A Deep Dive into

A Deep Dive into "On Duties"

$150.00

SUMMER 2025

Instructor:  James Goode

Dates: June 9 - July 3 (4 wks)

Mtg. Days:  Mon. & Wed. (2 days/week)

Mtg. Time:  9:00 - 9:50 AM

Credits: None

Class Description:  Have you ever wondered what it would be like to get to slow down in your humanities classes and really get to concentrate on only one book? To dive into its nooks and crannies, to chase the rabbit trails that pop out of odd places, and to chew over great ideas with your peers under the guidance of someone who knows the book well? Do you want to learn how to read a classic not just for a few big ideas, but instead interrogate it for more subtle wonders? (paragraph break) Then this course is for you. You’ll dive into the philosophical work De Officies (usually translated as “On Duties”) by the Roman orator Marcus Tullius Cicero, written around the time the Roman Republic was fading into the Empire. Cicero is concerned with answering two great questions: “How do we know what is good?” and “How do we choose the good rather than the bad?” It has been enormously influential from when it was penned all the way to the present. The great Renaissance scholar said of this book that “you would fancy sometimes that it is not a Pagan Philosopher, but a Christian Apostle who is speaking.” (paragraph break) This class will be mostly based around verbal discussion, not prepped assignments and papers. If you dislike speaking up in class, this one is not for you! Come prepared to both ask questions and answer them, even if you don’t quite know where we’ll end up

    Required Materials:  On Duties by Cicero (Sometimes the title is also translated On Obligations.)

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