Week 1
Class 1: Introduction to class and expectations, Introduction to myth
Readings:
CM: “The Nature of Myth” 1-16
Class 2: The Cultural Context of Classical Myth
Readings:
CM: “The Cultural Context of Classical Myth” and "The Development of Classical Myth” 17-70
Hesiod, Works and Days, Lines 212-830
Week 2
Class 1: Origins: Myths of Creation
Readings:
CM: “Myths of Creation: The Rise of Zeus” 72-102
Hesiod, Theogony
Enuma Elish (selections)
Class 2: Origins: Prometheus, Pandora, and the flood
Readings:
CM “Myths of Creation: The Origin of Mortals: 103-128
Hesiod, Works and Days, lines 1-212
Hesiod, Theogony, revisit 505-620
Ovid, Metamorphoses 1.68-462
Genesis 6-9
Week 3
Class 1: The Olympians and lesser divinities Zeus
Readings:
Pausanias: Olympia 5.7.6-5.15.12
CM: “Myths of the Olympian Gods: Zeus and Hera” 129-153
Class 2: Hera, Poseidon
Readings:
Pausanias: The Isthmus 2.1.4-2.2.2
CM “Myths of the Olympian Gods” 151-21
Week 4
Class 1: Apollo, Hermes
Readings:
Homeric Hymn to Apollo
Homeric Hymn to Hermes
CM: “The Great God Apollo” 154-172; Hermes, God of Wayfarers” 173-190
Class 2: Diana/Artemis
Readings:
Euripides, Iphigenia in Tauris
Pausanias 7.18-19
CM: “Artemis, Mistress of Animals” 212-222
Week 5:
Class 1: Dionysius/Bacchus/Liber
Readings:
Euripides, the Bacchae
Homeric Hymn to Dionysus
CM: “Myths of Fertility: Dionysius” 261-290
Class 2: Demeter/Ceres/Libera and Myths of Fertility
Readings:
Homeric hymn to Demeter
CM: Myths of Fertility: Demeter and the Great Goddess” 231-260
Week 6
Class 1: Athena/Minerva and Athens
Readings:
CM: “Athena: Mistress of the City” 222-230, “
Niels, “The Panathensaia: An Introduction” 8-27
Class 2: Aphrodite/Venus/Astart and Ares/Mars
Readings:
Homeric Hymn to Aphrodites
Ovid, Metamorphosis X (second half)
CM “Aphrodite, Goddess of Sexual Love” 198-212
Week 6:
Class 1: The afterlife and the mysteries
Readings:
Aeneid Book 6
Odyssey book 11
Ovid, Metamorphosis X (first half)
CM: “Myths of Death: Encounters with the Underworld” 291-320
Class 2: Midterm Exam
Week 8
Class 1: Heroes in Context: Gilgamesh and Herakles
Readings:
CM: “Introduction to Heroic Myth” 323-336 and “Herakles” 357-392
The Epic of Gilgamesh (selections)
Class 2: Theseus, Perseus myths of crete, argos, and athens
Readings:
CM: “Theseus and the Myths of Athens” 393-423
Week 9
Class 1: Heroes: Jason, the Argonauts, and Medea,
Readings:
Argonautica Book I
CM: “Jason and the Myths of Iolcus and Calydon” 473-508
Euripides: Medea
Class 2: The Theban cycle
Readings:
Sophocles: Oedipus the King
CM: “Oedipus and the Myths of Thebes”446-472
Week 10
Class 1: The Trojan War
Readings:
Iliad Books 1-4
CM: “The Trojan War: The House of Atreus, the Anger of Achilles” 508-544
Class 2: The Fall of Troy
Readings:
Illiad 16-24
Euripides, Trojan Women
CM: “The Trojan War: The Fall of Troy” 545-558
Week 11
Class 1: The Nostoi: Curse of the House Atreus
Readings:
CM: The Trojan War” 558-571
Class 2: Curse of House Atreus Cont.
Readings:
Aeschylus: The Oresteia (group project)
Week 12
Class 2: The Nostoi: Odysseus
Readings:
Odyssey Books 1-9
CM: “the Return of Odysseus” 572-602
Class 2: The Nostoi: Odysseus and Hesperia
Reading:
Malkin (1998) chapter 1: Context and Concepts, chapter 6: Odysseus and Italy
The Odyssey books 10-16, 24
Week 13:
Class 1: The Nostoi: Aeneas
Reading:
Aeneid Books 1-6
CM: “Roman Myth” 605-630
Class 2: Roman myth and exemplary heroes
Readings:
Aeneid, Books 7-12
CM: “Roman Myth” 631-652
Week 14:
Class 1: Roman Interpretations and Cyclical time
Readings:
Ovid, Metamorphoses 4-6
Vergil, Eclogue 4
Class 2: Myths in Roman Art