Coffee with Medea

UNC undergraduates and graduate students of all backgrounds are invited to join us for a two-part reading group on Seneca’s Medea. This is an opportunity to read and discuss the story of a tragic figure that has influenced and intrigued many across generations, and to consider some of the foundational questions the play raises: human fragility, the role of emotions in our moral lives, woman empowerment and subjugation in the ancient world, the relationship between anger, love, and revenge–and so much more.

No background or prior exposure to tragedy, philosophy, or the ancient world is presupposed. All participants will receive a free copy of an anthology of Seneca’s tragedies. As the title suggests, we’ll also have coffee! Both sessions will take place in the Philosophy Department Library (Caldwell Hall 106A) on the following dates:

March 6 (Monday), 10 am – 11:00 am

March 20 (Monday), 10 am – 11:00 am

We will read one half of the play for each session (a PDF copy of the text will be emailed in advance, and the free books will be distributed at the first meeting). We have a limited number of spots available and would ask interested participants to RSVP here: go.unc.edu/medea

Direct any inquiries or questions to Prof. Michael Vazquez (michael.vazquez@unc.edu) and Ashley Dowdney (ahbd@email.unc.edu).

This event counts for CLE credit.

Coffee with Medea is a prelude to a free, public, and intergenerational event to be hosted on March 27 (7 pm) in Person Hall, featuring a staged reading of Seneca’s Medea followed by a community-wide discussion about the play’s philosophical and literary themes.

This event is hosted by UNC Department of Classics & UNC Department of Philosophy, and made possible by the generous support of our sponsors: