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I would like to know if anyone knows of any universities that teach courses (not independent study or a survey style history of math) focused on complete reading of selected original "great" works of mathematics? It seems to me that this is a surprising omission in practically every university's math curriculum.

The intent is not to create a "great works" list here (but see for example Original works of great mathematicians); rather to point out that in my experience to have a course that carefully goes through a selected "great work" (as a representative one could pick perhaps Gauss' Disquisitiones) does not exist anywhere. One could speculate on the reasons for this, which would be interesting, but really, I just would like to know if anyone knows of any universities that do have such courses (probably in a math department, but not necessarily)? I realize that language may sometimes be a barrier, so I'd like to emphasize that I'd like to know about such courses elsewhere in the world besides just English-speaking countries (although of course many works have been translated into English).

I have read portions of some of the originals and while I can understand some of it on my own, it is very hard to do in isolation and having a "tour guide" through such material would be of inestimable value. Every math class I have taken alludes frequently to the progenitors of the topic at hand, but the originals are never read, except perhaps in snippets. The Math History classes I am aware of are surveys. In order to do what I am describing, an entire semester would have to be devoted to a single work, I would expect.

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    Doesn't St John's University do this? – kimchi lover Jan 15 '18 at 03:54
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    The historical route to discoveries is usually not the most pedagogically efficient. The benefit of hindsight is used to compress knowledge and deliver it more effectively. Undergraduates know things today that experts once did not (apart from a few geniuses). – Myridium Jan 15 '18 at 04:00
  • @kimchilover - be more specific. There's a St. John's in the U.S, Italy (same university; different campus), Taiwan, Tanzania, China, and possibly others. – Myridium Jan 15 '18 at 04:09
  • I think the one in the US does this, but don't know for sure. – kimchi lover Jan 15 '18 at 04:24
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    Back ca. 1971, I took a course at University of Chicago, taught by Charles Fefferman, that went through part of Gauss's Disquisitiones. I enjoyed it very much. – Robert Israel Jan 15 '18 at 04:41
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    @kimchilover no doubt means St. John's College, sometimes called the "Great Books School" for its use of original texts in its curriculum. The mathematics program is described here: https://www.sjc.edu/academic-programs/undergraduate/mathematics-tutorial/ . I considered going there as an undergrad; I still sometimes think about it. :) I know a graduate, and she very much enjoyed SJC's approach. – Blue Jan 15 '18 at 05:09
  • @Blue Thanks! That's what I was thinking of. – kimchi lover Jan 15 '18 at 13:22
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    @Blue (and kimchilover) After I read your comment and looked at St. Johns' website, I remembered that my copy of Euclid's Elements is from Green Lion Press (in Santa Fe where one of the campuses is located); I dug it up and sure enough it was edited and facilitated by St. Johns faculty (and it is an excellent version of the Elements). Hopefully there are more such places out there (I have a hard time believing similar emphasis does not exist somewhere in Europe). –  Jan 16 '18 at 14:47
  • @RobertIsrael I was just reading about Fefferman: That must have been quite a class. –  Jan 16 '18 at 14:54

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