Investigate the nature, grounds, and consequences of moral excellence in political communities. Discuss close reading of classical texts (such as Aristotle, Marcus Aurelius, Cicero, Aquinas), contemporary philosophical analysis (such as Foot, Anscombe, MacIntyre), results of scientific research, and reflections on history, biography, and literature (such as Shakespeare, Austen). Focus on application to contemporary problems. Three lecture hours a week for one semester.