GOVT 3736

Last Updated

  • Schedule of Classes - January 9, 2020 9:13AM EST
  • Course Catalog - January 9, 2020 9:14AM EST

GOVT 3736
Ancient Political Thought

Course information provided by the 2019-2020 Catalog.

Ancient political debates about democracy, empire, and justice appear in late fifth-century BCE Athenian dramatic, historical, and philosophical literatures composed against the backdrop of the 27-year Peloponnesian War over the control of Greece (which Athens lost). Reading selected tragedies of Euripides, comedies of Aristophanes, and philosophical dialogues of Plato, in combination with the history of Thucydides, this course retraces, explores, and interrogates these texts' complex, provocative, and surprisingly relevant arguments for and against the pursuit of equality (democracy), security (war and imperialism), goodness (aretê from "excellence" to "virtue"), and fairness (justice), and their often unexpected results in practice. All the readings for this course are in English and there are no prerequisites.


Distribution Category (KCM-AS)

When Offered Fall.

Breadth Requirement (HB)

Course Subfield (PT)

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Syllabi: none

  •   Regular Academic Session.  Combined with: CLASS 3676

  • 4 Credits Graded

  • 16709 GOVT 3736   LEC 001

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  • Instruction Mode: In Person