HUMS 2210: Plato

plato crop

Fall 2026

MW 2:35pm-3:50pm

Instructor: Daniel Schillinger

In this Interpretations seminar on Plato, we read the Alcibiades I, Laches, Protagoras, Symposium, Phaedrus, and Statesmanrich and complex dialogues that are rarely taught at the undergraduate level. These texts display Plato’s philosophical and literary range, from his so-called early or Socratic period to his late, almost univocal style. At the same time, the dialogues address a family of questions about virtue, eros, and political rule. Reading Plato across the dialogues, we also raise methodological questions and engage with relevant secondary literature.

Previous coursework on Plato in Directed Studies, Political Science, or Philosophy is expected.