Course Description:
This course introduces students to the political thought of classical Greek antiquity.
Ancient Greek thinkers presented their reflections on politics in a variety of ways. Some wrote treatises, but others expressed themselves through plays, histories, and, of course, dialogues. While the authors we will read in this course present their work in different formats, they all address themselves to the simplest and deepest questions raised by political life, and offer profound insight into the answers to those questions. Two main themes lie at the heart of their common inquiry: Justice—what it is, and how human beings can attain it—and the human good. Examples of the questions that we will take up are: What is the best form of political community? Why philosophize? What is human virtue? Do human beings necessarily follow their self-interest? Is devotion possible? Do we have free will? What is courage? What is friendship? What is a good life? We will not approach the texts as historical curiosities, but rather, as potential sources of wisdom about the greatest questions we face in our own lives.
Required Texts:
• Aristotle’s Politics. Translated by Ernest Barker. (Oxford)
• Thucydides’ History of the Peloponnesian War. (Penguin Classics)
• Four Comedies. By Aristophanes. (Ann Arbor Paperbacks)
• Sophocles I: Three Tragedies. By Sophocles. (Chicago)
• “Protagoras” and “Meno” By Plato. Translated by Robert C. Bartlett. (Agora)
• Plato’s Republic. Translated by Allan Bloom. (Basic Books)
It is particularly important to obtain the recommended translations of Plato.
Course Requirements and Grading:
First Exam: 30%
Second Exam: 30%
Paper: 30%
Class Participation (including pop quizzes): 10%
Exams: Exams will be in-class blue book exams, comprised mostly if not entirely of
essays. I will hand out a list of themes in advance from which the essay question(s) will be drawn. The second exam will be cumulative, but it will be weighted considerably more toward the readings of the second half of the semester.
Papers: You will be required to write one 5-7 page paper over the course of the term. I will hand out possible paper topics three times during the term, each with their own respective due dates. The task of the paper will be to explain and evaluate the arguments of one or two of the thinkers we have read. You must choose to write one of the two papers. Late work will be marked down one-third of a letter grade for each day of lateness (from a B+ to a B, for example), and papers will NOT be accepted by email.
Class Participation, Quizzes, and Attendance: The works we will read this semester were written with extraordinary care, and they are difficult. It is essential that you read every assignment carefully, preferably twice, and you should come to class with thoughtful comments and questions. Credit will be given in the area of class participation not only for serious and intelligent contributions to class, but also for listening attentively both to the lecture and to the contributions of your fellow classmates.
Laptops are not allowed in class; if you have a special need for a laptop,
please explain that need to me. To encourage students to keep up with the readings, I will give an unspecified number ofpop quizzes. These quizzes will consist of basic questions that should not be difficult forthose who have done the reading. If you are absent on the day of a quiz, you will receivea zero for that quiz. Makeup quizzes will not be given. If your absence is excused, I willnot count that quiz toward your overall quiz grade. I will also drop your lowest quizgrade.
Attendance: I will take attendance frequently, either by passing around an attendance sheet or by taking roll, either at the beginning or at the end of class. On the days on which there is a quiz, attendance will be registered by handing in the quiz. Absences will be excused with a doctor’s note only. Students with 4 or more unexcused absences will be docked a letter grade for the course. Example: the grade of a student with a B+ average who has four or more unexcused absences will be a C+.
You will be expected to bring the relevant volume(s) to every class.
Flags:
Ethics and Leadership
Global Cultures