Plato is too important to be left to the philosophers. No ideal Form, he was at various points in his mortal life a wrestler, budding tragedian, aspiring politician, friend of oligarchs, student of Socrates, Syracusan schemer, art critic, and founder of the Academy. This course is an intensive introduction to his most influential work, the Republic.

We will take advantage of our superb location to trace the dialogue’s topographical, historical, and material culture contours. We will also dip our toes into reception studies, exploring the dialogue’s afterlife in modern film. The course has no prerequisites and requires no knowledge of languages other than English.

Students who know some ancient Greek are encouraged to join me and other interested parties in tackling short excerpts in the original outside of class.