Philosophy of Education Exam #1 Essay Questions

I will pick two of the four questions at the beginning of the exam, and the students will write essays on each of them.

1. Explain the correspondence between the twice-divided line and the allegory of the cave in detail. What is their significance for education, including the purpose of education and the manner in which curricula should be structured?

2. Explain Plato’s view of the structure and virtues of the soul in detail. Why does he claim that you can’t have one virtue without possessing all the others? What does this view tell us about our ability to teach virtue?

3. Compare and contrast Plato’s curriculum for the auxiliaries and guardians with Rousseau’s curriculum for Emile. What underlying differences distinguish their basic educational philosophies? Which approach is preferable, and why?

4. Compare and contrast Locke and Rousseau’s views about the role of discipline and rationality in education. Then evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each of these views.