The Science and Empire Reading Group
The Science and Empire Reading Group meets every fortnight during semester, and brings together Classicists, Historians, Philosophers and Scientists. The participants rotate in making small, informal presentations on select ancient scientific, technical and encyclopedic texts. The emphasis is on close reading and group discussion.
Spring Semester 2010
Wednesdays, 1-2 pm, School of Classics
Room: S11
Topic: Plutarch
Timetable
- Week 3 (24 February): Lives – Alexander.
- Week 4 (3 March): Greek Questions 1-30, and Roman Questions 1-31.
- Week 5 (10 March): Lives –Caesar.
- Week 6 (17 March): Lives- Alexander and Caesar (comparisons).
- Week 7 (24 March): On Contentment (De Tranquillitate Animi): especially §§8-20.
- Week 8 (14 April): On Socrates’ Personal Deity (De Genio Socratis): §§1-16 (575B-586A).
- Week 9 (21 April): On Socrates’ Personal Deity (De Genio Socratis): §§17-34 (586A-598F). [focus especially on §§20-34: 588B-598F]
- Week 11 (5 May): Dialogue on Love (Amatorius): §§1-12 (748E-756A).
- Week 12 (12 May): Dialogue on Love (Amatorius): §§13-26 (756A-771E). [focus especially on: §§1-12 (748E-756A)]
Note that all sessions take place weekly (starting week 3; no meeting week 10).
Recommended translations
(apart from the Loeb editions of the Lives and Moralia)
Plutarch, Greek Lives, ed. P. A. Stadter, transl. R. Waterfield, Oxford (World’s Classics) 1998.
Plutarch, Roman Lives, ed. P. A. Stadter, transl. R. Waterfield, Oxford (World’s Classics) 1999.
Plutarch, Essays, introd. I. Kidd, transl. R. Waterfield, London (Penguin) 1992.
For more information, please contact:
Katerina Oikonomopoulou (ao40@st-andrews.ac.uk)
Previous years' reading groups