Senior Project Orientation, Day 2: The Thesis

Starter: Last minute college essay biz'ness: 20 minutes!

1. Email me the 1st page of the display board so I can print in color!
2. Complete the self-assessment, staple it to your essay and turn it into the box 'o fun
3. Email me final essay draft
4. Make your display board if you have already sent me the first page w/ your photo (Hang it up by end of day tomorrow, Thursday!)
5. Take the College Essay Boot Camp Feedback Survey
6. Skim back over the senior thesis you read last night!

Last Airbender Ninja!!!!!

Transition to Senior Theses!
Based on what you read last night, how prepared do you think you are as a writer to tackle your senior thesis?  What areas are you confident in? Where will you need to grow as a writer this semester to find success in the spring with your thesis?

If you need help check out my basic Writing Rubric for ideas of skills you’ll be assessed on this semester in your writing or think about what you struggled with while writing your college essay.. 

Senior Thesis Examples
Get into a group of 3-4 students.  Have the thesis you read yesterday pulled up in front of you.  Discuss the following:

1. What stood out to you about the thesis you read?  
2. How well prepared do you feel for this task right now?  What do we need to focus on this semester to make you feel more prepared?
3. What did you learn from this example that you would like to apply to your own writing?
4. What questions do you have about the senior thesis now that you have read an example?  Write them down and we’ll go over your questions as a class.

Debrief discussions, Ashley answers questions when possible.

TRANSITION TO JUSTICE PROJECT IF TIME!!!

Pair-Share:

1. What is morality and where does it come from?
2. Are humans born good or bad? 

60 Minutes: “Born Good? Babies Unlock the Origins of Morality”
Summary:  Are We Born good? Babies help unlock the origins of morality. Can infants tell right from wrong? And if so, how would you know? Come to Yale's baby lab. Lesley Stahl reports.

Discuss: What does the research in that 60 minutes video suggest about the formation of morality in humans? Specifically, these values: 

• Altruism (the belief in or practice of disinterested and selfless concern for the well-being of others.)
• Selfishness
• Justice
• Bigotry (intolerance toward those who hold different opinions from oneself.)
• Kindness
  
  
  

Lecture: Intro to Moral Psychology and Kohlberg