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2016/17 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

CLAS3910 Plato's Republic

20 creditsClass Size: 30

Module manager: Dr Elizabeth Pender
Email: E.E.Pender@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2016/17

This module is approved as a discovery module

Module summary

This module is suitable for Level 2 or 3 students with some basic knowledge of Classical philosophy. It will consider each of the ten books of the Republic, tracing the central questions of: justice and the nature of the soul; the theories of Tripartition and Forms; Plato's utopian vision of the ideal state; radical proposals about the capacities of women and the care and education of children; the philosopher king; the banishment of the artists; the good life and how to achieve harmony of soul for this life and the afterlife. The module is worth 20 credits and runs in semester 1 only, with two lectures per week and a total of four seminars.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to analyse and discuss central philosophical issues of Platonism as presented in Plato's Republic, the philosopher's best known work. Grasp the overall progression of thought through this long and apparently meandering work that seeks to imitate the nature of conversation. Understand Plato's political thought as a reaction to the contemporary political situation at Athens in the 5th and 4th centuries BC. Appreciate the implications of the dialogue form for the expression of Plato's ideas. Be sensitive to the different modes of writing present within the text (aporetic dialectic, exposition, extended images and analogies, and myth).

Syllabus

The module will consider each of the ten books of the Republic. Lectures will begin at book 1 and trace the central questions of: justice and the nature of the soul; the theories of Tripartition and Forms; Plato's utopian vision of the ideal state; radical proposals about the capacities of women and the care and education of children; the philosopher king; the banishment of the artists; the good life and how to achieve harmony of soul for this life and the afterlife. The impact of the chosen setting (at a religious festival) and various characters, including Plato's own brothers, will be explored. These and other literary features, such as Plato's dominant comparisons of 'inner and outer states' and of enlightenment as an upward journey, will be noted as the discussion progresses through the individual books.

Teaching methods

Delivery typeNumberLength hoursStudent hours
Lecture161.0016.00
Seminar51.005.00
Private study hours179.00
Total Contact hours21.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)200.00

Private study

64 hours - reading for lecture (16 x 4 hours)
24 hours - preparation per seminar (4 x 6 hours)
47 hours - essay
45 hours - exam preparation

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Seminar discussion

Methods of assessment


Coursework
Assessment typeNotes% of formal assessment
Essay1 x 2,500 word essay50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated


Exams
Exam typeExam duration% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)2 hr 00 mins50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)50.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 23/08/2016

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