CLLA 409 Seneca and the Self (Not offered 2008-2009; to be offered 2009-2010)
Through a close reading of selections from his Dialogues, Epistulae Morales, and a tragedy (probably Medea), this course will consider ethical and literary dimensions of self-fashioning, self-examination, and the conception of self in the Stoic philosophy of the younger Seneca. The focus of this course lies squarely in the first century CE, and on the analysis of Seneca's own texts. We will begin, however, with an introduction to the ethics of Roman Stoicism through the personae theory of Panaetius as recorded in Cicero's De Officiis. Moreover, we will read and discuss selections from some of Seneca's most famous and influential interpreters, including Montaigne and Foucault, in order to enrich our understanding of contemporary assessments of his work and to gain an appreciation of Seneca's considerable influence on later theorizations of selfhood.
Format: seminar. Evaluation will be based on class participation, several short written and oral assignments, midterm and final exams, and a final paper.
Prerequisites: Latin 302 or permission of the instructor. Enrollment limit: 12 (expected: 5-10).
WILCOX