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Plato’s Myths: The Soul, Desire And The Beyond

Key information

  • Module code:

    6AACTL32

  • Level:

    6

  • Semester:

      Full Year

  • Credit value:

    30

Module description

This module offers an exploration of the philosophical myths of some central classics of Platonic writing, including the Republic, the Phaedo, the Phaedrus, the Protagoras and the Gorgias. It will explore the imaginative power of the myths in themselves, the ways in which they interact with (and sometimes escape from) the philosophical argumentation of the dialogues containing them, and the presence of continuing themes and images between them.  It will also examine the influence of Plato's myths on later Greek literary creativity (in particular in the work of Plutarch and Apuleius), and on European visual imagination.  By this means it aims to illuminate not only the specific contents and literary texture of a range of central Platonic dialogues, but also both the possibilities and the complications of combining different modes of communication in philosophical texts.

Assessment details

1 x 3-hour exam (100%)

Teaching pattern

20 x 2-hour lecture (weekly)

Department

Module description disclaimer

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Please note that modules with a practical component will be capped due to educational requirements, which may mean that we cannot guarantee a place to all students who elect to study this module.

Please note that the module descriptions above are related to the current academic year and are subject to change.