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A COURSE GUIDE for the HARVARD HUMANIST

Presented by the Abigail Adams Institute ABIGAIL ADAMS INSTITUTE

The Abigail Adams Institute is an academic, not-for-profit institute dedicated to providing supplemental humanistic education to the Harvard intellectual community. Inspired by the capacious learning and judicious insight of Massachusetts native Abigail Adams, whose wise counsel helped shape the early American Republic, the Institute engages both classical traditions and contemporary thought in a sustained, open, and rigorous dialogue. Our programming includes seminars, workshops, lectures, readings groups, intellectual retreats, mentoring, and more. You can find us at 14 Arrow Street in Cambridge, Massachusetts. GENERAL INTRODUCTION

This guide is meant to be useful to upperclassmen and young alumni any Harvard student who wants to who believe that becoming an make the best use of the College’s educated person requires a right academic resources in the inclination and a lot of diligent humanities. It highlights some of work on the part of the student. Harvard’s truly outstanding courses The contributors are all deeply and teachers. grateful for the tradition of learning that they encountered and The guide is also meant to provide assimilated at Harvard. This is one a framework for thinking about small contribution that they are what a humanistic education can making toward a good beginning of look like in the twenty-first century, your education. and to offer some practical advice on how to get such an education at Acquiring cultural literacy takes a large modern research university time, thought, effort, and a proper like Harvard. We have divided the orientation to knowledge. It is in subject material by areas and forms college that even a lifelong student of inquiry in a way that, we hope, has the opportunity to develop a will prompt you to think in big and taste for genuine understanding. broad terms about your education. Your college years can be a time of grounded and well-ordered The courses included in the Guide intellectual growth. We hope our have gained their spots on the Course Guide can be of use to you recommendations of in this endeavor. ORDER of CONTENTS

Religion & Philosophy Classics Literature & Art History The Occident Foreign Cultures Government & Politics Economy Learning Beyond the Classroom List of Illustrations Reflect on the deepest Religion & sources of our beliefs about God and the world. Philosophy

PHIL 106: Augustine, Doyle A proseminar on the philosophy of St Augustine of Hippo and its evolution.

CULTBLF 31: Saints, Heretics & Atheists: An Historical Introduction to the Philosophy of Religion, McDonough A survey of perennial themes in Western philosophy and religion.

CLS-STUDY 132: Classics, Christianity & Islam, Yolles An introduction to the relationship between Classical, Christian, and Islamic texts through the ages.

CULTBLF 39: Hebrew Bible, Cohen A survey of the major books and ideas of the Hebrew Bible (the Old Testament).

ETHRSON 31: The Philosopher & The Tyrant, Damrosch Love of wisdom and love of rule. An exploration of their relationship with the help of core civilizational texts.

Raphael, School of Athens, c. 1509–1511. 1 Gain proficiency in Classics ancient G reek and L atin, and then read the classic texts in the original.

LATIN (or GREEK) 112A (or B): History of Latin (or Greek) Literature I (or II) A two-part series of courses covering the great authors of Classical literature in the original language.

AESTHINT 21: Virgil’s Poetry and its Reception, Thomas A study the poetry of Virgil, with attention to with his influences and to his poetry’s legacy.

MEDLATIN 106: Augustine, Yolles An introduction to the large corpus of St. Augustine, selecting from many works.

LATIN (or GREEK) H (or K): Introduction to (or Advanced) Prose Composition These courses teach students to write in Latin or Greek, primarily in Classical styles.

2 Gaspar van Wittel (Vanvitelli), The Colosseum Seen from the Southeast, c. 1700. Literature & Art

Acquire an appreciation of the beauty and power of language and image. Learn to write clearly and logically.

AESTHINT 15: Elements of Rhetoric, Engell Studies the practice and importance of Jim McGlone ’15, rhetoric in the West, with examples and History and Classics exercises. Professor Whittington presents her subjects as CLS-STDY 110: Roman Literature in sources of truth and beauty, the Age of Augustus [in translation], and does so with infectious Thomas joy. She is steeped in the This course studies the great authors of classics and versatile Augustan Rome, in translation into enough to lead enriching English. considerations of great books from many eras: in ENGLISH 111: Epic: From Homer to other words, she is a true Star Wars, Whittington humanist. Any course of A study of epic literature through six hers is surely well worth significant works in the genre: the Iliad taking. and Odyssey, the Aeneid, Paradise Lost, Middlemarch, and Star Wars.

François Joseph Heim, Defeat of the Cimbri and the Teutons by Marius, c. 1853. 3 Literature & Art

continued

MUSIC 1: 1000 Years of Listening, Dolan A survey of great Western music, from Gregorian chant through Beethoven to the present day.

Victor Mezacapa ’18, Classics VES 107: Studies of the Built North Music 1 takes students on a American Environment since 1580, whirlwind tour through ten Stilgoe centuries of music, sacred and as an evolving visual secular. You will find no environment is analyzed as a work of more beautiful way to learn art. many things that every Harvard graduate ought to know.

4 Circle of Jacques-Louis David, Calliope Mourning Homer, 1812. Develop an emphatic understanding of eras other than one’s own. Read and evaluate the History stories people tell about themselves.

Daniel Lage '11, History and Science HAA 11: Landmarks of World Architecture, Connors Don't miss out on the Examines great works of architecture opportunity to immerse along with their unique aesthetic, yourself in a course in cultural, and historical milieus. history of art and architecture while at SOCWORLD 41: Medieval , Harvard. The chance to learn McCormick from art historians about This course examines transformations classic works of art and to in Europe between the fall of Rome view many of them in the and the . and the Museum of Fine Arts is a real privilege!

René Théodore Berthon, Capitulation at Ulm, c. 1805-1815. 5 History

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Jim McGlone ’15, SCIPHUNV 17: The Einstein History and Classics Revolution, Galison A study of physics in the 20th and Professor Hankins brings a 21st centuries, using Einstein as an love of Western culture and archetype. tradition to his lectures. If you are interested in pursuing HIST 1144: The Renaissance in truth through consideration Florence, Hankins of the Western tradition, his A study of Florence in its courses simply cannot be Renaissance, from the time of Dante missed! to Machiavelli.

6 Maestro de Zafra, Saint Michael Archangel, c. 1495-1500. The Occident

Understand and appreciate the effort to translate and transform the classical tradition into western civilization.

CULTBLF 22: The Ancient Greek Hero, Nagy Meredith Jones ’19, Classics A close look at the human condition, as viewed through the lens of classical Latin H (introductory Greek civilization. Latin composition): I have not come across a better HIST 1011: The World of the method of learning Latin Roman Empire, Dench grammar and syntax than An introduction to Roman history through composition. I've grown to understand – and from the mid-third century BC to the appreciate – the work of mid-third century AD. Latin authors more as a result of this class. CULTBLF 14: Human Being and the Sacred in the History of the West, Kelly This course explores the themes of human being and the sacred as they are manifested in some of the greatest works in the history of the West.

Giovanni Antonio Canal (), Piazza San Marco, Venice, c. 1730-1734. 7 The Occident

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REL 1434 / HDS 2230: History of Danilo Petranovich '00, Western Christianity 150-1100, Social Studies Madigan A historical overview of the Church Professor Nagy's inspiring lectures, and society in western Europe from and his artful use of information the fourth through the twelfth technology, are the best introduction to glories of ancient century. Greek civilization. I took this enchanting course almost 20 years SOCWORLD 14: The British ago and have made many a new Empire, Jasanoff friend bonding over Nagy's This course surveys the British "Bladerunner" finale. Empire’s rise and fall from the American Revolution to WWII.

8 Jusepe de Ribera, Saint Jerome, 1640. Enter and inhabit a different world. Appreciate Foreign the sheer variety of human Cultures experiences.

HIST 1035: Byzantine Civilization, Angelov A study of the Byzantine Empire between c. 600 and 1453 AD.

ISLAMCIV 158: Introduction to the Qur’an, Nasser Primary and secondary readings situate the text in its cultural and historical context.

CULTBLF 33: East Asian Religions: Traditions and Transformations, Robson This course provides an introduction to the study of East Asian religions: Buddhism, Daoism, Confucianism and Shinto.

SOCWORLD 26: Africa and Africans: The Making of a Continent in the Modern World, Elkins This course will provide an historical context for understanding contemporary Africa.

HIST 1119: The Silk Road: Recentering World History from Alexander the Great to Osama bin Laden, Afinogenov This lecture course explores the pivotal world-historical role of the Silk Road that linked China to Central Asia, Persia, the Mediterranean, and Europe.

Scenes from the “Tale of Genji” (Genji monogatari), Late Edo period, 18th-19th century. 9 Articulate the idea Government of the political and & Politics the nature of our obligation to others.

GOV 1060 & 1061 The History of Political Philosophy, Tuck Together, these courses introduce students to the great authors of ancient, medieval, and modern political philosophy.

GOV 1730: War and Politics, Rosen Explores the organized use of violence for the purposes of the state, with particular attention paid to the question of strategy and the sources of victory.

GOV 20: Foundations of Comparative Politics, Levitsky Provides an introduction to key concepts and theoretical approaches in comparative politics.

10 Anonymous engraver, after Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Congress of Vienna. Government & Politics

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GOV 1510: American Constitutional Law, Fallon Provides an introduction to contemporary American constitutional law, with a Victor Mezacapa ’18, Classics principal focus on decisions by the Supreme Court. Take any course that Professor Mansfield teaches. His reputation GOV 1152: The Future of precedes him, and it is richly Europe, Beneyto deserved. Close look at the European Union transnational experiment, and its success and failures over the last several decades.

John Singleton Copley, , 1783. 11 Economy

Learn the underpinnings of the modern system of production, consumption and exchange.

ECON 10A & 10B: Principles of Economics, Mankiw Introductions to basic principles and Danilo Petranovich ’00, methods in micro-, then in Social Studies macroeconomics.

Over the years many ECON 1776: Religion And the Rise of renowned economists have Capitalism, Friedman taught this course sequence Examines the influence of religious but the real learning thinking on the intellectual revolution experience is in the day-to- that created economics as we know it. day contact with your TA. HIST 1457: History of American Capitalism, Nicols Examines the development of the American economy from its beginnings to the present.

12 , The Gare Saint-Lazare: Arrival of a Train, 1877. Economy

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ETHRSON 39: Money, Markets, and Morals, Sandel How the modern economy and economic thinking impact our ethics and citizenship.

ECON 1400: The Future of Globalization: Issues, Actors, and Decisions, Summers This course uses basic economic logic to illuminate the choices faced by businesses, governments, international institutions and citizens as the global economy evolves.

Harvard in Winter, Harvard Media Relations. 13 Learning Beyond the Classroom

Harvard students lead rich extracurricular lives. They form lifelong friendships in student-run groups, sports teams, and other societies on and around campus. Plenty of active learning also takes place over a meal with old and new friends in the House dining halls. But there is much to learn from the world outside Harvard, too. While we certainly do not recommend taking an entire semester away from to, say, study abroad, we heartily encourage you to leave the confines of the campus frequently, especially in order to visit some of the storied New England landmarks around Boston. Here are a few recommendations to start you off:

Harvard Art Museums On Quincy Street, just opposite Sever Hall, sits the newly-renovated complex containing Harvard’s Art Museums. Students can visit the Museums, right next to the Yard, for free, and even rent art for a fee to decorate their dorm rooms.

Harvard Museum of Natural History Visitors from all over the world visit the Museum of Natural History, which is free to students (even with one guest), to see Harvard’s collection of , which look strikingly lifelike, making them an amazing feat of glassblowing.

Museum of Fine Arts Boston’s M.F.A. is located on the Green Line of the T, half an hour from campus. It has world-class Greek and Etruscan exhibits, as well as an unparalleled collection of American art and a room full of John Singer Sergeant portraits.

14 Rowing on the Charles, Harvard Media Relations. Learning Beyond the Classroom

Symphony Hall Bunker Hill & the Freedom Trail Even closer to Harvard than the Museum of In the oldest part of Boston, a train ride Fine Arts is the historic Symphony Hall, from campus, runs the Freedom Trail. the venue for Boston’s biggest classical music Walking tours use the two-and-a-half-mile concerts. The Boston Symphony Orchestra trail to explain the role of Bostonian patriots offers unparalleled discounts for college in beginning the American Revolution and students. shaping a new nation.

Handel & Haydn Society Griffin’s Wharf Having performed early music in Boston for Visit and see if you can locate the spot of the two centuries now, the Handel & Haydn Boston Tea Party. Society has a reputation for fine artistry and its use of period instruments. H&H offers Mount Auburn Cemetery discounts to young professionals on all its Just up the street from campus sits Mount shows, and it performs Handel’s Messiah Auburn Cemetery, a significant burial every year in the Advent season. ground for many local families, and its beautiful chapels and grounds. Massachusetts Historical Society You can find the nation’s first historical Fenway Park society across the Charles River on Boylston Make sure to spend an afternoon viewing Street. The Adams Family Papers and the America’s game at the storied Fenway. Thomas Jefferson Papers are a must visit for students of the American Founding.

Lexington & Concord Visit the Old North Bridge and learn about Yankee military strategy.

Old State House Boston, Massachusetts. 15 LIS T o f ILLU S TRA TION S

Cover Image Fuchs, F, John Weik, and New England Lith. Co. View of Boston, July 4th 1870. [Philadelphia John Weik, 1870] Map. Retrieved from the Library of Congress, https://www.loc.gov/item/75694551/. (Accessed March 26, 2017).

General Introduction 1970 postcard of , with the old subway kiosk and Out Of Town news at center. ~1970s. [Public Domain], via Wikipedia Commons. Fred Jellison Jr. (Accessed March 31, 2020).

Religion & Philosophy, p. 1 Raphael. School of Athens, c. 1509-11. Wikimedia Commons.(Accessed March 26, 2017).

Classics, p. 2 Gaspar van Wittel (called Vanvitelli).!The Colosseum Seen from the Southeast,!c. 1700.!Oil on canvas. 72 x 125 cm (28 3/8 x 49 3/16 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Paul E. and Gabriele B. Geier, 2012.61 Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Literature & Art, p. 3: François Joseph Heim, Defeat of the Cimbri and the Teutons by Marius, c. 1853 Oil on canvas. 59.4 x 72.1 cm (23 3/8 x 28 3/8 in.), framed: 78 x 90.7 x 7.6 cm (30 C11/16 x 35 11/16 x 3 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Grenville L. Winthrop, Class of 1886, 1942.189 Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Literature & Art, p. 4: Circle of Jacques-Louis David, Calliope Mourning Homer, 1812. Oil on canvas, 84.5 x 100.7 cm (33 1/4 x 39 5/8 in.), framed: 108.6 x 124.5 x 12.5 cm (42 3/4 x 49 x 4 15/16 in.) Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, 1943.231 Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

History, p. 5: Berthon, René Théodore. Capitulation at Ulm, c. 1805-1815. Wikimedia Commons. (Accessed March 26, 2017).

History, p. 6 Maestro de Zafra. Saint Michael Archangel, c. 1495-1500. Wikimedia Commons. (Accessed March 26, 2017).

The Occident, p. 7 Giovanni Antonio Canal (called Canaletto). Piazza San Marco, Venice, c. 1730-1734. Oil on canvas. 76.2 x 118.8 cm (30 x 46 3/4 in.), framed: 109.6 x 148.5 cm (43 1/8 x 58 7/16 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest of Grenville L. Winthrop, 1943.106 Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

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The Occident, p. 8: Jusepe de Ribera. Saint Jerome, 1640. Oil on canvas. 128 x 101.3 cm (50 3/8 x 39 7/8 in.), framed: 165 x 139.5 x 8.2 cm (64 15/16 x 54 15/16 x 3 1/4 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Gift of Arthur Sachs, 1920.7 Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Foreign Cultures, p. 9: Artist Unknown. Scenes from the “Tale of Genji” (Genji monogatari). Late Edo period, 18th-19th century. Six-panel folding screen; ink, color and gold on paper. H. 151.4 x W. 344.2 cm (59 5/8 x 135 1/2 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Arthur M. Sackler Museum, Gift of Mrs. Henry Osborn Taylor, 1937.47 Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Government & Politics, p. 10: Anonymous engraver, after Jean-Baptiste Isabey. Congress of Vienna. (Scanned from Itamaraty Safra catalogue (1993).) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. (Accessed March 26, 2017).

Government & Politics, p. 11: . John Adams (1735-1826), 1783. Oil on canvas 238.1 x 147 cm (93 3/4 x 57 7/8 in.), frame: 270.5 x 178.4 x 10.2 cm (106 1/2 x 70 1/4 x 4 in.). Portrait Collection, Bequest of Ward Nicholas Boylston to Harvard College, 1828, H74. Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Economy, p. 12: Claude Monet. The Gare Saint-Lazare: Arrival of a Train, 1877. Oil on canvas. 83 x 101.3 cm (32 11/16 x 39 7/8 in.), framed: 110.3 x 127.5 x 9.5 cm (43 7/16 x 50 3/16 x 3 3/4 in.). Harvard Art Museums/Fogg Museum, Bequest from the Collection of , Class of 1906, 1951.53. Copyright: Photo: Imaging Department © President and Fellows of Harvard College.

Economy, p. 13: Harvard in Winter. Copyright Harvard Public Affairs & Communications. Used with permission of Harvard Media Relations. (Accessed March 26, 2017).

Learning Beyond the Classroom, p. 14: Boston Skyline Over the Charles River. 27 July 2008. Matthias Rosenkranz. Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic License. (Accessed March 31, 2020).

Learning Beyond the Classroom, p. 15: Old State House, Boston, Massachusetts. Daniel Schwen (Own work). Wikimedia Commons. (Accessed March 26, 2017).

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