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CLASSICS 35: The Good Life: An Introduction to Ancient Greek Ethical Philosophy

The ancient Greeks longed for happiness, but life often led to suffering and anxiety. In ancient Greece, the traditional value system focused on gaining honor, wealth, power, and success - external goods that could be taken away at any time. The Greek philosophers Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle set forth ethical theories designed to alleviate suffering and anxiety. They rejected the traditional Greek value system, focusing on inner goodness rather than on external rewards. Developing inner goodness was the only way to live a happy and fulfilled life. In this class, we read Greek tragedies by Sophocles and Euripides that represent traditional Greek values. We examine the values, motivation, and choices of tragic characters who faced difficult ethical dilemmas - choices that led to misery and ruin. What were their tragic flaws? Could they have avoided their fates by adopting a different value system? We also examine the ethical theories of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We analyze their discussions of justice, courage, friendship, love, and self-knowledge. Do these philosophical theories offer a valid way to live a happy life? Can we develop these virtues? If so, how do we do this? Do we need to have these virtues to live a happy life? Do the ancient philosophers offer useful solutions to ethical questions in our own day? Can their philosophies help us to become better and happier people?
Last offered: Spring 2021 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER

CLASSICS 116: Human Rights in Comparative and Historical Perspective (CLASSICS 216, ETHICSOC 106, HUMRTS 106)

The course examines core human rights concepts and issues as they arise in a variety of contexts ranging from the ancient world to today. These issues include slavery, human trafficking, gender based violence, discrimination against marginalized groups, and how these and other issues are linked to war, internal conflict, and imperialism. We will consider the ways in which such issues emerge, are explicitly treated, or are ignored in a variety of historical and contemporary settings with a particular emphasis on the impact that war and conflict have on laws and norms that in principle aim to protect individuals from violence and exploitation. This inquiry also entails consideration of the modern notion of the universality of human rights based on a conception of a common humanity and how alien that concept is in states and communities that define or embody hierarchies that systematically exclude groups or populations from the protections and respect that other groups and individuals are more »
The course examines core human rights concepts and issues as they arise in a variety of contexts ranging from the ancient world to today. These issues include slavery, human trafficking, gender based violence, discrimination against marginalized groups, and how these and other issues are linked to war, internal conflict, and imperialism. We will consider the ways in which such issues emerge, are explicitly treated, or are ignored in a variety of historical and contemporary settings with a particular emphasis on the impact that war and conflict have on laws and norms that in principle aim to protect individuals from violence and exploitation. This inquiry also entails consideration of the modern notion of the universality of human rights based on a conception of a common humanity and how alien that concept is in states and communities that define or embody hierarchies that systematically exclude groups or populations from the protections and respect that other groups and individuals are afforded. Nowhere do the devastating consequences of such exclusions become clearer than in times of crisis and conflict. The course draws upon a variety of case studies from the Greco-Roman world and other temporal and geographical contexts to explore the political and social dynamics that shape and inform the violence inherent in such events.
Last offered: Winter 2023 | UG Reqs: WAY-ER, WAY-SI

CLASSICS 133: Socrates and Social Justice (CLASSICS 233)

In this class, we examine whether Socrates is a model for social justice. Socrates presents a complicated figure regarding issues of political action and social justice. Some view Socrates as a champion of liberty and individual conscience. Others see him as quiescent when Athenian democracy needed defenders or, even worse, allied with those who undermined democracy. By reading relevant selections from Plato in conjunction with contemporary scholarship, we will decide for ourselves whether Socrates is an exemplar of social justice.
Last offered: Spring 2022 | UG Reqs: WAY-A-II, WAY-ER

CLASSICS 149: Democracy Ancient and Modern: From Politics to Political Theory (CLASSICS 249, PHIL 176J, PHIL 276J, POLISCI 231A, POLISCI 331A)

Modern political theorists, from Hobbes and Rousseau, to Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss, to Sheldon Wolin and Robert Dahl, have turned to the classical Greek theory and practice of politics, both for inspiration and as a critical target. The last 30 years has seen renewed interest in Athenian democracy among both historians and theorists, and closer interaction between empiricists concerned with 'what really happened, and why' and theorists concerned with the possibilities and limits of citizen self-government as a normatively favored approach to political organization. The course examines the current state of scholarship on the practice of politics in ancient city-states, including but not limited to democratic Athens; the relationship between practice and theory in antiquity (Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, and others); the uses to which ancient theory and practice have been and are being put by modern political theorists; and experiments in democratic practice (citizen assemblies, deli more »
Modern political theorists, from Hobbes and Rousseau, to Hannah Arendt and Leo Strauss, to Sheldon Wolin and Robert Dahl, have turned to the classical Greek theory and practice of politics, both for inspiration and as a critical target. The last 30 years has seen renewed interest in Athenian democracy among both historians and theorists, and closer interaction between empiricists concerned with 'what really happened, and why' and theorists concerned with the possibilities and limits of citizen self-government as a normatively favored approach to political organization. The course examines the current state of scholarship on the practice of politics in ancient city-states, including but not limited to democratic Athens; the relationship between practice and theory in antiquity (Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle, and others); the uses to which ancient theory and practice have been and are being put by modern political theorists; and experiments in democratic practice (citizen assemblies, deliberative councils, lotteries) inspired by ancient precedents. Suggested Prerequisites: Origins of Political Thought OR The Greeks OR other coursework on ancient political theory or practice. (For undergraduate students: suggest but do not require that you have taken either Origins of Political Thought, or The Greeks, or some other course that gives you some introduction to Greek political history or thought. )
Terms: Win | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: WAY-ER, WAY-SI
Instructors: Ober, J. (PI)

CLASSICS 181: Classical Seminar: Origins of Political Thought (CLASSICS 381, ETHICSOC 130A, PHIL 176A, PHIL 276A, POLISCI 230A, POLISCI 330A)

Political philosophy in classical antiquity, centered on reading canonical works of Thucydides, Plato, Aristotle against other texts and against the political and historical background. Topics include: interdependence, legitimacy, justice; political obligation, citizenship, and leadership; origins and development of democracy; law, civic strife, and constitutional change.
Terms: Win | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: GER:DB-Hum, WAY-A-II, WAY-ER

COLLEGE 102: Citizenship in the 21st Century

Citizenship is not just what passport you hold or where you were born. Citizenship also means equal membership in a self-governing political community. We will explore some of the many debates about this ideal: Who is (or ought to be) included in citizenship? Who gets to decide? What responsibilities come with citizenship? Is citizenship analogous to being a friend, a family member, a business partner? How have people excluded from citizenship fought for, and sometimes won, inclusion? These debates have a long history, featuring in some of the earliest recorded philosophy and literature but also animating current political debates in the United States and elsewhere.
Terms: Win | Units: 3 | UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-ER, WAY-SI

COLLEGE 109: Rules of War

What ethical norms influence decisions to go to war and the conduct of military operations in war? How are those ethical values reflected in legal rules that govern war? What kinds of security threats or humanitarian dangers justify recourse to force? What are the values and rules that protect civilians and non-combatants in armed conflict? How do these rules apply in non-traditional, asymmetric conflicts between states and terrorist and other non-state groups? How do we determine in which kinds of conflicts to apply the moral and legal framework that governs war?
Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-ER, WAY-SI

COLLEGE 111: The Ethical Challenges of the Global Climate Crisis

Climate change is now a global crisis. The notion that countries can each individually deal with it and ignore the fact that it ignores borders has long been recognized as unrealistic and counterproductive. Yet the international community has time and again for more than three decades fallen far short of what the global scientific community warns is necessary to stave off catastrophe soon. Fortunately, governments and the fossil fuel industry that still holds undue influence over them are not the only entities that will determine whether humanity can survive on the only planet in the universe known so far to support life. Thanks to massive global activism, especially among youth and people on the frontlines of the climate crisis, and a revolution in ever more affordable and scalable clean energy, especially solar, wind, geothermal, electric vehicles, and battery storage, the global political climate surrounding what is economically and technologically possible is rapidly changing.
Terms: Spr | Units: 4 | UG Reqs: College, THINK, WAY-ER

COMM 135W: Deliberative Democracy and its Critics (AMSTUD 135, COMM 235, COMM 335, ETHICSOC 135F, POLISCI 234P, POLISCI 334P)

This course examines the theory and practice of deliberative democracy and engages both in a dialogue with critics. Can a democracy which emphasizes people thinking and talking together on the basis of good information be made practical in the modern age? What kinds of distortions arise when people try to discuss politics or policy together? The course draws on ideas of deliberation from Madison and Mill to Rawls and Habermas as well as criticisms from the jury literature, from the psychology of group processes and from the most recent normative and empirical literature on deliberative forums. Deliberative Polling, its applications, defenders and critics, both normative and empirical, will provide a key case for discussion.
Terms: Win | Units: 3-5 | UG Reqs: WAY-ER, WAY-SI

COMM 137W: The Dialogue of Democracy (AMSTUD 137, COMM 237, POLISCI 232T, POLISCI 332T)

All forms of democracy require some kind of communication so people can be aware of issues and make decisions. This course looks at competing visions of what democracy should be and different notions of the role of dialogue in a democracy. Is it just campaigning or does it include deliberation? Small scale discussions or sound bites on television? Or social media? What is the role of technology in changing our democratic practices, to mobilize, to persuade, to solve public problems? This course will include readings from political theory about democratic ideals - from the American founders to J.S. Mill and the Progressives to Joseph Schumpeter and modern writers skeptical of the public will. It will also include contemporary examinations of the media and the internet to see how those practices are changing and how the ideals can or cannot be realized.
Last offered: Autumn 2022 | UG Reqs: GER:EC-EthicReas, WAY-ER, WAY-SI
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