CLAS 330(F) Plato (Same as Philosophy 330)(W)

PHIL 330(F) Plato (Same as Classics 330) (W)
Plato is one of the most important and influential thinkers in the history of the western tradition. His depiction of the trial and death of Socrates is one of the classics of western literature, and his views on ethics and politics continue to occupy a central place in our discussions 2400 years after they were written. It is, in fact, quite difficult to get through any course of study in the liberal arts without some familiarity with Plato. Nevertheless, comparatively few people realize that the views we commonly think of as "Platonic" represent only one strand in Plato's thought. For example, we commonly attribute to Plato a theory of the Forms on the basis of his claims in the so-called "middle dialogues" (mainly Republic, Phaedo, and Symposium). However, in his philosophically more sophisticated and notoriously difficult later dialogues (such as the Parmenides, Philebus, Sophist and Statesman), Plato engages in radical criticism and revision of his earlier views. In this course, we will spend the first third of the semester attempting to understand the metaphysics and epistemology in Plato's middle dialogues. We will spend the balance of the semester coming to grips with Plato's arguments in the later dialogues. We will read several complete dialogues in translation, and will also read a wide variety of secondary source material.
Format: lecture/discussion. This class will be a roughly equal mixture of lectures, student presentations, and seminar discussion. Requirements: students will be expected to prepare a seminar presentation, to write several focused short analytical pieces, and to write a 15- to 20-page term paper in multiple drafts.
Prerequisites: Philosophy 101, Philosophy 102 or permission of instructor. (A prior course in logic will be extremely helpful, but is not necessary.) Enrollment limit: 15 (expected: 15). Preference given to upper-level philosophy and classics majors. This course is part of the Critical Reasoning and Analytical Skills initiative.
Hour: MCPARTLAND