CoursesAncient Dialogue Workshop
CLST 301

Ancient Dialogue Workshop

This course will focus on the history of dialogue as a method of creative social communication in ancient Greek and Roman cities. We will study ancient dialogue-forms of different kinds, surveying key moments in poetry, drama, philosophy, from Homer onward, as well as imagined dialogues between moderns and ancients.

Instructor(s)
  • James Ker
Semester

Spring 2021

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M/W, 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM (online synchronous)

This course will focus on the history of dialogue as a method of creative social communication in ancient Greek and Roman cities. We will study ancient dialogue-forms of different kinds, surveying key moments in poetry, drama, philosophy, from Homer onward, as well as imagined dialogues between moderns and ancients. The course will operate as a research workshop, proceeding through a series of case-studies in which participants analyze and critique ancient dialogues and also develop their own dialogue models. The capstone assignment for each participant will be to propose a way to present an ancient dialogue in an innovative form that facilitates productive dialogue in modern culture, and to test it out. In addition to the main instructor, the course will host a series of three visiting speakers—experts in and/or practitioners of the main models of dialogue explored in the course. This course has no pre-requisites and is open to all undergraduates. It fulfills requirements for the major in Classical Studies and for the SNF Paideia program.

Example Syllabus

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