Introduction: In preparation for their second paper, which required comparing two philosophers, the instructor used this interactive and dynamic spectrum activity to stimulate student interpretation of the different positions of the philosophers they had read in class. It served as a review activity for course material and helped students appreciate the pros and cons of trying to position philosophers on a spectrum with binary endpoints. It also energized students by getting them onto their feet.
Goals:
Procedure- Before Class:
Instructor: Obtain pieces of paper, and write the names of the philosophers the class has read so far on them.
Students: Students were required to read Xunzi in the course textbook. In addition, they were expected to have completed the readings from earlier in the course (Confucius, Mozi, Mencius, The Inward Training, Laozi, and Zhuangzi).
Procedure- During Class:
The instructor began with only three philosophers (Xunzi [whom the class had read that week], Mencius, and Confucius) but added more after every two or three spectrums. She added them in the following order: Mozi, Laozi, Inward Training, and Zhuangzi. She repeated a few spectrums as she added more philosophers.
Post-Activity: The class debriefs and discusses the pros and cons of spectrums. An example of a con that came up was that some of the philosophers the class had read had views on human nature that didn't fit neatly into good/bad binaries, which very quickly led to confusion when students tried to position them on the spectrum (every student had a different idea of where they should stand). The class discusses questions such as the following: What are the benefits of arranging philosophers on a spectrum like so? What are the downsides? What is revealed? What is concealed?
The instructor emphasizes the importance of this debrief at the end of the activity for getting students to think critically about their ways of categorizing and arranging information. The more an instructor can elucidate categorization schemes that students may not be conscious of, the more productive the activity will be.