Core Texts in Civic Thought

Catalog description

This course is devoted to the intensive study of a single text that reflects on themes central to civic life. Students will increase their capacity for sustained attention, concentration, and imagination by reading and living with a single author over the course of a semester. They will learn to navigate complex, sustained arguments that unwind gradually and at great length. Students will develop the patience and courage to follow such arguments and adapt themselves to see the world through the mind of the author. Possible texts include Tocqueville’s Democracy in America, Montesquieu’s The Spirit of the Laws, and Melville’s Moby Dick.