Description

During the summer, the Department of Philosophy and the Global Education Office for Undergraduates (GEO-U) at Duke University offer an integrated course of study combining in-depth tours of the important sites and museums in various regions of this spectacular country with close reading and discussion of key ancient philosophical texts. The principal course objective is to give the student a thorough understanding of (and a critical perspective upon) the classical Greeks' pronounced emphasis on the rational aspect of human nature which enabled them not only to produce the artistic and architectural splendors which students on the program see first-hand, but also to lay the intellectual foundations for subsequent western civilization.

Highlights

The program begins with twelve days in the Aegean Islands, where students consider how the ancient rationalistic movement first came to life with the mechanistic science of the Milesians, and the theoretical mathematics and metaphysics of the Pythagoreans. The course location then shifts onto the Greek mainland, first to the Peloponnese and then on to Athens, where the dramatic rise and fall of the Athenian Empire serves as a backdrop to Socrates' revolutionary denunciation of the "unexamined life", and the great philosophical system of Plato's Republic.

The program then travels northward to Thessaly, finally arriving on the very slopes of Mt. Olympus. During this segment the class will study the great ancient ethical systems of Aristotle, Epicurus, and the Stoic philosophers. During the final days of the program, the group boards a spacious chartered boat to sail the quiet waters of the western Aegean while students complete individual course projects designed to put the themes and issues encountered during the entire course in broad perspective.

For more information and to apply, contact us.

Degree Level

Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Subject Areas

• Philosophy

Cost in US$:

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Program Fees Include:

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Experience Required

no

This Program is open to

American Participants.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Other

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

in Groups

Application Process Involves

• Letters of Reference
• Online Application plus Application Assessment
• Transcript
• Essay