Popular Morality of Ancient Greeks. Selected Problems 3800-MPSG25-S
The classes will be devoted to the Greek popular morality of the classical times. We want to pose the question to which extent everyday moral practices differed from the ideals of Greek moralists. During the classes, we will try to define what popular morality is, as opposed to moral philosophy, and how this distinction manifested itself in ancient Greece.
We will analyze selected ancient sources, placing the discussed issues in the broad context of Greek political life, literature, legislation, and customs. We will look at how the Greeks behaved both in times of peace and war, who was among the excluded at that time, what social status was granted to women, what marital practices and informal relationships looked like, including both heterosexual and homosexual ones. We will be interested in how the Greeks treated defamation, murder, theft, and mourning.
During the classes, various texts by philosophers, poets, playwrights, orators, and historians will be discussed. We will try to take into account the richness of the Greek narrative relating to popular morality.
Type of course
Prerequisites (description)
Course coordinators
Learning outcomes
Knowledge: Participants acquire and develop knowledge about Greek popular morality as well as ancient ethics.
Abilities: Participants are able to recognize, prioritize and interpret key topics in source texts presented on the seminar. Furthermore they gain the ability to express their views in a clear and articulate manner.
Social skills: Participants acquire awareness of different perspectives on moral issues as well as the importance of dialogue and argumentation regarding moral norms and attitudes.
Assessment criteria
-attendance (max. 2 absences)
-active participation in the classes
-presentation
Bibliography
Primary sources:
Arystofanes (wybór komedii)
Arystoteles, Retoryka, Polityka (wybór)
Eurypides (wybór tragedii)
Herodot, Dzieje (wybór)
Komedia grecka. Od Epicharma do Menandra, red. K. Bartol i J. Danielewicz, WN PWN, Warszawa 2011
Ksenofont, Uczta, O gospodarstwie
Tukidydes, Wojna peloponeska (wybór)
Secondary readings:
Adkins A.W.H., Merit and Responsibility. A Study in Greek Values, Oxford 1960.
Brill's Companion to Herodotus, Brill, Leiden 2002.
Cohen D., Law, Sexuality & Society. The Enforcement of Morals in Classical Athens, Cambridge 1987.
Dover K.J., Greek Popular Morality in the Time of Plato and Aristotle, Blackwell, Oxford 1974.
Ferguson J., Moral Values in the Ancient World, Routledge1958 (Cambridge 1979).
Foucault M., Historia seksualności, przeł B. Banasiak i in., Czytelnik, Warszawa 1995.
Freeman K., The Murder of Herodes and Other Trials from the Athenian Law Courts, London 1946.
Just R., Women in Athenian Law and Life, Routledge, London / NY 1989.
Pearson L., Popular Ethics in Ancient Greece, Stanford 1962
Sawiński P., Wypustek A., Homoseksualność i homoerotyzm w świecie starożytnym, Homini, raków 2023.
Additional information
Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system: