Greek Mythology

Catalog description

This course is an introduction to Ancient Greek mythological traditions, as well as to the concept of ‘myth’ and its relevance and resonance today. Topics include the Olympian gods; ‘culture heroes’ (e.g. Heracles), Homer and the Trojan Cycle of myths; mythical traditions about the families of Oedipus and Agamemnon; etc. We will be reading ancient hymns, epics, and tragic dramas and other primary source material. Throughout the course, we will be considering questions of identity, migration, belonging, belief, and adaption. We will investigate myth’s relationship with literature, visual culture, and religion. We will explore modern adaptations of and engagements with ancient mythology. We will try to come to grips with conceptions of divinity and the imagined relationship—and symbiosis—between gods and mortals.