Events @ TC

Socrates was bullied throughout his childhood and youth for being short, homely, and slow of speech: he was scorned as "The Frog". But as a mature philosopher, he bested intellectual bullies with reason and wit.

Inspired by him, we will explore the phenomenon of Bullying in our lives, in our culture, and in our media -- and we will consider which are the most promising policies and preventive measures which have been discussed on campus during this week.

• What personal experiences have you had with bullying? (Have you been bullied...witnessed bullying? ...or have you bullied?)



• What are the attitudes towards bullying of your culture or nationality? ("Boys will be boys." "It's only teasing." "Rite of passage.") Do you see any connections between bullying, and any characteristics of American culture or society?



• Have you been impressed by any depictions or discussions of bullying on TV, in movies, or on the Internet (such as the bus monitor in Greece, NY, bullied by students, or Jillian Jensen on the "X Factor")?



• How might you react if you found yourself in a situation in which bullying was occurring? (A challenging situation will be presented for discussion.)



• What public approaches to preventing bullying do you favor: legislative, educational, advocacy, messages in popular culture and media, or...?

Suggested Readings (optional):

Pacer's National Bullying Prevention Center: The End of Bullying Begins with You
and Stop Bullying

Where: Second Floor Salon

Next session: Thursday, 11/8, Topic: TBA


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Inspired by Socrates' famous conversations with his friends in the marketplace of 5th century Athens, we engage in spirited discussions of ideas and issues. Socratic conversations range broadly and probe deeply into the basic challenges of life. They are informed by the latest literature for reference and follow up. While building a sense of community on campus, these meetings enliven the intellectual atmosphere and model dialogue and discussion as modes of inquiry.

These highly-participatory conversations with fellow students are moderated by Ronald Gross, author of Socrates' Way and Co-chair of the University Seminar on Innovation in Education. They are part of a year long series of Socratic Conversations hosted by the Gottesman Libraries.
 

Individuals with disabilities are invited to request reasonable accommodations including, but not limited to sign language interpretation, Braille or large print materials, and a campus map of accessible features. Address these requests to the Office of Access and Services for Individuals with Disabilities at (212) 678-3689, keller@tc.edu, or Deaf and Hard of Hearing Services at (212) 678-3853 V/TTY.