Aristotle reading group dates, assignments, and book

Aristotle 2009 book group
Book: Basic Works of Aristotle, Modern Library
http://tinyurl.com/63caa2

All Tuesdays at 8pm NY time/5pm California time
1-888-350-0075
code: 9281912#

Tues, Jan 13 – Aristotle was at heart a biologist so based on Paul Cartledge’s recommendation we are starting with his biological writings – see below

– De partibus Animalum (643 – 664)

– De Genratione Animalium (665 – 688)

Tues, Feb 10 – continuing biological writings – see below

– Parva Naturalia (pages 607 – 632)

– Historia Animalium (pages 633 – 642)

Tues, Mar 24 – Categoriae, De Interpretatione, Analytica Priora, Analytics Posteriora

Tues, Apr 7 – continuing Categoriae, De Interpretatione, Analytica Priora, Analytics Posteriora

Tues, May 12 –  Physics and Metaphysics, Book 1 only

Tues, Jun 9 – Nicomachean Ethics (in its entirety)

Tues, Jul 7 – continuing Nicomachean Ethics (in its entirety)

Tues, Sep 8 – continuing Nicomachean Ethics (in its entirety)

Tues, Oct 6 – Politics (Books 1-3; 8-9), Rhetoric (Book 1) and Poetics

Tues, Nov 10 – continuing Politics (Books 1-3; 8-9), Rhetoric (Book 1) and Poetics

22. November 2008 by Arrian
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Carol Curtis (T2008)

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I am currently Special Reports Editor for Securities Industry News, a publication of Source Media. Prior to my current position, I was Vice President of TD Waterhouse, and also worked as an editor at Forbes and Business Week. I am the author of Pay Me in Stock Options, an employee’s guide to stock options, published in hardcover in 2001 by John Wiley & Sons. I hold an MA in English Language and Literature from Boston University, and a BA from Bard College.

20. November 2008 by Arrian
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Alex Fisken (A2009)

Alex Fisken has over a decade of designing & building e-commerce experiences. As the former Director of Web Strategy for Network Solutions, he shaped the way customers find, develop and maintain their online identities. Alex joined from the financial services arena, managing the design of Folio FN, a revolutionary online brokerage. Previously, he helped found Symphony Marketing Group, a pioneer in building early e-commerce stores. Mr. Fisken holds a BA in Graphic Design from Lynchburg College. Alex lives in the Washington, DC suburbs with his wife and two daughters.

19. November 2008 by Arrian
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how are you approaching Thucydides?

I am on my first run through…and have been doing about 15 pages a sit down (done about 30 so far)…I only stop because I’ve got some other stuff to attend to; it’s not that I am thinking while I am reading that it is so interesting but I keep thinking I’ll miss out and forget it if I stop because I am just trying to figure out who or where everyone is, etc. (the maps really help), so it is definitely absorbing.  I highlight while I read and will re-read before group and try to get through some of the appendices in the back. I don’t usually read for pleasure so attentively but because every word seems so much more important and the lay of the land is still strange to me, I am making far more effort.

Bonnie

18. November 2008 by Arrian
Categories: Commentary, Thucydides | Tags: , | 1 comment

Irene Shubladze (A2009)

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Irene Shubladze leads search marketing at Travelocity.com where she currently manages all organic and paid search media efforts for North & Latin America. Since joining Travelocity in 2006, Irene’s innovative marketing strategies have led the way in dramatically improving campaign efficiency and driving profitability. She has worked in online marketing since 2003 with experience on both the agency and the client side. Ms. Shubladze is a graduate of Georgia State University with dual degree in Computer Information Systems and Management.

14. November 2008 by Arrian
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Bruce Schachne (T2008 and A2009)

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Bruce Schachne is Vice President, Head of Americas Market Development for Standard & Poor’s Ratings Services in New York City.

Bruce and his team provide strategic and tactical marketing services to support the growth of S&P’s Credit Ratings businesses.  The responsibilities of this highly customer focused team include: investor outreach; strategy planning; product launches and commercialization; market and customer intelligence; pricing strategy; planning and execution of thought leadership campaigns; and support of the ratings franchise through customer events, website management and creation of customer e-newsletters.  Bruce and his team were responsible for developing and launching S&P’s highly successful podcasting and webcasting initiatives.  He is also a mentor in the McGraw-Hill Mentoring program.

Prior to joining Standard & Poor’s, Bruce was Global Head of Sales and Vice President of Business Development at Cicada, which provides financial data management solutions to large buy- and sell-side firms and exchanges.  He was also previously with Reuters and Dow Jones in senior Marketing and Business Development management positions in the US as well as Europe.  He has an MBA in Marketing from City University, Frankfurt, Germany and a BA in International Political Economy from UCLA.  Bruce is fluent in German and spent 3 semesters at the Georg-August-Universität in  Göttingen, Germany.

Bruce’s love of traveling has taken him to over 50 countries, including Bulgaria, where he met his wife.  In addition to spending time with their three children, his interests include playing piano, whitewater kayaking, and attending beer and music festivals. http://www.facebook.com/people/Bruce_Schachne/771785028

14. November 2008 by Arrian
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reading Thucydides, how are others doing?

Thanks to inter-library lending, I now have a copy of the Landmark edition we are reading until mine gets here from Amazon.  I read the intro, forward & first 20% or so of Book 1 this weekend.  I’m spellbound.  It’s like this Hellenic Greek nobleman just stepped out of a time machine and started talking.  Which, I guess, in a way, is exactly what it is.

Can’t wait for the next session!  -Chuck

11. November 2008 by Arrian
Categories: Commentary, Thucydides | Tags: , | 1 comment

Day of Dialogue photos, Aristotle!

Folks,

Hey – we had a great “day of dialogue” discussing the final chapters of the Republic in person at Forbes and at the Harvard Club.

Here’s a link to the photos:

http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?pid=1464815&l=26372&id=591636005

Pat and I are working on our Aristotle plans. more on that soon. but get ready to do some intro reading in December!

Thanks!

Phil 

10. November 2008 by Arrian
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Thucydides Book 1 Study Guide Questions

Dear all,
First I want to thank you for your interest and support in helping to make this reading group happen.

I love telling my students that I am involved in this project and that the classics are important both inside and outside of school.  I love the look on their faces when they hear me say that adults are reading and discussing these great works in our free time.
As for my children (Luke 7, Nick 4, Ted 2), they are growing up hearing that adults enjoy digging into these great works of history and literature. In fact, it is a given that their Dad (me) will be on a call like this once a month.  I know that this example is impacting their attitude toward reading as we speak.

Phil and I will send out a set of questions each month for us to think about as we read through Thucydides.  We can use these questions as jumping off points for our conference call discussions.  We will also work in any questions that members bring to the call or send out through email as well.  Please share your thoughts and questions.  These calls will not be lectures as much as interactive discussions about questions that mean the most to us.  Take full advantage of it!

Here is the conference call schedule for you reference.  The study questions for Book I will follow.  Let the reading begin!

Thucydides 2008-2009
Conference call phone number:  1-866-628-8620, 112431#
All calls are scheduled for 8pm Eastern Standard Time and will be recorded, then posted to the Reading Odyssey website.

Intro. call – Mon Nov 3
Book 1 -Mon Dec 1
Book 2 -Mon Jan 5
Book 3 -Mon Feb 2
Books –4 & 5 -Mon Mar 9
Book 6 -Mon Apr 6
Book 7 -Mon May 4
Book 8 -Mon Jun 8

Introduction to Thucydides
Robert Strassler’s Landmark Thucydides, a user’s guide:
1.  Editor’s Note is essential to getting the most out of Strassler’s format and, of course, Thucydides’ numerous references to the ancient world of the 5th century Greek city-states.
2.  Try to digest Victor Davis Hanson’s Introduction as you read through Book I.  Even if you do not read it all in one sitting, it is conveniently divided into sections that you can chew on individually and intermittently as you read through Book I.
3.  Try not to be put off by the amount of information contained in Book I at first.  As you become more familiar with the names of people, places and things, the points Thucydides makes will also become clearer.  The actual narration of the Peloponnesian war begins with Book II.  Book I is an opportunity to get to know Thucydides’ world and the background for the war to be described.  It is also a chance for those of you who had read Herodotus previously to make comparisons.

Opening Thoughts for reading Book I:
How does Thucydides distinguish himself as an historian in his first Book?  Does he directly refer to his predecessor Herodotus?
How unique is this type of “history writing” for its time?
Who was Thucydides and whom does he favor in this work?  Athens?  Sparta?  Neither?

Discussion Questions for Book I:
1.  Why does Thucydides spend time right away discussing the history of Greece up to the present war?
2.  How does the “archaeology” (earlier Greek history) at the beginning of Book I relate to the “pentecontaetia” (more recent events since the Persian war leading up to the present war) near the end of Book I?
3.  Why does Thucydides interpose more recent events in between these two sections?  Why are these ordering of events NOT strictly chronological in Book I?
4.  Who is his audience circa 400 BCE now that Athens has been conquered and other Greek city states are filling the power vacuum?  Does he expect Athenians, for example, to be excited about reading about a war that they had just lost?  Does he think Spartans will care to read this?  Thebans?  Americans???

Excellent Supplementary Reading:
Zagorin, Perez.  Thucydides:  An Introduction for the Common Reader.  Princeton University Press, 2005.

10. November 2008 by Arrian
Categories: Study Questions, Thucydides | Tags: , | 1 comment

Thucydides November 2008 Introduction – audio recording

Here’s the audio recording for the Thucydides Introduction call. Listen online or download the mp3 file and listento it as a podcast on your ipod.

Download Thucydides-November2008-Intro.mp3

07. November 2008 by Arrian
Categories: Reader Call, Thucydides | Tags: , | Comments Off on Thucydides November 2008 Introduction – audio recording

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