{"id":10731,"date":"2017-04-25T13:33:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-25T18:33:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/?p=10731"},"modified":"2017-04-25T16:03:12","modified_gmt":"2017-04-25T21:03:12","slug":"aristotle-in-new-orleans","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/aristotle-in-new-orleans\/","title":{"rendered":"Aristotle in New Orleans"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Xavier students with KIPP Believe middle school students<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

This spring, Dr. Paul Schafer, of Xavier's Philosophy Department, taught\u00a0a fascinating service-learning course\u00a0called Aristotle in New Orleans. Taking as his premise Aristotle's idea that we must not only theorize about the meaning of life, but that we must put our ideas into practice, Dr. Schafer led his students through a study of classical texts on rhetoric and ethics, then guided them through eight weeks of community engagement, coaching middle-school debate teams. The culminating event was a day-long debate tournament held on Tulane's campus on Saturday, April 8th, which Dr. Schafer described as a \"grueling but fantastic experience,\" in which his students learned a great deal by seeing their middle-school pupils, from KIPP Believe and Esperanza Middle Schools, engage in formal tournament debate.<\/p>\n

Texts for the 2000-level course included portions of Aristotle's The Art of\u00a0<\/em>Rhetoric<\/em> and Nicomachean<\/em>\u00a0Ethics<\/em>, Quintilian's\u00a0Education of an Orator<\/em>, and Plato's\u00a0Five Dialogues<\/em>. The Quintilian text emphasizes the claim that the ideal orator must also be a good person, an idea that ran like a thread through the course. Other discussions included the nature of philosophical argument, the role of argument and virtue in the good life, and Aristotle's claim that happiness is acquired mainly by chance. These ideas were discussed and argued in class, then put to the middle-school debaters as well, thus simultaneously exposing both groups to crucial questions, while providing opportunity to consider their relevance in the context of modern society, all within a supporting framework of formal debate in a school environment.<\/p>\n

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Middle-schoolers from KIPP Believe and Esperanza participate in a day-long debate tournament.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Outcomes included understanding\u00a0Aristotle's philosophical method, his concept of ethics, and his vision of the way moral and intellectual virtues are developed. Students also learned what arguments are and how they function to help us think about the deep truths of life and reality \u2013 including what it means to live a good life. Then, once in the community, Xavier students learned first-hand\u00a0the educational challenges that face middle school students in New Orleans. Also, as a result of eight weeks of working in\u00a0small groups, the New Orleans middle school students gained valuable, engaged educational experience of the kind that has been shown to improve self-esteem and overall academic performance, which in turn leads to greater high-school graduation rates, more chances for success beyond high-school, and far greater chances of staying out of the criminal justice system.<\/p>\n

The students coaching at Esperanza collaborated with Tulane students enrolled in a similar class with the same title. For more on that class, check out this interview<\/a> with its teacher, Dr. Ryan McBride. These types of collaborative efforts provide opportunities to Xavier and Tulane students that have been shown to enhance their educational experience, by teaching skills of teamwork, problem solving, civic engagement, and cultural knowledge--the very skills most needed to thrive in a globalized society. The community engagement with middle schoolers then provides the next generation the same opportunities. Thus, service-learning classes such as Dr. Schafer's help to\u00a0fulfill\u00a0the public purpose of universities.<\/p>\n

\"Schafer\"
Dr. Paul Schafer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

This spring, Dr. Paul Schafer, of Xavier's Philosophy Department, taught\u00a0a fascinating service-learning course\u00a0called Aristotle in New Orleans. Taking as his premise Aristotle's idea that we must not only theorize about the meaning of life, but that we must put our ideas into practice, Dr. Schafer led his students through a study of classical texts on ...continue reading \"Aristotle in New Orleans\"<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[63,227,240,282,298],"class_list":{"0":"post-10731","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-uncategorized","7":"tag-civic-engagement","8":"tag-new-orleans","9":"tag-pedagogy","10":"tag-service-learning","11":"tag-student-engagement","12":"h-entry","13":"hentry","14":"h-as-article"},"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p82MQk-2N5","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":5008,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/conversation-28\/","url_meta":{"origin":10731,"position":0},"title":"Conversation #28: Service Learning","author":"Bart Everson","date":"December 9, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Download Conversation #28 A conversation with Jeremy Tuman of Xavier University of Louisiana on teaching, learning and service learning. Ultimately I think a transformative experience is one in which students internalize the idea that reality is not fixed \u2014 that all of these social problems are products, by-products, results of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Old Podcast Archive (\u22642018)"","block_context":{"text":"Old Podcast Archive (\u22642018)","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/podcast\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":12895,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/the-xavier-experience-and-the-new-orleans-experience\/","url_meta":{"origin":10731,"position":1},"title":"The Xavier Experience and the New Orleans Experience","author":"Jeremy Tuman","date":"October 18, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"This year Xavier rolls out a new core curriculum designed to give students more options to pursue their interests and to explore the breadth of a liberal arts education. While the overall core curriculum hours have been reduced, several new categories of core classes have given faculty an opportunity to\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"New Orleans\"","block_context":{"text":"New Orleans","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/tag\/new-orleans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Xavier-University-Louisiana.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Xavier-University-Louisiana.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Xavier-University-Louisiana.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Xavier-University-Louisiana.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/Xavier-University-Louisiana.jpg?resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":11672,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/making-new-orleans-home\/","url_meta":{"origin":10731,"position":2},"title":"Making New Orleans Home","author":"Jeremy Tuman","date":"February 22, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"New Orleans celebrates its 300th year as a city in 2018, and as part of the festivities, Xavier history professor Dr. Sharlene Senegal DeCuir is leading her Freshman Seminar class in a special service-learning project. Part of the city's planned activities for the tricentennial includes a four-day symposium called \"Making\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"New Orleans\"","block_context":{"text":"New Orleans","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/tag\/new-orleans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-LOGO-FILE.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-LOGO-FILE.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/2018-LOGO-FILE.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10686,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/skittles-kites-and-the-concept-of-pi\/","url_meta":{"origin":10731,"position":3},"title":"Skittles, Kites, and the Concept of Pi.","author":"Jeremy Tuman","date":"April 4, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"This semester Dr. Treva Lee, Xavier's\u00a0Director for Institutional Compliance and Planning Initiatives, led a class of first-year students in a service-learning project to mentor local youths in the concept of Pi. On Saturday, March 11, thirty\u00a0Xavier students joined twenty\u00a0other community volunteers and twenty\u00a0local professionals serving as mentors to teach and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Service Learning Lynx"","block_context":{"text":"Service Learning Lynx","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/service\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/04\/IMG_7138.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":10514,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/flint-steel-and-social-justice\/","url_meta":{"origin":10731,"position":4},"title":"Flint, Steel, and Social Justice","author":"Jeremy Tuman","date":"January 10, 2017","format":false,"excerpt":"Last fall, Xavier faculty member Dr. Mark Gstohl, of the Department of Theology, led an interesting service-learning project in partnership with A Studio in the Woods, a nonprofit artist retreat and learning center located in New Orleans. Working with artist Jacqueline Ehle Inglefield as part of\u00a0a residency series called \"Flint\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"New Orleans\"","block_context":{"text":"New Orleans","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/tag\/new-orleans\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"02","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/02.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/02.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/02.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/01\/02.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":8332,"url":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/a-disconnect-in-new-orleans\/","url_meta":{"origin":10731,"position":5},"title":"A Disconnect in New Orleans","author":"Jeremy Tuman","date":"September 22, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"by Jeremy Tuman There is a disconnect between the narratives emerging from the recent marking of the tenth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. In one narrative thread there is optimism and positivity about the economic direction of the city. In the Times-Picayune of Sunday, September 20, Michael Hecht,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Service Learning Lynx"","block_context":{"text":"Service Learning Lynx","link":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/topic\/service\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=10731"}],"version-history":[{"count":36,"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10773,"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10731\/revisions\/10773"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=10731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=10731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cat.xula.edu\/food\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=10731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}