KEY TEXTS: SOCRATES, SOPHISTS, AND THE STAGE in Fall 2025 (PL3116)

A grand tour of 5th cent. BCE Athens, a fascinating time of intellectual unrest and innovation. Readings include the founding fathers of drama (Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides), Old Comedy (Aristophanes), fragments of the Greek sophists, the historiographers Herodotus and Thucydides, Xenophon’s Recollections of Socrates and early Platonic dialogues, such as the Apology and the Phaedo.

Course Master:

KEY TEXTS: SOCRATES, SOPHISTS, AND THE STAGE (PL3116)

Term:

Fall 2025

Discipline:

PL (Philosophy)

Credits:

4 credits

Type:

CCI

Level:

Undergraduate

Can be taken twice for credit?:

Cross Listed:

KEY TEXTS: SOCRATES, SOPHISTS, AND THE STAGE in Fall 2025 (CL3116)

Pre-requisites:

None

Co-requisites:

None

Professor(s)

Information not available

Learning Outcomes

Ability to reflect on the interrelation between (literary) form and philosophical meaning and to understand the difference between philosophical and rhetorical argumentation
Ability to tackle a difficult philosophical text and to discuss it both as a philosophical argument (structure of argument, meaning of terms, is the argument valid, role in the context of a theory developed by the author, etc.) and a literary work (genre, audience, style and figures of style, text function, etc.)
Acquaintance with the seminal figure “Socrates”, with the “Sophists”, the questions these thinkers raised, and the way in which Plato has shaped our understanding of these figures
Basic introduction to the archaeology of ancient Athens -- that you know the most important places having some idea how they looked like at the time and what happened there
Elementary knowledge of the philological problems encountered in the study of ancient literature
Familiarity with the literature of the period through extensive readings of its key authors
Getting an impression of the intellectual life of 5th century Athens as a foundational moment for Western literature and philosophy
Introduction to various genres of political and ethical writing (history, rhetoric, drama, dialogue) and, in particular, an historical understanding of classical tragedy and Old Comedy in their particular intellectual and socio-political context
Local and Global Perspectives: Students will enhance their intercultural understanding of languages, cultures, and histories of local societies and the global issues to which these relate (CCI LO1)
Aesthetic Inquiry and Creative Expression: Students will engage with artistic or creative objects (e.g., visual art, theatrical works, film) in different media and from a range of cultural traditions (CCI LO2)
Exploring and Engaging Difference: Students will think critically about cultural and social difference; they will identify and understand power structures that determine hierarchies and inequalities that can relate to race, ethnicity, gender, nationhood, religion, or class (CCI LO3)
Civic and Ethical Engagement: Students will demonstrate awareness of ethical considerations relating to specific societal problems, values, or practices (historical or contemporary; global or local) and learn to articulate possible solutions to prominent challenges facing societies and institutions today so as to become engaged actors at various levels in our interconnected world (CCI LO4)

Syllabus

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Schedule

Start Date:

Monday, September 1, 2025

End Date:

Tuesday, December 16, 2025

Day	Start Time	End Time	Room
Monday	15:20	16:40	C-505
Thursday	15:20	16:40	C-505