Ancient Greek and Roman Mythology

2021/2022

Учебный год

ENG

Обучение ведется на английском языке

4

Кредиты

Кто читает:

Школа филологических наук

Статус:

Курс по выбору

Когда читается:

2-й курс, 3 модуль

Преподаватель

Козицкая Юлия Михайловна

Course Syllabus

Abstract

Myths are traditional stories that have endured over a long time. Some of them have to do with events of great importance, such as the founding of a nation. Others tell the stories of great heroes and heroines and their exploits and courage in the face of adversity. Still others are simple tales about otherwise unremarkable people who get into trouble or do some great deed. What are we to make of all these tales, and why do people seem to like to hear them? This course will focus on the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, as a way of exploring the nature of myth and the function it plays for individuals, societies, and nations. We will also pay some attention to the way the Greeks and Romans themselves understood their own myths. Are myths subtle codes that contain some universal truth? Are they a window on the deep recesses of a particular culture? Are they a set of blinders that all of us wear, though we do not realize it? Or are they just entertaining stories that people like to tell over and over? This course will investigate these questions through a variety of topics, including the creation of the universe, the relationship between gods and mortals, human nature, religion, the family, sex, love, madness, and death. The author of the course: Peter Struck, Associate Professor of Classical Studies https://www.coursera.org/learn/mythology

Learning Objectives

• This course will focus on the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, as a way of exploring the nature of myth and the function it plays for individuals, societies, and nations. We will also pay some attention to the way the Greeks and Romans themselves understood their own myths.

Expected Learning Outcomes

• In contrast to the scarcity of information about Homer, we know a great deal about Vergil’s life and historical context, allowing us insight into myth-making in action.
• This unit looks at one of the most famously thorny issues of justice in all of the ancient world.
• This week we encounter two famous tragedies, both set at Thebes, that center on questions of guilt and identity: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Eurpides’ Bacchae.
• Through the lens of the Romans and others who "remythologize," we wrap up the course with a retrospective look at myth.
• We encounter some of the best-known stories about Odysseus to survive from all of ancient myth.
• We will read two of the greatest hymns to Olympian deities that tell up-close-and-personal stories about the gods while providing intricate descriptions of the rituals they like us humans to perform.
• We will take a close look at the most authoritative story on the origin of the cosmos from Greek antiquity: Hesiod’s Theogony.
• We’ll also begin our foray into Homer’s world, with an eye to how we can best approach epic poetry.
• We’ll examine questions of heroism, relationships between gods and mortals, family dynamics, and the Homeric values of hospitality and resourcefulness.
• We’ll see many examples of reunion as Odysseus carefully begins to reveal his identity to various members of his household—his servants, his dog, his son, and finally, his wife Penelope—while also scheming against those who have usurped his place.

Course Contents

• Week 1: Introduction
• Week 2: Becoming a Hero
• Week 10: Roman Myth and Ovid's Metamorphoses
• Week 9: The Roman Hero, Remade
• Week 4: Identity and Signs
• Week 3: Adventures Out and Back
• Week 6: Ritual and Religion
• Week 8: Unstable Selves
• Week 7: Justice
• Week 5: Gods and Humans

Assessment Elements

• Quiz-1
• Quiz-2
• Quiz-3
• Quiz-4
• Quiz-5
• Quiz-6
• Quiz-7
• Quiz-8
• Quiz-9
• Quiz-10

Interim Assessment

• 2021/2022 3rd module
  0.1 * Quiz-7 + 0.1 * Quiz-2 + 0.1 * Quiz-9 + 0.1 * Quiz-8 + 0.1 * Quiz-3 + 0.1 * Quiz-4 + 0.1 * Quiz-5 + 0.1 * Quiz-1 + 0.1 * Quiz-6 + 0.1 * Quiz-10

Bibliography

Recommended Core Bibliography

• Brisson, L. (2004). How Philosophers Saved Myths : Allegorical Interpretation and Classical Mythology. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Retrieved from http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=edsebk&AN=260106

Recommended Additional Bibliography

• Nietzsche, F., Kennedy, J. M., & Levy, O. (2013). Homer and Classical Philology. The Floating Press.