Philosophy and Theatre Arts secure grant to develop LOVE AMONG THE RUINS
Statue of ancient Greek philosopher
The Department of Philosophy, together with the Department of Theatre Arts, secured a $10K grant from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation to develop a project titled LOVE AMONG THE RUINS.
Under the grant, Prof. John Gibson will work with Prof. Janna Segal to direct a student production of the last three speeches -- Aristophanes, Socrates/Diotima, and Alcibiades -- of Plato's Symposium. The Symposium is the first statement of Plato's theory of the Forms and a meditation on fleetingness and permanence in a time of civil strife and personal & political intrigue. It speaks as urgently to us today as it did to Athenians in the 4th century BCE. The production will include students in Prof. Segal's Theatre History course, Prof. Gibson's Philosophy of the Arts class, as well as Prof. Bob Luginbill's students in Ancient Greek.
The grant will also sponsor a paper competition for undergrads ($100) and grads ($250) for the best paper on Plato’s Symposium.
The production is planned to take place at the 20th annual Steven Humphrey Undergraduate Philosophy Colloquium on April 9, 2021. If Spring 2021 classes are not yet being conducted in-person, there will be an alternative arrangement for the production.
