Schedule of Readings
Part I: Success, Ancient Style
| August | Activity/Discussion | Reading assignment |
| 19: Wednesday | Introduction | |
| 24: Monday | Ancient Thinkers & Ancient Thought | T&DS, Euthyphro & Apology |
| 26: Wednesday | Socrates via Plato | T&DS, Crito & excerpt from Phaedo |
| 31: Monday | Epicureans vs. Stoics | Epicurus, "Letter to Menoeceus" and "Principal Doctrines" and Epictetus, Art of Living, 3-44 |
| September | ||
| 2: Wednesday | What it really means to be Stoic | Epictetus, Art of Living, 44-113 |
| 7: Monday | Labor Day holiday | |
| 9: Wednesday | Quiz 1 over ancient ideas of the successful life | |
| 14: Monday | Analysis of online success communities |
Part II: Success Gets Modern
| 16: Wednesday | What it really means to be Machiavellian | Machiavelli, The Prince, 1-18 |
| 21: Monday | Machiavelli, The Prince | |
| 23: Wednesday | Pithy notions to improve your life | |
| 28: Monday | ||
| 30: Wednesday | Still more pithy notions | Gracian, Art of Worldly Wisdom |
Part III: Success Closes in on the Here and Now
| October | ||
| 5: Monday | Fall break | |
| 7: Wednesday | PAR 400 and ENG 496 editorial meeting | |
| 12: Monday | Gracian, Art of Worldly Wisdom | |
| 14: Wednesday | Montaigne, Essays, "On experience" | |
| 19: Monday | Quiz 2: Machiavelli, Gracian, Montaigne | Montaigne, Essays, "To philosophize is to learn to die," and "On physiognomy" |
| 21: Wednesday | An American voice | Thoreau, Walden, 1-107 |
Part IV: Writing, Editing, and Publishing
| 26: Monday | Thoreau, Walden, 108-216 | |
| 28: Wednesday | Hanh, Peace Is Every Step, Parts 1 & 2 | |
| November | ||
| 2: Monday | Quiz 3; Does modernity complicate matters? | Hanh, Peace Is Every Step, Part 3 |
| 4: Wednesday | Poster drafts and chapbook selections due | Segal, Graceful Simplicity, 180-251 |
| 9: Monday | Editing in class of PAR 400 submissions | |
| 11: Wednesday | Editing in class of PAR 400 submissions | |
| 16: Monday | Presentations; Drafts of seminar papers due | |
| 18: Wednesday | More presentations | |
| 23: Monday | Chapbook submitted for publication | |
| 25: Wednesday | Thanksgiving | |
| 30: Monday | Are we successful yet? What we've learned about the art of living. | Wrap-up of all readings |
| December | ||
| 2: Wednesday | Seminar papers due; Poster event with PAR 400 in Randall Library |