Plato’s dialogues are some of the most important works in the history of philosophy. In this course we will engage in a careful reading of a series of these dialogues to try to answer questions about Plato’s views about a number of central topics in ethics, metaphysics and epistemology. Views suggested by Plato will be subject to critical discussion. The course will conclude with some discussion of Plato’s influence on contemporary philosophy. The dialogues will be read in English translation: no knowledge of Ancient Greek will be needed.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
By the end of this course, students should be able to:
1. Interpret Plato's dialogues through close attention to the text.
2. Have an understanding of the outlines of Plato's overall philosophical views and methods.
3. Have an ability to critically discuss positions and arguments suggested by Plato's work.
Indicative Assessment
One 2000 word essay (50%) (Assesses Learning Outcomes 1-3)
One 2000 word take-home exam (50%) (Assesses Learning Outcomes 1-3)
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Workload
20 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials. Students will be expected to engage in a further 7 hours a week of independent study.
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the School of Philosophy to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
Plato: Complete Works. Edited by J.M. Cooper and D.S. Hutchinson. Hackett Publishing.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $2604 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2015 | $3576 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
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