BASC70156 - Western Civilization versus Ancient Greek Politics
Course Description
There’s a tension running through the Western tradition—and the Basic Program four-year curriculum—about what to do with the ancient Greek idea of political freedom. Dust off your Herodotus, Plato, Aristotle, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau volumes, as we reread sections of key works from the four-year curriculum and confront the ancient Greeks with their later Western European critics. Is human life solitary, nasty, brutish, and short, or are we political animals?
Schedule for Reading and Discussion
Week |
Author |
BP* |
Reading** |
1 |
Herodotus |
Y1W |
Book 1 (sel.), Book 3 (sel.), Book 5 (sel.), Book 7 (sel.) |
2a |
Plato |
Y1A |
Republic 414b-415d, 588b-592b Crito 50a-54d |
2b |
Aristotle |
Y4W |
Politics Book 1 (ch. 1-7), Book 3 (first half) |
3 |
Aristotle |
Y4W |
Book 3 (second half), Book 4 (sel.), Book 6 (sel.) |
4 |
Hobbes |
Y1S |
Leviathan Intro, Ch. 13-14, Ch. 17-21, Ch. 46 |
5 |
Locke |
Y3S |
Second Treatise on Government (sel.) |
6 |
Rousseau |
Y1S |
Second Discourse (sel.) |
* Y1 = Year One of the Basic Program; A=Autumn, etc.
** All readings taken from four-year BP curriculum, with new passages for only Herodotus and Aristotle.
Course Outline
Course SyllabusNotes
Online registration deadline: Thursday, June 8 at 5:00 pm CT.
Remote courses require you to login to Canvas to access the Zoom Classroom. You will receive an invitation to join Canvas about a week before your course begins. Please visit the Liberal Arts Student Resources page to find step by step instructions for Canvas and Zoom: Online Learning Resources