Philosophy is by its nature a discipline which encourages its student to alter the optics through which they customarily perceive themselves and their environment. It is therefore well suited to causing ‘questioning events’ - periods of reflection in which your habits of thought become clear, and therefore open to revision. The methods of the school of Stoicism are different, however, in that this alteration is the explicit end goal of its practice, rather than a welcome effect.

This module centres on a close-reading of Marcus Aurelius’ timeless philosophical journal, The Meditations. It approaches this work through a wider treatment of the Stoics through modern interpreters.  Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Cicero and Epictetus introduce us to the Stoic method, its practices and its therapeutic focus upon reason & its intimate relation with emotion.

Martha Nussbaum, Pierre Hadot, Lawrence Becker and Maragret Graver help to illuminate the school through a contemporary lense. Finally, Cicero, the Epicureans and Aristotle helpus to test the flaws and limits of the school’s key premises.

This is a Close Reading module, part two of an introductory series intended to prepare our students for the demands of higher education.

Each week our students complete a small written task, and take part in both a three-hour lecture and a three-hour writing workshop, where the principles of close reading, research and academic essay writing are taught. At the end of each module our students must produce a 2000 word essay in order to be considered for upgrade to our accredited modules.