Classical Studies 125 - Community, Neighborhood and Family in Ancient Athens and Modern Philadelphia

Dr. Ralph M. Rosen,

First week:
General discussion focusing on: what is the point of studying antiquity? what does it mean to say that we can “learn” from the past? what kind of knowledge can the humanistic disciplines, and Classics in particular, offer us? We will consider the notion of “classical culture” as a construct. How is the term “classical” used and abused in our own discourse? What makes fifth-century Athens an appropriate period to study for comparison to a modern urban culture? What is “interpretation?”