Academic Life

Phronesis: A Program in Politics and Ethics

The Phronesis Minor

The clear eyed goddess Athena, patron of the polis, of wisdom, and of war

Have you ever wondered what justice is? Or the nature of freedom? Did you once read Plato or Machiavelli or Jefferson and begin to think about the power of the political authority and its affect on your life and happiness? Did Tocqueville perhaps spur you to consider the character of democracy, the problem of individualism, or the proper relation between politics and religion? These kinds of fundamental texts and questions will be the focus of a new program of studies in Politics and Ethics established by The Honors College in collaboration with the College of Liberal Arts and Social Sciences.

The program's name, Phronesis, is the Greek word for prudence or practical wisdom, the quality distinctive of good citizens and political leaders. Drawing on the foundation provided by the Honors gateway course, the "Human Situation," the curriculum aims to attract high-achieving undergraduates who have a desire to probe more deeply issues of ethics and politics. By participating in the Phronesis program, you will be part of a vibrant intellectual community that explores both current topics in ethics and politics and the most profound, enduring questions of public life. Our goal is to give students a strong foundation in classic texts that address these issues and to prepare them to be leaders and citizens of a self-governing political society.

The new program is housed in the Honors College as an interdisciplinary minor, established with the cooperation of faculty in Political Science, Philosophy, and Classical Studies. Students of any major can choose from a variety of courses in political theory, philosophy, and classics to qualify for a minor in Politics and Ethics. In these classes, students will encounter professors with diverse backgrounds who offer a range of approaches to the study of politics and ethics. All, however, agree on the importance of investigating fundamental political and ethical questions and of improving students' abilities to articulate and evaluate arguments about these questions.

In conjunction with the inauguration of the Phronesis minor, The Honors College and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences will sponsor a speaker series entitled, The Rise of Modern Liberty. Beginning in Fall 2008, the speakers in this series will address topics ranging from the ethics of freedom to the relationship between free government and commercial society.

We are very excited about this new opportunity for students to investigate central issues of ethics and politics and to deepen their understanding of the texts and questions to which they have been introduced in the "Human Situation" course. Interested students should contact the program's director, Professor Susan Collins, Professor David Phillips, or the Honors College academic advisor, Mr. Andy Little, for further information.

Links to internet resources

The Death of Socrates, by Jacques-Louis David.