Simon Fraser University
Engaging the World

Course Outlines

Fall 2022 - HUM 102W D900

Classical Mythology (3)

Class Number: 6213

Delivery Method: In Person

Overview

  • Course Times + Location:

    Sep 7 – Dec 6, 2022: Fri, 2:30–5:20 p.m.
    Surrey

  • Exam Times + Location:

    Dec 9, 2022
    Fri, 7:00–10:00 p.m.
    Surrey

Description

CALENDAR DESCRIPTION:

An introduction to the central myths of the Greeks and Romans. The course will investigate the nature, function, and meaning of myths in the classical world and their considerable influence on western civilization. Students with credit for HUM 102 may not take this course for further credit. Writing/Breadth-Humanities.

COURSE DETAILS:



This course introduces students to ancient Greek and Roman mythology. We will read about the Achaeans’ war on Troy and the longed for, but sometimes fateful, homecoming of Greek heroes; Aeneas’ wanderings from Troy in search of a new land; the monstrous legacy left behind by Oedipus’s ‘fateful choices’; the maddening jealousy of Medea and her revenge on husband and children; and finally, the bodily transformations of nymphs, satyrs, and humans as they are consumed by their passions and desires. In delving in the stories of gods, goddesses, lovers, heroes, and warriors from the ancient world, we will discuss the way in which these myths functioned in the socio-cultural context of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and engage with the nature of myth as a fundamental construct of human societies. While focusing on the classical world, the course will address the legacy of these mythologies in our times and the literary and cultural patterns that still make them resonant with contemporary readers.

COURSE-LEVEL EDUCATIONAL GOALS:

At the end of the course, students will be able to demonstrate their proficiency in the following activities:

  1. Read and analyse Humanities texts creatively and to academic standards.
  2. Place texts in their historical and cultural context.
  3. Analyse the function of classical mythology in ancient Greece and Rome with respect to political and social relations.
  4. Gain an understanding of contemporary interpretations of classical mythology in the social world.
  5. Write about literary texts analytically by becoming proficient in modelling interpretation, linking claims to evidence, developing a thesis, structuring a paper, and using sources effectively.

 

Grading

  • Participation 10%
  • Paper 1 15%
  • Paper 2 20%
  • Discussion on Canvas (3 units X 4%) 12%
  • Creative Assignment 6%
  • Exam 1 15%
  • Exam 2 22%

NOTES:

This course counts towards a concentration in Mythologies and Hellenic Studies for students in a Humanities major or minor program and also a certificate in Religious Studies or Hellenic Studies.

REQUIREMENTS:

To receive credit for this course, students must complete all requirements.

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

  1. Homer, Iliad and Odyssey; and Virgil, BOX SET. Tr. R. Fagles. Penguin 2009 ISBN-13: 978-0147505606. (Alternative translations: R. Lattimore’s Iliad and Odyssey in print; Peter Green’s Iliad and Odyssey are also available online at the SFU library; Fagles’s Aeneid is also available as e-book) 
  2. Sophocles, Oedipus the King. In The Theban Plays. R. Fagles. Penguin, 1984 ISBN-13: 978-0140444254
  3. Euripides, Medea. In Medea and Other Plays. Tr. Philip Vellacott. Penguin, 1963 ISBN-13: 978-0140441291 (Alternative translation: J. Davie)
  4. Ovid, Metamorphoses. Trans. E.J. Kenney, Oxford, 2008 ISBN-13: 978-0199537372 

 


REQUIRED READING NOTES:

Your personalized Course Material list, including digital and physical textbooks, are available through the SFU Bookstore website by simply entering your Computing ID at: shop.sfu.ca/course-materials/my-personalized-course-materials.

Registrar Notes:

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY: YOUR WORK, YOUR SUCCESS

SFU’s Academic Integrity website http://www.sfu.ca/students/academicintegrity.html is filled with information on what is meant by academic dishonesty, where you can find resources to help with your studies and the consequences of cheating. Check out the site for more information and videos that help explain the issues in plain English.

Each student is responsible for his or her conduct as it affects the university community. Academic dishonesty, in whatever form, is ultimately destructive of the values of the university. Furthermore, it is unfair and discouraging to the majority of students who pursue their studies honestly. Scholarly integrity is required of all members of the university. http://www.sfu.ca/policies/gazette/student/s10-01.html