Syllabus

There will be two main parts to this course: Classics and philosophy. Both topics will be introduced and discussed each day of this course.

Part 1: What is Classics?

The first part of the course will focus on what Classics is and why it is important. We will discuss history, mythology, culture, and some interesting parts about the language of Attic Greek.

These are the topics we will introduce:

• Why is Classics important?
• What is the relationship between the Marvel Universe and ancient Greece?
• Myths: How do we explain the unknown?
• The Attic Greek language
  • Passages from Athenaze, an introductory Greek textbook
  • Dactylic Hexameter
  • Original alphabet
• Homer’s Odyssey, in the original Greek and the translation by Emily Wilson

Part 2: Who are we? What is our purpose?

The second part of the course will focus on philosophy, with an emphasis on Platonic philosophy. We will introduce the core concepts of Plato’s works, and many of his dialogues. Though this may seem imposing and challenging, it will be taught at a level appropriate for middle-school students.

These are the topics we will discuss:

• Week 1: What is death?
  • Plato’s ideas
  • Constitutive value
  • Socrates’ Apology

• Week 2: Do souls exist?
  • Plato’s soul
  • Ship of Theseus

• Week 3: What is real?
  • Cartesian skepticism
  • Platonic Realm of the Forms
  • The Matrix

• Week 4: What is knowledge?
  • Color expert thought experiment
  • Plato’s Meno
  • Knowledge vs. knowing things

• Week 5: What makes a person?
  • John Locke’s Psychological Criterion of Personal Identity
  • Fission and Derek Parfit’s Teletransportation
  • Personal identity
  • Who are you?

• Week 6: What is justice?
  • What is fair?
  • Equality vs. equity