Nov 14, 2024
OHIO University Undergraduate Catalog 2024-25

PHIL 2100 - History of Western Philosophy: Ancient


Students critically investigate major philosophical theories and movements in Greek and Roman philosophy from the 6th century BCE through the 3rd century CE, exploring the answers of prominent ancient philosophers to questions on ethics (how humans should live), epistemology (the nature of knowledge), and metaphysics (the ultimate nature of reality). Figures studied include many of the following: the Pre-Socratics, Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Seneca, Cicero, and Plotinus.

Credit Hours: 3
OHIO BRICKS: Arch: Constructed World
General Education Code (students who entered prior to Fall 2021-22): 2HL
Repeat/Retake Information: May be retaken two times excluding withdrawals, but only last course taken counts.
Lecture/Lab Hours: 3.0 lecture
Grades: Eligible Grades: A-F,WP,WF,WN,FN,AU,I
Course Transferability: OTM course: TMAH Arts & Humanities
College Credit Plus: Level 1
Learning Outcomes:
  • Students will be able to state, elaborate on, and critically react to major arguments and theories advanced by Greek and Roman philosophers from the early 6th century BC through the 3rd century AD.
  • Students will be able to use scholarly methods and resources (both digital and print) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of philosophical views of ancient Greece and Rome, where the analysis includes the refinement and synthesis of these views.
  • Students will be able to systematically identify and analyze the important assumptions, concepts, principles, and contextual factors informing major theories and arguments advanced by ancient Greek and Roman philosophers.
  • Students will be able to articulate their own philosophical positions–particularly in epistemology, metaphysics, and ethics–such that the position is nuanced, appropriately complex, sensitive to different perspectives, and appropriately qualified.
  • Students will be able to state (both orally and in writing) well-defined conclusions of both an interpretive and normative nature and use the tools of logic to present deductive and inductive arguments in support of these conclusions.
  • Students will be able to use correctly the fundamental terms, concepts, and theories, crucial to reading, comprehending, and explaining influential philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman eras.
  • Students will be able to use the tools of logic to analyze, interpret, and evaluate influential philosophical texts of the ancient Greek and Roman eras.


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