MA Classics and Ancient History / Course details

This course engages with some of the key figures of Ancient Philosophy, with a particular focus on the connection between what they have to say and the way that they say it. Students will read and discuss philosophical works from different genres and periods, including the verse philosophy of Xenophanes, Parmenides and Lucretius, the dialogues of Cicero and Plato, the letters of Seneca, and the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. In addition, we will engage with examples of ancient philosophical writing from beyond the Western canon, including the Analects of Confucius. Students will also be encouraged to consider how narratives of intellectual development and modern expectations inform our approach to ancient philosophical texts.

• to introduce and scrutinize the different genres in which ancient philosophers presented their teachings and arguments
• to introduce students to a wide range of ancient philosophical authors, from Early Greek Philosophy through to Hellenistic Philosophy
• to introduce some ancient philosophical perspectives on the role and status of literature
• to encourage discussion of the ways that philosophical content is connected to, affected by and affects the form in which it is presented

• Ability to recognize and assess the significance of generic choices to philosophical content
• An awareness of the chronological and thematic scope of ancient philosophy, from Early Greek Philosophy through to Hellenistic Philosophy

• Critical analytical skills, particularly in relation to assessing the connection between the content of a philosophical work and its generic form
• Enhanced written and verbal communication skills;

• Time-management
• The ability to work co-operatively in small groups
• The ability to engage in critical discussion and debate.

• enhanced abilities to engage in critical discussion and debate and independent research.
• improved analytical and observational abilities

Barfield, R. (2011) The Ancient Quarrel between Philosophy and Poetry, Cambridge.

Black, M. (1962) Models and Metaphors, Ithaca, New York.

Boys-Stones, G. (ed.) (2003) Metaphor, allegory, and the classical tradition, Oxford.

Brisson, L. (2004) How philosophers saved myths: allegorical interpretation and Classical mythology, Chicago.

Edmundsen, M. (1995) Literature against Philosophy, Plato to Derrida, Cambridge.

Halliwell, S. (2002) The Aesthetics of Mimesis, Princeton.

Lang, B. (1999) The Anatomy of Philosophical Style, Oxford.

Morgan, K. (2000) Myth and Philosophy from the Presocratics to Plato, Cambridge.

Murdoch, I. (1978) ‘Philosophy and Literature’ in B. Magee (ed.) Men of Ideas, Oxford.

Nussbaum, M. (1986) The Fragility of Goodness, Cambridge.

Nussbaum, M. (2003) ‘Philosophy and Literature’ in D. Sedley (ed.) The Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy, 211-41.

Rosen, S. (1993) The Quarrel between Philosophy and Poetry, London.

Williams, B. (1993) Shame and Necessity, Berkeley.

• 14 hours (7 x2 hr seminars)
• Coursework preparation sessions
• 3 x 1hr 3 dedicated consultation hours