Poetry and Prose of Hart Crane Poetry and Prose of Hart Crane
The master of an impossible syntax and diction, the victim of a tormented and ecstatic passion, had he lived longer, according to Harold Bloom, Hart Crane might well have become our greatest poet, As...
Reading Aristotle, On the Soul (De Anima, Peri Psyches) Reading Aristotle, On the Soul (De Anima, Peri Psyches)
In this relatively short but important and foundational work, Aristotle explores the nature of the life force, psyche or soul. Soul, as Aristotle addresses it, is a philosophical and scientific...
Shakespearean Comedies: As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure Shakespearean Comedies: As You Like It, Twelfth Night, Measure for Measure
In this course we’ll read three of Shakespeare’s comedies, all believed to have been written between 1599 and 1604. There are elements that unite these three plays – disguises, heartache, severe moral...
Spinoza's Ethics Spinoza's Ethics
A deep dive into seventeenth-century's most controversial philosopher, Baruch Spinoza, variously portrayed throughout history as: "the accursed Jew of Amsterdam" and "the Atheistic Euclid" by some; a...
Suetonius: Lives of the Twelve Caesars Suetonius: Lives of the Twelve Caesars
In The Twelve Caesars, Suetonius examines the amazing and sometimes bizarre lives of the early rulers of the Roman Empire, beginning with Julius Caesar and ending with Domitian. Composed as...
Supreme Court Review, 2023-24 Term Supreme Court Review, 2023-24 Term
The Supreme Court of the United States will be completing its 2023-24 term this summer. In this course, we will read and discuss a selection of its most important decisions.
The Apocrypha and other Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period(400 BCE to 100CE The Apocrypha and other Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period(400 BCE to 100CE
This course on the Apocrypha and other Jewish Literature of the Second Temple Period will be followed with a three quarter sequence on the New Testament 2024-2025.
The Art and Ends of Reading: Moby-Dick 1 The Art and Ends of Reading: Moby-Dick 1
Moby-Dick is our American epic, and one of the most densely written books in our language. It “contains the cosmos,” as Harold Bloom writes; and he adds: “I would not change one sentence.” We will do...
The Four Gospels of the New Testament The Four Gospels of the New Testament
In this autumn course, we will read the four “canonical” gospels as the first part of a three quarter sequence on the New Testament. Matthew, Mark and Luke, the first three gospels, are often called...
The Grammar and Syntax of Cinematic Style—Past, Present and Future The Grammar and Syntax of Cinematic Style—Past, Present and Future
This course is a continuation of a project examining the nature and history of cinema with reference to (1) techniques of representation and attendant psychological depictions of emotional networks...