Course Syllabus
Mythos and Logos:Myth and Reason in Ancient Greek Philosophy
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| Semester: |
Spring 2018 - DIS Copenhagen |
| Type & Credits: |
Philosophy Core Course - 3 credits |
| Core Course Study Tours: |
Long Tour Destinations in Greece: Athens Delphi Delos Sounion Short Tour Destinations in Germany: Lübeck Hamburg |
| Major Disciplines: |
Philosophy, Classics, Religious Studies |
| Instructors: |
Jakob Lorenzen and Brian Söderquist |
| Program Coordinator: |
Sanne Rasmussen - sra@dis.dk |
| Time & Place: |
Mondays & Thursdays, 10.05 - 11.25 | S12-05 (Firestation) |
Course Description
This course explores the tension between the Greek mythical worldview -- which uses traditional stories about the gods and heroes to explain why things are they way they are -- and the emerging rational philosophical worldview -- which seeks to explain things in terms of universal principles and laws. We begin with the great prophets, poets, and philosophers of Ancient Greece, including Homer, Sophocles, and Plato, and we conclude with modern interpretations of the significance of Ancient Greek thought in the works of some of the best Continental philosophers: Hegel, Nietzsche, and Heidegger. The course thus aims to help you become more conversant not only with the thinking of classical Greece, but also in the ideas of Continental European philosophy.
The goal of our long study tour is to gain lasting sensory and intellectual impressions in Greece at the very sites mentioned in Greek myth and philosophy. This takes us away from oft-visited tourist sites into secluded corners of Athens as well as the mountains, valleys, and islands of Greece. We read, for example, Plato's account of Socrates’ execution at the prison in ancient Athens, we talk about the tragedy of Oedipus on the valley road where he killed his father, we read the pronouncements of the Delphic oracle in the mountains of Delphi, and we read Homer's hymn to Apollo at Apollo's birthplace on the remote island of Delos.
Course Format
We will use Copenhagen as our primary meeting place, but much of the course takes place in Germany and Greece. On the study tours, the course instructors and on-site guest lecturers will lead discussions.
Course Instructors
Jakob Due Lorentzen, Ph.D. candidate, University of Aarhus, 2017-. Cand. Mag. in Philosophy, University of Copenhagen, 2004. MA in Philosophy, Stony Brook University, 2002. Program Director, European Humanities, 2008-2017. With DIS since 2006. Email: jlo@dis.dk
K. Brian Söderquist, Ph.D. in philosophical theology, University of Copenhagen, 2005. M.A.R. in philosophy of religion, Yale University, 1994. B.A. in philosophy and natural sciences, Utah State University, 1990. With DIS since 2000. Email: bso@dis.dk
Course Requirements
One in-class exam on the course readings and study tour lectures. No make-up exams will be given without the prior consent of the instructors.
One 4-5 page paper on the course readings and study tour lectures.
An 8-10 page research paper. Guidelines for the research papers will be distributed in class.
Engagement in class in Copenhagen as well as in Germany and Greece.
Grade Components
In-class exam: 25%
Short paper: 25%
Research paper: 40%
Engagement: 10%
Computer policy
No computers in class. No surfing or texting during class.
Reading List
Homer, The Odyssey
The Homeric Hymns
Hesiod, Theogony
Apollodorus, Library of Greek Mythology
Sophocles, Oedipus the King
Aeschylus, The Eumenides
Plato, Phaedo, Apology, Republic
Hegel, Lectures on Aesthetics
Nietzsche, The Birth of Tragedy
Heidegger, Sojourns, The Origin of the Work of Art
Graf, Greek Mythology: An Introduction
Kellogg, The Greek Search for Wisdom
Academic Regulations
Please make sure to read the Academic Regulations on the DIS website. There you will find regulations on:
DIS - Study Abroad in Scandinavia - www.DISabroad.org
Course Summary:
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