THE COMPLEAT GARGOYLE - Graham School of General Studies ...

BASIC
37 PROGRAM
“The great books
do not yield up
their secrets to
the immature. . . .
Most of the
important things
that human
beings ought to
understand
cannot be
comprehended
in youth. . . .
To read the great
books, if we
read them at all,
in childhood
and youth
and never read
them again is
never to
understand
them.”
Robert Maynard Hutchins
“The Basic
Program and
alumni courses
represent
the finest, most
enriching part
of my education,
which includes
two postgraduate
degrees. I intend
to be a student
here as long as
possible.”
Basic Program Student
Spring 2012
See the main course listings to find
Basic Program open-to-all spring
courses—look for course codes
beginning with BPO.
YEAR ONE
Open to all.
Course Code BPYR01
$415 Early registration ends
March 21
$445 Regular registration
Section 12S1
Gleacher Center
Tuesdays
March 27–June 5
10 am–1:15 pm
Section 12S2
Gleacher Center
Wednesdays
March 28–June 6
10 am–1:15 pm
Section 12S3
Gleacher Center
Wednesdays
March 28–June 6
6–9:15 pm
Section 12S4
Cobb Hall, Hyde Park Campus
Saturdays
March 31–June 9
9:30 am–12:45 pm
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 33
To view section information for
Years 2–4, please visit grahamschool.
uchicago.edu/basicprogram.
Basic Program
Summer 2012
See the main course listings to find
Basic Program open-to-all summer
courses—look for course codes
beginning with BPU.
YEAR 1 AUTUMN
CURRICULUM:
SUMMER MAKE-
UP COURSE
10 weeks
For students who missed the
Autumn Quarter, and for current or
past students who wish to revisit
that quarter.
This course explores the theme of
virtue: what is it, who has it, and
what happens when an individual’s
sense of right and wrong clashes
with that of society? The tutorial
is devoted to a close reading of
Plato’s dialogue, the Meno, which
explores what virtue is and how it is
acquired. The seminar begins with
Sophocles’ Antigone, which shows
the clash between Creon’s decree
punishing a traitor and Antigone’s
determination to uphold the traitor’s
humanity. Sophocles’ play is
followed by two Platonic dialogues,
the Apology and the Crito, which
relate the dramatic trial of Socrates,
his death sentence, and his refusal
to escape even though he has been
wrongfully condemned to death.
The final work of the seminar is
Dostoevsky’s Crime and Punishment,
which examines whether the claims
of law and morality are absolute or
whether rare individuals can live
outside the law and beyond morality.
Course Code BPYR01
Section 12U1
Gleacher Center
$415 Early registration ends March 21
$445 Regular registration
Mondays, 6–9:15 pm
June 25–August 27
Teacher Recertification CPDUs: 30
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