Karla Pierce

From: FCCJ: Karla Pierce: Homepage

For those students 21 and older. Each one of us confronts a variety of moral dilemmas in our everyday lives. A common, even weekly dilemma for some of my own students is one that goes a little something like this: "Should I start working on that paper I owe Karla, or should I go bar hopping at the beach with my friends instead?"

I tell students who tend towards the latter that they can easily accommodate BOTH options. "Take your textbook to the bar," I say. If they're single, I explain that carrying a philosophy book not only makes them appear smart to potential dates, it gives them something to talk about once they've finally built up enough courage to approach the cutie (I know, what's up with the wierd pink puffy coat?!) in the corner.

That said, look what I found today: Philosophy in Pubs. Oh, those Brits! I thank them for some of the more clever philosophy collaborations I've seen. Take this for example (one of many Monty Python + Philosophy skits).

Oh, and get this: Jacksonville University hosts a monthly Philosophy Slam during the Fall and Spring semesters, usually at a local cafe, bar, or pub. Last year they took place at 9th and Main, in Springfield. Stay tuned, I'll post notice of future events here.

Disclaimer. The passages above reflect the views, perspectives, and warped humor of the author (me!)--not those of FCCJ or its other employees.

Faculty: If you want to learn how to use podcasts, wikis, and blogs in your classes, and/or if you want to brush up on your Mac skills, sign up for one (or all!) of my computer workshops, offered through FCCU (sign up through Artemis).

Warning: We have a lot of fun in these workshops--see below!

Download the clip.

Karla Pierce
Adjunct Philosophy Instructor
Professional Development Instructor

Campus Address
Florida Community College at Jacksonville
South Campus; Liberal Arts
11901Beach Blvd
Jacksonville, Florida, 32246

Office Hours
By appointment (adjuncts don't have individual offices)

Phone
Liberal Arts Department: (904) 646-2162

My FCCJ Web Site
web.fccj.edu/~kpierce

Email
FCCJ Email

YouTube Channels
www.youtube.com/workshopteacher
www.youtube.com/teachingethics

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New Tools. At this point the 8 week Introduction to Philosophy class I am teaching this summer is nearly over! Which actually makes me sad, I'm really enjoying the class and the students. Two relatively new things I've employed this term: (1) Cooperative Learning strategies, which I learned formally in early May at a 4 day Cooperative Learning Workshop held here on South Campus--which I highly recommend by the way, because it's made a HUGE difference in my classes, and (2) student blogs, which I'll say more about, below.

Blogs in Hybrid Courses. This class is a hybrid, which means that half of it is conducted online. I assigned blogs this term; every student is responsible for posting one entry a week, for a total of 6 entries this term. By post #2 they'll have chosen one main topic; at the end of the course, they will write a final paper on this same topic. By maintaining a blog the whole semester, on their final topic, they'll have accumulated all kinds of information and resources; writing the paper then should be a lot easier! And a lot more fun. In a moment I'm going to boast about a couple student blogs in particular. Here's how I've organized the posts so far:

Post 1: Choose two chapters / topics from our text that most interest you. Explain why they appeal to you.

Post 2: From the two topics you wrote about in post #1, choose the one you wish to explore and write about for the rest of this course. Tell your reader what our test has to say about the topic.

Post 3: Find a video and/or podcast episode that's highly relevant to your topic. Explain why and how it is highly relevant.

I've not yet assigned posts 4 - 6. Future post assignments could include, but are not limited to:

*** Who is the main philosopher associated with your topic? What are the main arguments put forth by this philosopher, on this topic?

*** Explain some main arguments (2-4) associated with this topic, and also the major counterarguments. Which ones are most convincing to you? Explain.

Perks. This project helps enhance their internet research skills and their broadcast technology (blogging) skills; plus, it shames them into paying extra close attention to their spelling and grammar--as anyone can see their posts! A couple student blogs in particular whose authors have really gone the extra mile (click on each clip to see their blog):

Summer A8 Term. The blog is up for my summer course, Introduction to Philosophy. This course is an 8 week hybrid, I'm going to assign all 35 students their own blog!

FCCJ Wiki Server. Recently I created a Philosophy wiki page on FCCJ's wiki server; I especially encourage other philosophy instructors to add to and edit the entry. If you too want to know how to create and edit wiki pages on FCCJ's Wiki Server, see below.

Professional Development Workshops. This summer I'm also teaching a variety of multimedia and Mac courses for FCCU. See the post below for more details.

This summer I'm teaching Introduction to Philosophy, at South Campus. It's an 8 week hybrid course.

Plus, I'll be facilitating several Mac workshops (Podcasting, Blogs, Wikis, iWork, iLife, etc.) for FCCJ faculty & staff. If you're interested, sign up through Artemis.

South Campus
Tuesday, May 20
- iLife, 1-3 pm
- Intro to Mac, 3-4 pm

South Campus
Thursday, May 22
- iWork, 1-3 pm

South Campus
Tuesday, June 3
- Wikis / Blogs, 1-3 pm

Downtown
Thursday, June 5
- Wikis / Blogs, 3-5 pm

Kent Campus
Tuesday, June 10
- Intro to Mac, 2-3 pm
- iLife, 3-5 pm

Kent Campus
Thursday, June 12
- iWork, 1-3 pm
- Podcast w/ GarageBand, 3-4:30

Deerwood
Tuesday, June 17
- Wikis / Blogs, 2-4 pm

Kent Campus
Thursday, June 19
- Wikis / Blogs, 3-5 pm

North Campus
Tuesday, June 24
- Wikis / Blogs, 3-5 pm