A.N. Whitehead once said that all of Western philosophy was but a footnote to Plato. This course provides a close study of the Republic, perhaps Plato's most important and influential work. Written as a dialogue between Socrates and others, including the moral relativist Thrasymachus, it focuses on the timeless question: What is justice? Students will read the first book in the original and the entire Republic in translation. Special attention will be given to advanced syntax, in particular the use of Greek particles; to Plato's narrative technique; and to the line of philosophical argument developed in the text. Some additional secondary literature on ancient philosophy will be assigned.