Environmental Science A10 - Achilles and Spiderman Go to Town

Institution:

Wheaton College - Massachusetts

Subject:

Description:

Human beings, according to Aristotle, are designed to live in cities. But Greek mythology offers a different view: the heroes of Homer's Iliad and Sophocles's tragedies are city destroyers, and the myths, epics, and tragedies frequently present the spectacle of heroes brought to ruin within cities that cannot contain them. Are citizens anti-heroic Are heroes anti-democratic In search of answers, students will read from a wide selection of Greek and Roman literature, from Achilles and Socrates, through Romulus and Remus, to the world of Christian saints and the literature of the desert. Together, we will consider how the ancient world grapples with the question of where the human being is most fully realized: within the city or beyond its social and physical borders Finally, we will explore how this debate occurs in modern American forms. Is the human ideal individual or social Are the workings of society manifestations of individual will or enemies of it Does society favor Spiderman or Peter Parker (Joel C. Relihan)

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.wheatoncollege.edu

Phone Number:

(508) 285-7722

Regional Accreditation:

New England Association of Schools and Colleges

Calendar System:

Semester

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