Indebted
Obligation and Duty in Ancient Political Thought
Instructor: Rebecca Ploof
ploof@uchicago.edu
I. Course Description
Although typically thought of as an economic category, the concept of debt encompasses
and informs a number of political theoretical issues. What is the relationship between
justice and the repayment of debts? What, if anything, do we owe the country of our birth
or the state in which we live? What obligations exist between equal members of a
political community or, as in the case of strategic alliance or imperial/colonial
relationships, between political communities themselves?
This course explores the idea of debt, as it relates to questions of 1) justice 2) patriotism
and 3) equality, within the context of ancient political thought. By uniting several of
political theory’s enduring concerns, the framework of debt affords a new lens through
which to understand and interrogate each. By reading Greek and Roman political thought,
this course offers an account of the origins of debt as a politically salient concept while
also casting contemporary political discussion of debt, broadly understood, in a different
light.
II. Requirements and Policies
Requirements and Grade Distribution
1. First paper (30%):
 1250-1750 words in length in response to one of a selection of provided
topics
 For this assignment you will need to write an essay with a clear thesis,
marshal textual evidence to support this thesis, and respond to anticipated
objections to your argument.
2. Second paper (40%):
 2250-2750 words in length either a) in response to one of a selection of
provided topics or b) on a topic designed in consultation with the
instructor
 As with the first paper, this assignment will take the form of an
interpretive essay. As the culminating project for the course, essay topics
for this assignment should address a handful of the texts we’ve read over
the quarter.
3. Attendance and participation (30%):
 Because this is a discussion-based class, attendance and active
participation are crucial. You are expected to come to each class
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
prepared to discuss the assigned reading. Students with more than two
unexcused absences (i.e. not due to illness or emergency) will be assumed
to have withdrawn from the course.
In order to facilitate active in-class participation, once a week you will be
required to post a brief response to the reading on the Chalk discussion
board. This can be a specific question about the reading, a criticism of a
particular concept raised by the text, a connection drawn between the
reading and current events, etc. Responses should be posted by 10 PM the
evening before the class in which the text will be discussed. If your last
name begins with a letter A-L, you will post prior to Tuesday’s class. If
your last name begins with a letter M-Z, you will do so prior to
Thursday’s class.
Late Paper Policy
Late papers will be penalized by 1/3 of a letter grade per day (e.g. an A- paper handed in
a day late becomes a B+). However, at your discretion, you may take a 24-hour
extension for one of the papers. If you are using your extension, please indicate this on
the first page of your paper.
Plagiarism
Plagiarism is unacceptable and may result in penalties up to and including failure of the
course and referral to the university for disciplinary action. Although writing
assignments for this course will not require you to draw on secondary literature, should
you choose to do so, you must acknowledge and cite such sources. For the university’s
policy on academic honesty, see: https://studentmanual.sites.uchicago.edu/Policies. For
help citing sources, see: http://guides.lib.uchicago.edu/cite.
Electronics
With the exception of sessions five and fourteen – for which the primary reading will be
posted on Chalk – laptops are not allowed in class. Under no circumstances should cell
phones be used in class.
III. Required Texts
1. Aeschylus. Oresteia, ed. David Grene & Richmond Lattimore (Chicago:
University of Chicago Press, 1953).
2. Cicero. On Duties, ed. M.T. Griffin and E.M. Atkins (Cambridge: Cambridge
University Press, 1991).
3. Livy. The Early History of Rome, trans. Aubrey De Sélincourt (New York:
Penguin, 2002).
4. Thucydides. History of the Peloponnesian War, trans. Rex Warner (New York:
Penguin, 1972).
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5. Virgil. The Aeneid of Virgil, trans. Allen Mandelbaum (New York: Bantam,
2004).
IV. Schedule of Reading
First Session:
Introduction to the course
Second Session:
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War,
Introduction, “The Dispute over Corcyra,” and “The
Debate at Sparta and Declaration of War”
Third Session:
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, “The
Allied Congress at Sparta,” “The Spartan Ultimatum and
Pericles’ Reply,” “Pericles’ Funeral Oration,” “The
Plague,” and “The Policy of Pericles”
Fourth Session:
Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, “The
Mytilenian Debate,” “The Melian Dialogue,” and
“Launching of the Sicilian Expedition”
Fifth Session:
Plato, The Republic, Book I [Chalk]
Sixth Session:
Plato, “Crito” [Chalk]
Aeschylus, Oresteia, “Agamemnon” p. 35-56
Seventh Session:
Aeschylus, Oresteia, “Agamemnon” p. 56-90
Eighth Session:
Aeschylus, Oresteia, “The Libation Bearers” p. 93-131
Ninth Session:
Aeschylus, Oresteia, “The Eumenides” p. 135-171
Tenth Session:
Livy, The Early History of Rome, Book I “Rome Under the
Kings” p. 29-68
Eleventh Session:
Livy, The Early History of Rome, Book I “Rome Under the
Kings” p. 68-104
Twelfth Session:
Livy, The Early History of Rome, Book II “The Beginnings
of the Republic” p. 107-149
Thirteenth Session:
Livy, The Early History of Rome, Book II “The Beginnings
of the Republic” p. 149-189
Fourteenth Session:
Cicero, On the Laws, Book II [Chalk]
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Fifteenth Session:
Cicero, On Duties, Book I p. 1-33
Sixteenth Session:
Cicero, On Duties, Book I p. 33-62
Seventeenth Session:
Virgil, The Aeneid, Books I and II p. 1-40
Eighteenth Session:
Virgil, The Aeneid, Books II and III p. 40-78
Nineteenth Session:
Virgil, The Aeneid, Books IV and V p. 79-130
Twentieth Session:
Virgil, The Aeneid, Book VI p. 131-160
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