Plato’s Republic Abstract: Plato’s Republic is a foundational text in Philosophy. It has also had a profound influence on Western Civilization, generally. The aim of this course is to introduce students from across the University to the Republic via a close reading of Plato’s classic text. Themes to be discussed include: truth, knowledge, reality, justice, statecraft, morality, sexuality, and art. Course Structure: The course will be divided into 12 lectures. The first will be an introduction to the origin of philosophy in Ancient Greece and to Plato’s work, particularly. The following eleven lectures will be based on the assigned readings and cover the Republic in its entirety. Course Evaluation: The class will be graded on a pass-fail basis. And since the aim of the course is to encourage students to read, understand, and engage with the classic text, students will be required to submit a one-page summary of the relevant readings following each of the substantive lectures. Text: Plato, Republic, tr. Lee (New York: Penguin, 2003) Reading Schedule: 1. Introduction to Plato: xii-lix 2. Justice and Injustice: 3-24 3. The Value of Injustice: 25-52 4. Principles of Societal Organization: 53-66 5. Education of the Leaders: 67-111 6. Class Structure in an Ideal Society: 112-129 7. Justice in the State and Individual: 130-156 8. Women and the Family: 157-188 9. Philosopher Kings: 189-225, 249-274 10. Knowledge and Reality: 189-191, 226-248 11. Imperfect Societies: 275-334 12. Art and Immortality: 335-368 Course Instructor: Aaron James Wendland, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, HSE