social media, just to name a few.
OBJECTIVE: Analyze a modern day philosopher’s platform (message/beliefs) and
forum (how he/she gets a message across) to determine his/her impact on society.
STEPS TO COMPLETION:
1.
With a partner, select a public figure who you both believe fits the profile of a modern day philosopher.
2.
Research. Compile background information on this person using reputable and valid sources for their position in society. (NO blogs, fan pages, bashing pages, Wikipedia, etc. Use legitimate journalistic sources – see guide on back)
Things you need to explain: a.
Who is this person, and what does he/she believe in? b.
What was his/her upbringing like? c.
How did he/she become famous/public figure? d.
What is this person’s current lifestyle like? e.
How widespread is this person’s message? f.
How does he/she reach the audience (forum)? g.
Who is the target audience for his/her message? h.
How does the public tend to react to this person/message? i.
Who believes in the message, and why?
3.
Analyze. React to your findings from step 2.
Respond to the following: a.
What effect/impact does this person’s message have on his/her target audience? b.
What effect/impact does this person’s message have on society as a whole? (Helpful, harmful, neutral) Explain. c.
Do you believe this person’s message will have a lasting impact on society? On his/her audience? Or, is he/she a passing fad? d.
Do you believe this person/message has impacted your life?
Explain.(Both partners need to answer this questions separately.) e.
How does the philosopher’s forum influence how well (or how poorly) messages are spread and received by others?

4.
Present. Share your findings with the class in a formal presentation. a.
5-8 minutes (both partners must speak equally) b.
Use technology to assist (PowerPoint, Prezi, etc.) c.
Show images/video of your philosopher (30 seconds max) d.
Explain full background of philosopher (Step 2)* e.
Discuss full analysis of philosopher (Step 3)*
*DO NOT answer each question listed on this sheet one by one. Create an interesting, natural dialogue to communicate your information to the class.
5. Turn In Materials.
 Printed copy of presentation.
 Works Cited page for sources – minimum of 4 sources needed. Follow
MLA guidelines for page and citation entry formats. (See sample.)
 All materials due on ____________________. Presenters’ names will be pulled at random. If a group is not ready to present when their names are called, a point penalty will be applied to their final score.
Research Guide
Credible, journalistic sources for popular figures (likes actors, singers, reality stars, and sports figures) will be a little less scholarly than sources for research writing.
However, there is a line between professional sources and blogs, fan sites and gossip sources. Use sources that have mainstream credibility in their respective fields. See options in the chart below.
Newspapers: Magazines: Online Publications: Miscellaneous:
New York Times
New York Post
Wall Street Journal
Washington Post
LA Times
The Guardian
Christian Science Monitor
USA Today
Atlantic Monthly
Rolling Stone
Entertainment Weekly
Sports Illustrated
Seventeen
Time
National Geographic
Wired
Forbes
People
Huffington Post
Newsweek
Slate
U.S. News & World Report
ESPN
The Hollywood Reporter
Variety
Business Insider
Websites or video clips from major news networks (ABC, CBS,
NBC, CNN, FOX, etc.)
.gov websites
TED talks