Western Civilization begins in Greece, and a few centuries later, the Romans pick up where the Greeks leave off. Our survey of the Great Books of Western Civilization therefore begins with the ancient but powerful epics of Homer. We sample some of the favorite works of ancient Athenians--the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. We even dabble a bit in the philosophy of Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle. We finish up with a biographical sketch by Plutarch and the great Roman epic, The Aeneid. To keep things interesting, we insert two works from other eras: C.S. Lewis's retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche, Till We Have Faces, and Shakespeare's Julius Caesar. Edith Hamilton's guide through the myths helps us throughout the course. 

Self-paced literature courses do not meet live. Students will have access to the course syllabus, quizzes, and recorded lectures. Assignments are designed to be completed weekly, but students are free to move at their own pace.

Lecture recordings will be accessible until June 15.

The Lit 1 Syllabus includes the following (Books are NOT provided—see the course book list for information on translations and editions)

• Mythology, Edith Hamilton

• The Iliad, Homer

• The Odyssey, Homer

• Agamemnon, Aeschylus

• Oedipus Rex, Sophocles

• Medea, Euripides

• Antigone, Sophocles

• Selections from Fables, Aesop

• Till We Have Faces, C.S. Lewis

• Selections from Dialogues, Plato

• The Republic, Plato

• Poetics, Aristotle

• The Aeneid, Virgil

• Life of the Caesar, Plutarch

• Julius Caesar, Shakespeare