Overview

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 end of the curse on the House of Atreus through the establishment of a system of legal justice; 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 attend to the way in which these myths functioned in the socio-cultural context of ancient Greece and ancient Rome, and address the nature of myth as a fundamental construct of human societies. While focusing on the classical world, the course will also 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, demonstrating critical, analytical, and creative thinking.
2. Place texts in their historical and cultural context, understanding the perspectives of the peoples and texts that they are studying.
3. Analyse classical mythology in relation to the political and social relations of Ancient Greece and Rome.
4. Gain an understanding of contemporary reinterpretations 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.
6. Communicate effectively and develop their own scholarly voice.

Grading

Materials

REQUIRED READING:

REQUIRED READING NOTES: