Introduction to Philosophy: Community Issue Mapping

Aspasia and Socrates study a local neighborhood.

Image: Chatterina / ChatGPT.

Brainstorm with a team of your classmates to a variety of local issues that personally affect you and identify the specific people who can do something about those issues.

Examples

Here is an example that another student did for their community issue mapping:

Identifying a concern with wasted electricity from the lights in the university library never turning off and learning that is may be addressed by the relevant person in facilities.

Here’s What I Want You to Do

The instructions for this experiment will be explained during class. The experiment will then be done at that time. Because of that, please be sure to show up promptly on time to class for this experiment, as late arrivals will not be able to participate.

Here’s Why I Want You to Do It

I am having you perform this community issue mapping activity because it has you…

Identify several issues that you care about.
Determine exactly who is in position to do something about those issues.

As such, community issue mapping will help you achieve these learning outcomes for the course:

5.	Connect philosophy with your own lived experiences.
6.	Put philosophy into action.
7.	Reflect on your own assumptions and form more considered judgments on how you may address social issues.

Here’s How You’ll Earn Philosophy Experience Points

This experiment in philosophy is worth a total of 250 philosophy experience points and will be assessed based on completion. That is, if you complete your community issue mapping as instructed, then you will earn all 250 points. If you do not do that, then you will earn 0 points.

Using Philosopher’s Stones

Since this experiment in philosophy occurs during class time, philosopher’s stones cannot be used for an extension. As a result, please be sure to show up promptly on time to class for this experiment.