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2. Course Overview
Comprehensive Description: Poetry occupied a central place in Greek education and public life. This seminar explores the relationship between poetry, philosophy, and education through a guided reading of three major works:
• Plato’s Ion, on poetic inspiration and rhapsodic interpretation.
• Selected passages from Plato’s Republic, where Socrates develops his celebrated critique of poetry and imitation.
• Plutarch’s How to Study Poetry (Περὶ τοῦ πῶς δεῖ τὸν νέον ποιημάτων ἀκούειν), which offers a later response by defending poetry as an instrument of moral education when read with philosophical discernment.
The seminar focuses on representative passages that illustrate the development of ancient reflection on poetry, education, and moral formation.
3. Proficiency & Requirements
Language Level:
Framework Reference: Designed for students who have completed Athenaze Vol. I.
General Description: Intermediate: For students who can comfortably read simple prose and engage in basic active dialogue.
Estimated Self-Study Time:
Time Commitment: 3 hours per week.
Preparation Type: We will encounter the text together for the first time.
4. Materials & Bibliography
Required Textbooks:
Primary Text:
Plato. Plato on Poetry: Ion; Republic 376e–398b9; Republic 595–608b10. Edited by Penelope Murray. Cambridge Greek and Latin Classics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Plutarch. How to Study Poetry (De audiendis poetis). Edited by Richard Hunter and Donald Russell. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Disclaimer: The acquisition of the physical or digital textbook is mandatory for course attendance. Please ensure you have your copy before the first session.
Further Reading:
· Ferrari, G. R. F. (ed.). The Cambridge Companion to Plato’s Republic. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
· Halliwell, Stephen. The Aesthetics of Mimesis: Ancient Texts and Modern Problems. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
· Heath, Malcolm. Ancient Philosophical Poetics. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
5. ATTENDANCE, CERTIFICATION AND RECORDINGS
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