Course Description
The seminar examines concepts and models of heroism in three paradigmatic ancient traditions: China, Greece, and Rome. Our inquiry is guided by the following questions: What qualities and experiences define someone as a hero? If heroism is not all about excellence, brilliance and glory, what makes heroes exceptional and inspiring figures? How does courage relate to other virtues such as integrity, loyalty, fortitude, and self-sacrifice? Is heroism compatible with fear, shame, and humiliation? How do heroes become what they are, what role do education and imitation play? Is courage a gendered virtue? Does the ethical importance of heroism rest on the fact that heroes are typically confronted with extraordinary choices about life and death, honor and ignominy, freedom and suffering, and survival and immortality? Finally, how do different cultures shape and enrich our answers to the above questions?
Meet the Instructor: Yiqun Zhou
"I grew up in China and received my PhD in Comparative Literature from the University of Chicago. I believe in the unique value of the comparative perspective and the classical past in helping us understand human conduct and cultural phenomena. These convictions are behind my book Festivals, Feasts and Gender Relations in Ancient China and Greece and my recent course, The Use of Classical Antiquity in Modern China. In an age that has long been said to be without heroes, I would like to engage you in a conversation about the subject of our seminar by drawing upon the wisdom from three ancient societies."
