CLASSICS 147C: Classical Leadership (DLCL 147C, POLISCI 247C)

Course Description

This course offers students a chance to explore classical ideas and practices of leadership. At the heart of this approach lies history: "historia magistra vitae," history is the teacher of life, Cicero declared. The Ancients looked to the past to learn how leaders made decisions in challenging circumstances. The most fruitful source to mine for such insights were the lives of exceptional leaders. This is why Plutarch's Parallel Lives was regarded by generations of students as obligatory reading. In this class, we will examine the theory of prudence which underpinned classical ideas of leadership, before practicing this skill through ancient -- and some modern -- readings.