Stop What You Are Doing and Register for USC President Nikias’s Class this Spring

By: Emily Young MA ’16

If I were a freshman or sophomore, the top class I would have on my registration list is USC President Nikias’s class “The Culture of the Athenian Democracy” (CORE 200). Almost anything can be tied back to the ancient Greeks in some manner: democracy, personal freedom, debate, rhetoric, fine art, architecture, the Olympics, even common sayings. Studying the classics, Antigone, Oedipus the King, and Philoctetes, allows you to examine society today from a different lens. Do the ends always justify the means? Is there honor in lying to serve a nobler cause? Is heroism a struggle against fate? Not only will the readings lead to interesting discussions, the discussions will be lead by one of the greatest minds at USC, President Max Nikias.