ALHN 195 – Honors Seminar Part I
From Ancient
Anja Jauernig
Course
Description
In the first part of this year-long course we will read
important works of literature, philosophy, religion, and political thought of
the ancient world, the middle ages, and the Renaissance. The framework for our
discussions will be provided by the questions what it is to be human, and how to
live a good or happy life, which, in different ways and more
or less explicitly, are addressed in all of the works on our reading
list.
Readings,
Course version I
Kant, ‘An answer to the question: What is enlightenment?’;
Homer, Odyssey; Sophocles, Oedipus Rex; Aristotle, The Poetics;
Aristophanes, The Clouds; Plato, The Symposium, The Apology, Crito;
Ovid, Metamorphoses (selections);
Augustine, Confessions; Boethius, The
Consolation of Philosophy; Abelard and Heloise, Letters; Dante, The Divine
Comedy – The Inferno; Machiaevelli, The Prince; Montaigne,
Essays (selections); Shakespeare, The Tempest, ‘Dark Lady’-Sonnets
Homer, Odyssey;
Sophocles, Oedipus Rex; Euripides, Iphigenia in Aulis, Aristotle, The Poetics; Aristophanes, The Clouds; Plato, The Symposium, The Apology,
Crito; Virgil,
Aeneid; Boethius, The
Consolation of Philosophy; The Rule
of St. Benedict; Sir Gawain and the
Green Knight; Dante, The Divine
Comedy – The Inferno; Machiaevelli, The Prince; Shakespeare, Henry V, ‘Dark Lady’-Sonnets
Schedule, VErsion I
Week I
Logistics, Introduction; Immanuel Kant, ‘An answer to the
question: What is enlightenment?’; Martha Nussbaum,
‘Education for citizenship in an area of global connection’
Week II
Homer, Odyssey, Books I-IV
Odyssey, Books V-VIII
Week III
Odyssey, Books IX-XII
Odyssey, Books XIII-XXIV;
Week IV
Sophocles, Oedipus the King
Discussion of Oedipus continued; Aristotle, Poetics,
I-XVI
Week V
Aristophanes, The Clouds
Plato, Symposium, 172a-198a (the end of Agathon’s speech)
Week VI
Plato, Symposium, 198a-end
Plato, The Apology
Week VII
Plato, The Apology continued
Plato, Crito
Week VIII
Ovid, Metamorphoses (selections)
Visit of the
Week IX
Break
Week X
Confessions, V-VIII
Week XI
Boethius, The Consolation
of Philosophy, Book I – book III, poem 9
Consolation, Book III, prose 10 – end
Week XII
Abelard and Heloise, Letters
Dante, Inferno, Cantos 1-11
Week XIII
Inferno, Cantos 12-34
Machiavelli, The Prince, Selections TBA
Week XIV
Montaigne, Essays (selections)
Week XV
Shakespeare, The Tempest
The Tempest, continued
Week XVI
Shakespeare, ‘Dark Lady Sonnets’
Schedule, VErsion II
Week I
Logistics, Introduction
Homer, Odyssey, Books
I-IV
Week II
Homer, Odyssey, Books
V-VIII
Odyssey, Books
IX-XII
Week III
Odyssey, Books
XIII-XXIV
Sophocles, Oedipus the King
Week IV
Aristotle, Poetics
(I-XVI, pp. 49-86), Oedipus continued
Euripides, Iphigenia in
Week V
Aristophanes, The Clouds
Plato, Symposium,
172a-198a (the end of Agathon’s speech)
Week VI
Symposium, 198a-end
Plato, The Apology
Week VII
Plato, Crito
Virgil, Aeneid
Week VIII
Virgil, Aeneid
Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy,
Book I – book III, poem 9
Week IX
Break
Week X
Consolation, Book III,
prose 10 – end
The Rule of St.
Benedict
Week XI
Sir Gawain and
the Green Knight
Sir Gawain continued
Week XII
Museum Visit
Dante, Inferno, Cantos
1-8
Week XIII
Inferno, Cantos 9-17
Inferno, Cantos
18-34
Week XIV 9
Machiavelli, The Prince
(selections)
Thanksgiving
Week XV
Shakespeare, Henry V
Henry V, continued
Some evening in week XV, e.g., on Wednesday, pizza and Kenneth Branagh’s movie Henry
V
Week XVI
Shakespeare, ‘Dark Lady Sonnets’