Pagan and Christian Mythologies in Antiquity

Catalog description

This course focuses on the topics of Greek and Roman lore, early Christian narratives, and the reception of classical genres and themes in Late Antiquity. This is a discussion-based class with weekly readings and a final project. Students will learn: to analyze complex, highly rhetorical texts composed in a cultural context radically different from our own; to consider how the communities behind these texts promoted their own ideas about heroism and moral exemplarity, warfare (both literal and spiritual), and the like; to synthesize, communicate, and expand upon information in a discussion-focused setting.