1776: Ancient Greek and the American Mind (2-week Semi-intensive)

Course Description: Yes, but... what can you actually DO with a Classics degree? One answer: you can found the freest, mightiest, most successful republic in the history of the world! If we translate what the American Founders studied in college into contemporary categories, we would term them Classics majors. In this class we will translate and discuss great texts in Ancient Greek and English in 10 daily two-hour sessions. Sessions 1-4: Socrates' discussion with Thrasymachus about whether Justice = the interest of the stronger (aka, Might Makes Right) from Plato's Republic, Book I. Session 5: excerpts in English from Lincoln in the 1858 Lincoln-Douglas Debates covering the same question. Sessions 6-9: Ancient Greek text of Pericles' Funeral Oration. Session 10: English discussion of the Gettysburg Address through the lens of how hard it might be to translate it into Attic Greek. Come join the adventure of this intellectual ancestry search in time for America's 250th birthday!

DETAILS

Level: Intermediate-Advanced. Intermediate-advanced reading knowledge.

Textbook: Steadman's edition of Plato's Republic I. Instructor wii provide other materials.

Sections capped at: 5 students. If the course is sold-out, please fill out this waiting-list form.

When
Monday-Friday, June 22-July 3, 2:00-4:00 p.m. U.S. Eastern Time

Cost
$650

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2-week Semi-intensive (20 hour) -- 1776: Ancient Greek and the American Mind ($650)

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ACH Credit Card (3% convenience fee)

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Instructor

David Ring

David Ring teaches Latin and Ancient Greek as living languages by using an eclectic mix of methods, ranging from the insights of Renaissance Humanist pedagogy (especially the advice of Erasmus) to the Direct or Nature method to (first and foremost) Teaching with Comprehensible Input. Be it a discussion in Latin or Greek about a beautiful painting, or personal life conversation, or solving riddles, or paraphrasing poets into simpler prose, or storyboarding Lucian's True Stories -- David and his students aim to get lost in the joy of what they are doing, such that they forget they are speaking Latin or Ancient Greek. He believes that the purpose of liberal education is to help young people grow in self-knowledge -- both individual and cultural --, to help them form sharp intellects, wise judgment, and greatness of soul. He believes this is best done via direct encounters with the greatest minds and greatest stories of the last 3,000 years.