Greek for Philosophers Online Course and Reading Group

Greek for Philosophers

The ability to navigate Greek texts enhances our understanding of ancient philosophy and reveals its hidden treasures. “Greek for Philosophers” provides opportunities for scholars of philosophy to cultivate their language skills and engage with the ancient texts. Whether one has never studied ancient Greek, or simply needs to review, our courses and reading groups mix language learning with philosophical discussion of important texts.

Academic Year 2021-2022

Online Courses are taught live on Zoom once per week by Dr. Chiara Blanco and Dr. George Gazis; classes are recorded and links are provided to students for review. There will be three blocks of 10 classes running as follows:

1.      Fall:  October 6 or 7 - December 8 or 9, 2021

2.      Winter: January 5 – March 9, 2022

3.      Spring: March 23 – May 25, 2022 (to be confirmed)

Beginner’s Greek (Tuesdays 6:30-7:30 PM Italian Time): This course covers the basics of the ancient Greek language, including the alphabet, simple grammar, and common vocabulary including important philosophical terms. It prepares students to participate in the Seminar on Ancient Greek Philosophy.

Elementary Greek (Thursdays 6:30-7:30 PM Italian Time): This course combines lessons in grammar and vocabulary with study and translations of short selections from ancient philosophy. Prerequisite: one year of Classical Greek or our beginner’s course).

Reading Group (Wednesdays 5:00-6:00 PM Italian Time):  This course aims to read and translate Plato’s Gorgias in Greek over the course of the academic year. Students typically have the option to prepare short translations before class, which are then read and discussed as a group. The emphasis is on content. Prerequisite: two years of Classical Greek.