Midterm Presentation

Topics
Everybody should choose a philosopher (e.g. Hume) or a philosophical school (e.g. Buddhism) outside of the class readings for presentation. You should explain major points of her/his or their thoughts. It’s NOT a biographical introduction, but very brief background introduction is fine.
Below is a list of possible topics. You can also choose other topics, but they must be approved by me in advance. Everybody must choose a different topic.
Ancient: Democritus, Epicurus, Parmenides, Pythagoras, Protagoras, Heraclitus, Zeno, Plotinus, Sextus Empiricus, Marcus Aurelius
Medieval: Nicholas of Cusa, Boethius, Aquinas, Anselm, Scotus..
Modern: Machiavelli, Montaigne, Vico, Francis Bacon, Hobbes, Locke, Berkeley, Hume, Rousseau, Voltaire, Pascal, Kierkegaard, Husserl, Karl Marx,
Contemporary: Heidegger, Hanah Arendt, Enscombe, Levinas, Derrida, Judith Butler, Kristeva, Wittgenstein, Rawls, Putnam, Russell, Sartre
Other cultures: Confucius, Lao-tse, Buddhism, Islamic philosophy, African philosophy


Form:
The presentation dates are November 30 and December 2. Yet, Every student should be prepared to present by November 30. A student will be downgraded if he/she is found not ready to present by the due date.
The presentation should be limited within 5 minutes, followed by 1-2 minutes Q&A session. The presenter must prepare several questions for the audience.
You must NOT bring the paper to read. One may, however, bring an index card if one wishes to bring brief notes.


Grading
The presentation is to test students’ oral skills, capability of explaining philosophical arguments as well as ability to make meaningful philosophical discussion. The essential criterion is whether you can explain the thoughts of a philosopher precisely and clearly within five minutes.