Classics 366 - Unflinching Prose

Institution:

Bard College

Subject:

Description:

This course explores qualities common to some of the greatest nonfiction writers in a range of Western cultures: Thucydides in Greece, Tacitus in Rome, Machiavelli in Italy, Voltaire in France, Gibbon in England, the authors of the Federalist Papers in America (Hamilton, Madison, Jay), and Nietzsche in Germany. All of these authors have high ideals and find humanity for the most part notably wanting in its abilities to attain them. Students read, often in more than one translation, principal passages of each author, with an eye both to historical context and to the workings of the prose itself. Students write pastiches of each author, as well as analytical essays about them. Toward the end of the course, students are asked to write some "unflinching prose" of their own.

Credits:

4.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.bard.edu

Phone Number:

(845) 758-6822

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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