The Philosophers Meet the 21st Century
Date Assigned: Monday, 10/6
Date Due: Tuesday, 10/14
For this project you will have the equivalent of one block period in the computer lab to conduct research and use the
computers. You will also need to work outside of school to finish what you do not complete in class. This project will
serve as our culminating assessment for our modern philosophers unit and will be worth 42 points.
For this project, you will be required to provide both biographical and philosophical information about your choice of 2
philosophers I introduced in class: Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau.
You have several options to choose from:
1. Ph-acebook for Philosophers: Can be formatted to look like Facebook on a poster board or you can go with a technological
version. Be creative and have fun.
Imagine that the philosophers were living during the age of Facebook. First, design a Facebook profile for each of the two
philosophers. Be sure to follow the format of a standard Facebook profile and include all pertinent biographical information, where
appropriate, as well as such items as profile pictures. In total you will create two profiles. Next, to fill up each philosopher’s
Facebook wall, you will need to find a creative way for the two men to discuss their philosophical views of government, human
nature, and leadership. This is also the place where you could work in an original quote for each of your philosophers, with your
analysis of what it means. You may also include any other information you find interesting. Be creative!
2. Philosopher Podcast
Imagine that your chosen philosophers meet in person to discuss their views. It is your job to create a script detailing the
conversation you think they would have. The meeting is very structured, as each philosopher begins by introducing himself to the
other and then proceeds by giving a brief overview of his life and achievements. The conversation then takes the form of a debate
where the two philosophers discuss their views of government, human nature, society, and leadership, as well as, any other topic
they wish to bring up. Again, this is also where you should include a primary source quote for each philosopher with an analysis of
what each means.
3. Philosophers for iPhone
Design an iPhone app that will educate iPhone users about the modern philosophers you have chosen to research. You will first
need to either describe or visually illustrate what your app will look like. Next you must include the proposed content that will be
included for each part of the app. Somewhere in you app you will need to include both biographical information as well as an
overview of philosophical beliefs of each of the two philosophers. However, it will be up to you about how to format you app so it is
easy to use yet very informative. Make sure all the required information, as outlined on your rubric, is included. Be creative!
4. Philosophers have the Power!
Create a PowerPoint or Prezi which explains the life and philosophical beliefs of the modern political philosophers on which you’ve
chosen to focus. As you create your presentation, include relevant pictures and other animations to make your project appealing to
an audience. Be sure all required information, as outlined on your rubric, is included in your presentation.
5. Philosophy for the Future
Create a children’s book that will educate future generations about the life and philosophical beliefs of the modern political
philosophers you’ve chosen to research. You may choose to either type your book or neatly handwrite it. Remember – your
audience for this book is someone younger than you. Keep you writing concise and be sure to make your book eye-catching! Refer
to your rubric, to make sure you’ve included all necessary information. Since this is a children’s book, you’ll also need to include
illustrations.
Sources:
For this project, you will be using your classroom resources (notes, readings, worksheets, etc) as well as information gathered from
UDLibSearch and other reputable websites. Wikipedia IS NOT a reputable source.
Remember, when you use information from an outside source you need to give credit to the source. This will require you to include
a works cited page with your project. I will provide you with easy to use “fill in the blank” MLA citation pages to use for citing your
work.
Criteria
Points Possible
Philosopher 1: Biographical and Philosophical
information was comprehensive and accurate.
The student gave an all-encompassing and
16 total points
detailed summary of the chosen philosopher.
Biographical info.
(2 pts. each= total of 8): birth/death, family life, education, legacy
Philosophical info.
(2 pts. each = total of 8): Views on government, human nature, leadership
Quote Analysis – Choose a quote, include it along with your explanation as to
what the quote means.
Philosopher 2: Biographical and Philosophical
information was comprehensive and accurate.
The student gave an all-encompassing and
detailed summary of the chosen philosopher.
16 total points
Biographical info.
(2 pts. each= total of 8): birth/death, family life, education, legacy
Philosophical info.
(2 pts. each = total of 8): Views on government, human nature, leadership
Quote Analysis – Choose a quote, include it along with your explanation as to
what the quote means.
The finished product exemplified a high level
of creativity and individuality.
5
The Student followed all directions for their
chosen prompt.
2
Citations were presented in MLA format with
little to no mechanical errors.
3