PHIL 104 - Tragedy and Philosophy: Ancient and Modern Perspectives

1 unit(s)

Since Greek antiquity, philosophers have puzzled over the meaning, value, and purpose of tragedy. This course traces their conversation from ancient Athens (Plato and Aristotle) to German Romanticism (Schopenhauer and Nietzsche) to the present (Stanley Cavell and Martha Nussbaum). Along the way we study several plays that have inspired the philosophical imagination, including works by Sophocles, Euripides, Shakespeare, and Edward Albee. Students learn to write carefully-argued analyses of challenging texts, and to reflect on broader issues of literary interpretation, canonization and genre, and the ethical significance of art.

Open only to first-year students; satisfies the college requirement for a First-Year Writing Seminar.

Two 75-minute periods.

Not offered in 2026/27.

Course Format: CLS