Sunday, August 11, 2024

Classics Education Plan: First 100 Days

Greek mask

I was optimistic thinking that I could develop a four-year plan right off the bat, but a 100 day plan is do-able!

When I put this list in chronological order and examine items before 300 BC three things come to mind:

  1. Mythology/Religion (Many of the dramas deal with gods and goddesses and the Olympians play a part in the Iliad and the Odyssey)
  2. Philosophy (Plato and Aristotle!)
  3. History 
I toyed with the idea of sorting everything into these three categories, but it didn't take me long to realize that I don't have enough knowledge to do the sorting. I went looking for help and found 6 on-line courses that take the grief out of planning my initial steps into the classics:

Classics Courses
CourseSchoolInstructorHrs
Greek and Roman MythologyUniversity of PennsylvaniaPeter Struck20
Ancient Philosophy: Plato and His PredecessorsUniversity of PennsylvaniaSusan Sauvé Meyer12
Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His SuccessorsUniversity of PennsylvaniaSusan Sauvé Meyer8
The Ancient GreeksWesleyan UniversityAndrew Szegedy-Maszak, PhD20
Introduction to Ancient Greek HistoryYALEProfessor Donald Kagan24
Classics of Western PhilosophyMITProf. Sally Haslanger et. al.11


This is 95 hours of lectures.

To read everything covered in these lectures will take about 100 hours.

If I want to do this in 100 days, I'll need to spend 2 hours a day listening and reading.

On November 18 (day 100) I'll check my progress. In the meantime to keep me on track, here are my weekly targets:


Classics Education Plan: First 100 Days
WeekCourseModuleReading
1Greek and Roman Mythology1 - 4 OdysseusThe Odyssey translated by Fagles 1999
1Greek and Roman Mythology5 Gods and HumansHesiod, Theogony and Works and Days, M. L. West, trans. (Oxford)
2Greek and Roman Mythology6 Ritual and ReligionHomeric Hymns
2Greek and Roman Mythology7 JusticeThe Oresteia (audio) by Aeschylus
The Oresteia (wiki) by Aeschylus
2Greek and Roman Mythology8 Unstable SelvesOedipus Rex by Sophocles
Antigone by Sophocles
The Bacchae by Euripides
2Greek and Roman Mythology9 The Roman Hero, RemadeThe Aeneid, books 1, 2, & 6
The Aeneid, Book 3
The Aeneid, Book 4
The Aeneid Book 5
2Greek and Roman Mythology10 Roman Myth and Ovid's MetamorphosesMetamorphoses
2Ancient Greek Civilization
by Jeremy McInerney, Ph.D.
1-6 YouTubeOutline, Part 1
2Ancient Greek Civilization
by Jeremy McInerney, Ph.D.
7-12 YouTubeMap
3The Ancient Greeks1 Prehistory to HomerIliad, Books 1, 2, 6, 9, 18, 24
Odyssey, Books 1, 5, 9-12, 21-24.
3The Ancient Greeks2 The Archaic Age (800 - 500 BC)The Polis form Politics
Archilochus
Theognis
Sappho
Alceus
3The Ancient Greeks3 Two City-States: Athens and SpartaPlutarch (audio)
The Constitution of Athens (audio) by Aristotle
4The Ancient Greeks4 Democracy: The Persian WarsHerodotus Bk 1; 5 55-57; 6 102-140; 7 138-144
Thucydides Bk 6 53-60
Constution of Athens 17-22
Plutarch's: Themistocles
4The Ancient Greeks5 The Great 50 Years (480-431 BC)Thucydides Bk 1 89-117; 2 65; 3 9-11
Plutarch's: Pericles 12-17
Antigone by Sophocles
Medea by Euripides
4The Ancient Greeks6 The Peloponnesian War IThucydides Bk 1 1-23; 2 1-65; 3 1-35; 5 84-116
Acharians by Aristopones
Plutarch's Alciades
4The Ancient Greeks7 The End of the War, the End of the CenturyThucydides Bk 6 1-24; 7 9-16; 7 86-87
The Old Oligarch
Constitution of Athens 34-41
The Apology by Plato
5The Ancient Greeks8 Course PagesSyllabus
5The Western Literary Canon in ContextLectures 1-101.The Bible and the Literary Canon
2.The Bible as Literature
3.The Epic of Gilgamesh—Western Literature?
4.Homer's Odyssey and the Seafaring Hero
5.The Context of Athenian Tragedy
6.Herodotus versus Thucydides
7.Socrates and Plato—Writing and Reality
8.Aristotle's Poetics—How We Tell Stories
9.Virgil's Aeneid and the Epic of Empire
10.Love Interest—Ovid's Metamorphoses
5Ancient Philosophy: Plato and His Predecessors1 the Milesians and HeraclitusFragments are the only source available. Prof. Meyer provides a consolidated reading for these pre-Socratic philosophers: Thales
Anaximander
Anaximenes
Xenophanes
Heraclitus
5Ancient Philosophy: Plato and His Predecessors2 Parmenides to PlatoParmenides
Apology by Plato
Euthyphro by Plato
6Ancient Philosophy: Plato and His Predecessors3 Plato on Virtue, Teaching, and JusticeMeno by Plato
Republic by Plato
6Ancient Philosophy: Plato and His Predecessors4 Plato on Reality and GoodnessRepublic by Plato
Timaeus by Plato
7Introduction to Ancient Greek History1, 2, 3 The Dark Ages (3000-750 BC)Ancient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 1 - 71)
Problems in Ancient History by Donald Kagan (Chapter 1)
7Introduction to Ancient Greek History4, 5 The Rise of PolisAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 71 - 81)
Problems in Ancient History by Donald Kagan (Chapter 2)
John Milton's Paradise LostPLAN
7Introduction to Ancient Greek History6, 7 The Greek Renaissance - Colonization and TyrannyAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 81 - 130)
8Introduction to Ancient Greek History8, 9 SpartaAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 131-158)
Problems in Ancient History by Donald Kagan (Chapter 3)
8Introduction to Ancient Greek History10, 11 The Rise of AthensAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 159-181)
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of the Athens:
Theseus and Solon
8Introduction to Ancient Greek History12 The Persian WarsAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 181-200)
Problems in Ancient History by Donald Kagan (Chapter 4)
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of the Athens:
Themistocles
8Introduction to Ancient Greek History13, 14 The Athenian EmpireAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 200-215)
Problems in Ancient History by Donald Kagan (Chapter 5)
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of the Athens:
Aristides, Cimon
Thucydides,
The Peloponnesian War. Book 1
9Introduction to Ancient Greek History15, 16 The Athenian DemocracyAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 215-245)
Problems in Ancient History by Donald Kagan (Chapter 6)
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of the Athens:
Pericles
9Introduction to Ancient Greek History17, 18 The Peloponnesian War, Part IAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 246-286)
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of the Athens:
Nicias
Thucydides,
The Peloponnesian War. Books I - V
9Introduction to Ancient Greek History19, 20 The Peloponnesian War, Part IIAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 287-329)
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of the Athens:
Alcibiades
Thucydides,
The Peloponnesian War. Books VI-VII
10Introduction to Ancient Greek History21, 22 Hegemony in 4th Century GreeceAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 330-370)
Plutarch, The Rise and Fall of the Athens:
Lysander
10Introduction to Ancient Greek History23, 24 Twilight of the PolisAncient Greece : a political, social, and cultural history by Sarah B Pomeroy (pp 371-394)
Problems in Ancient History by Donald Kagan (Chapter 8)
11Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors1 Aristoyle's CategoriesCategories by Aristotle (TEXT) (AUDIO)
11Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors2 Aristotle's Natural PhilosophyPhysics by Aristotle (TEXT) (AUDIO)
On the Soul by Aristotle (TEXT) (AUDIO)
11Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors3 Aristotle's EthicsMetaphysics by Aristotle (TEXT) (AUDIO)
Ethics by Aristotle (TEXT) (AUDIO)
12Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors4 EpicureanismThe Letter to Menoeceus by Epicurus
The Letter of Epicurus to Herodotus
12Ancient Philosophy: Aristotle and His Successors5 StocismThe Enchiridion by Epictettus
On the nature of the gods by Cicero (TEXT) (AUDIO)
De Fato (On Fate) by Cicero (TEXT)
13Classics of Western Philosophy2 Socretes and the LawApology by Plato
Crito by Plato
13Classics of Western Philosophy3 ElenchusSocratic Definition and the Elenchus
13Classics of Western Philosophy4 Akrasia & Prgmatic ParadoxSocrates on Weakness of Will

Meno by Plato
13Classics of Western Philosophy5 Knowledge and LearningMeno and the Paradox of Inquiry

Meno by Plato
14Classics of Western Philosophy6 The Soul in PlatoImmortality and Forms in the Phaedo

Phaedo by Plato
14Classics of Western Philosophy7 The Soul in AristotleMatter and Form, Body and Soul, in De Anima

On the Soul by Aristotle
Politics by
 Aristotle
On the Generation of Animals
14Classics of Western Philosophy8 HappinessAristotle on Happiness

Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle
15Classics of Western Philosophy9 VirtueAristotle on Virtue

Nichomachean Ethics by Aristotle

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