Week four we continue with prose genres with just a little history to soften our transition to philosophy. Otherness and who is ‘good to think with’ are still big themes, but we now see our writers becoming more self-conscious in their reflection on how society ought to be.
Along the way we do some myth-busting.
Readings:
Aristotle and Xenophon, On the Spartan Constitution (EPUB, PDF)
Plato, Republic excerpts (EPUB, PDF)
The introduction and synopsis is supplemental. The actual reading assignment is the translation of Plato.
Extra Credit Opportunity. Record yourself reading aloud either of these files (no need to do both! One still gets you full credit!)
Other key topics introduced in this class:
Socrates
Philosophic Dialogue
Interlocutor
Helot
Constitutions
Blog Prompts for This Unit:
The Ideal Society
Steps: (1) In the New York State Newspaper Database (an on-line library resource) search “ideal society” OR “perfect society” (include the quotation marks!), sort by your results by most recent and then select any article of personal interest 2) Check the blog to make sure no-one has already used these specific article! [This is a great time to comment thoughtfully on other posts.] (3) select a quotation from the article which includes your search term and include the quote in your blog post (4) create a title that distinguishes your post from all the others (5) include an MLA format citation of the article you used and create a link to the article (6) write at least 250 words about: What values does the author or the speaker believe an ideal society to have? Does s/he seem to believe those values as lacking in the present society in which they live? Do you think you live in the same society as this person? Do you agree? Would Plato or Xenophon have agreed or disagreed? Include a quote from our readings that supports your answer to the last question. (7) be sure to include the following tags as appropriate: IdealSociety, CLAS4, Plato, Xenophon
Plato Today
Steps: (1) In the New York State Newspaper Database (an on-line library resource) search “Plato’s Republic” or “Plato Republic” (DO NOT include the quotation marks!), sort by your results by most recent and then select any article of personal interest 2) Check the blog to make sure no-one has already used this specific article! [This is a great time to comment thoughtfully on other posts.] (3) select a quotation from the article which includes your search term and include the quote in your blog post (4) create a title that distinguishes your post from all the others (5) include an MLA format citation of the article you used and create a link to the article (6) write at least 250 words about: Why is the author mentioning Plato? Is s/he talking about the republic? Does this bear any similarity to your reading from Plato? Include a quote from our readings that supports your argument for similarity or difference. (7) be sure to include the following tags as appropriate: PlatoLives, CLAS4
The Past in Present Tense 