Philosophy for teens!

[Deleted]

Today was the big day that makes every high school senior's head hurt in France (and in every lycée français in the world) -- the philosophy part of the baccalauréat exam.

For anybody who doesn't know, the bac is the passport to university studies in France. If you succeed in the exam (which is much more than just the philosophy part), you can register at any university in France. If not, tough luck -- you go back and do another year of high school all over again, sometimes two. Or you enter the real world without a diploma.

So at 8 a.m. this morning, the students had 4 hours to write an essay chosen from 3 possible subjects, variable depending on their high school major.

Even though I have been out of school for a certain number of years, it fascinates me and strikes vicarious terror into my heart to imagine which subject I would choose and what it is like to wait a month for the results.

Scientific series

-- Can art be exempt from rules?

-- Is our happiness dependant upon ourselves?

-- commentary on an excerpt from Leviathan by Thomas Hobbes

Economic and social studies series

-- Can a scientific truth be dangerous?

-- Is the role of a historian to judge?

-- commentary on an excerpt of Moral Education by Emile Durkheim (I looked him up and it made me dizzy.)

Literary series

-- Can the search for truth be disinterested?

-- Must the past be forgotten to fully enter the future?

-- commentary on an excerpt of Summa Theologica by Thomas Aquinas

[bixaorellana]

Wonderful questions there, and the essays should be indications of whether or not the student can think, reason and clearly express conclusions.

The idea of repeating some of high school is so much more civilized and socially responsible than the US method of having remedial this and that at the college (univ) level.

I wonder if today's students, with their access to internet forums, are more adept at expressing themselves in writing, or if the corresponding rise of texting has eroded expressive writing.

[fumobici]

Those sorts of essay questions should elicit highly subjective replies. I wonder how anyone could fairly and objectively quantify a grade for them. It seems likely there will be huge element of randomness- that the grade will depend to a large degree on whether whomever is grading it shares the writer's subjective views on the topic at hand. Thus the same essay will necessarily elicit a range of responses based on who is reading it. If the student knows in advance who is going to be reading their essay, then one could probably do well just to tailor the content to that person's sensibilities, and if the reader/judge will be unknown to the writer, then it would probably be wise to keep the essay very bland and generic in order not to inadvertently run afoul of some grader's personal sensibilities.

When I wrote essays, I would when possible consciously tailor the essay to what I thought would impress the teacher based on what I knew about them. Some teachers are very conservative and others are not. It will naturally take very different approaches to impress each sort. If you know that in advance you can flatter them by reinforcing their own views and get consistently great grades on those essays.

[Deleted]

The essays are anonymously graded by teachers halfway across the country. The tests are not even taken in your own high school but another one that is designated, with other students you don't know from all over the region. It is diabolical.

[Deleted]

I'm running the same thread on another board and replied to two specific questions there:

Other than the questions that are commentaries on specific excerpts, are the students expected to make reference to other works or to write a reasoned argument based on their own thoughts?

Referring to famous thinkers is the safe thing to do, but original thoughts are also desired. It is up to the students. There is an urban legend that one year one of the subjects was "What constitutes audacity?" and one student wrote a two word essay: "This does!" The student reputedly got an excellent grade in philosophy.

And are these supposed to be long enough to justify four hours? I have written essays I think would be long enough to answer most of these questions adequately in half that time.

Same here. I think that in every country it's the same: some students will write furiously until the last moment because they think it's the number of pages that counts, and others have finished in half the time or less. Everybody always looks at the first person to leave: confident or in total despair? I was rarely the first person to leave such exams, but I was often the second.

[fumobici]

OK then the safe play will be to keep the essays very conservatively conventional and generic in actual content and conclusions while being very concentrated on the mechanics of writing and attempting to show some but not too much erudition in the style. Probably a fair preparation for life where such a cautious and carefully conventional approach will often be the one most likely to see one through to a good result.

[Deleted]

And yet you know how adolescent hormones can make some of them wild and daring no matter what. Sometimes it works. And each essay is read by two different graders. If there is a giant discrepancy in their opinions, more people are called in.

[bixaorellana]

I think it's odd to simply assume that the graders want something bland, or indeed, that they want specific responses to the proposed essays.

After all, every one of the questions calls for an opinion. And in the case of the three asking for commentary on a written work, I suppose the excerpts are provided. Further, the thought-provoking subject matter and the way the proposed topics are worded sound as though the framers of the options are intelligent and sensitive people.

As I said in my earlier reply, this seems an excellent way to determine whether the student can interpret, reason, and present his thoughts and conclusions in writing.

[fumobici]

De l'audace, encore de l'audace, et toujours de l'audace!

[fumobici]

The reason I suggest a relatively bland direction for the essay is that many teachers- like any other sort of people- will not judge even a beautifully written and reasoned essay kindly if they aren't in agreement with its conclusions. I've learnt this the hard way. Even outright éclat can be a dangerous play. Some teachers won't be comfortable with ostentatious displays of intellect, and particularly if they are incapable of such themselves.

[hwinpp]

Thank God I'm not at school anymore!

In Germany the Abitur is also the sole qualification you need to study anything at any uni, officially.

But because the Abitur is becoming more and more watered down, high school graduates need to start choosing the right subject combination for this or that course or they need specially good marks in certain subjects.

It used to be that you could study anything with a language or two, music and physical education, those days are over now.

I think it won't be long and young people will have to take university entrance exams. Which will make the Abitur superfluous.

I've forgotten the questions I got completely, but I can go to my old school and ask to see my exams, the 10 or 20 year grace period is over ;D

[cristina]

In the US, the SAT (college entrance exam) was historically a multiple choice exam. The year that my oldest daughter took it (5 years ago, when she was a high school senior) was the first time that essays were included.

I have a friend who is a University professor (of US History), who is also an SAT essay grader. He is an ultra-liberal, but it is clear to me that he is looking for an intelligent argument. Reasoning and a well thought essay are more important than whether he agrees with the writer. My friend is also a writer. I think he is an ideal grader of essays, however I don't know the CVs of all the other essay graders so I imagine personal bias can happen.

In an ideal world, all essays would be graded by a minimum of 5. But I imagine that this wouldn't be so practical. Even if reason, logic and the ability to rationally explain one's point of view are among the most important elements (I think), that are needed for university, as well as for life.

This is why I am a proponent of Liberal Arts undergrad degrees for all but the die-hard. And even those who knew they wanted to be engineers or accountants since they were 2 years old would benefit.

My 2 cents.

[Deleted]

The proper construction of the essay is also an important point. Unfortunately, ideas are few and far between -- I have seen some of these essays and indeed, most students play it much too safe, to the dismay of the graders. It is always "Montesquieu wrote" or "Ghandi said" rather than "I think".

[cristina]

Jun 18, 2010 5:17:21 GMT kerouac2 said:

The proper construction of the essay is also an important point. Unfortunately, ideas are few and far between -- I have seen some of these essays and indeed, most students play it much too safe, to the dismay of the graders. It is always "Montesquieu wrote" or "Ghandi said" rather than "I think".

Clearly, I would have flunked the essay, as that was the point I was trying to make. And not very well.

[Deleted]

I would have been in deep shit as well.