Socratic Seminar 9/30

 

Students will be placed in a group and will be given a specific topic for discussion in the Socratic Seminar. A Socratic Seminar is when a group of students discuss a topic with one another in a respectful manner. Students bring up topics and present questions as others discuss different answers with textual support. Remember, it is not a debate, but a dialogue. From now till the Socratic Seminar, you will want to gather quotes, evidence, and examples that will better help you to understand your specific topic. The written requirement for this Socratic Seminar will be to have a notes page with at least three different analysis style questions, three different quotes, and one epic quote with at least seven sentences of analysis. When thinking of questions and quotes, look to the following subtopics for ideas and focus:

    1)     Gender roles and expectations in Medieval England/ The role of marriage in Medieval England. Consider…

a.     The Wife’s Lament and her struggle in Anglo-Saxon England.

b.     The General Prologue and the different characters who reflect strongly on gender roles in Medieval England.

c.     The Wife of Bath’s prologue and Tale and her opinions on female roles.

d.    The Clerk and Franklin’s Tales and their messages and portrayals of men and women in marriage.

    2)    Religion and Society in Medieval England/ the role of the Church. Consider…

a.     Beowulf, The Wanderer, and The Dream of the Rood and how they display the contact between pagan and Christian beliefs.

b.     The Pardoner’s Prologue and Tale and what Chaucer’s ultimate message about religion is.

c.     The Wife of Bath’s Prologue and her views on theology.

d.    The Prologue and the clergy members who are introduced.

e.     The Shakespeare History Monologues and how they portray religion in Medieval England.

    3)    Honor, War, and Chivalry in Medieval England. Consider…

a.     Beowulf, The Wanderer, and The Dream of the Rood and how they display warrior culture of Anglo-Saxon England.

b.     The Franklin’s Tale and how honor and chivalry factors into the story.

c.     The Shakespeare History Monologues and how they portray the feelings towards war in the Medieval Ages.