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Summer 2003 PREREQUISITE: none REQUIRED TEXT: Morford and Lenardon, Classical Mythology 7th ed., Oxford 2003 GENERAL DESCRIPTION: This is an intensive course offering not only the basics of classical (Greek and Roman) mythology, but also of various interpretive theories of myth. Step One is for us to learn the stories from the primary sources (in translation from Greek and Latin) for classical mythology, i.e., the literature, art, archaeology and architecture of (mostly) ancient Greece. We will learn that unlike us, the Greeks did not consider mythology to be separate from science, philosophy, religion, or even politics – it was all wrapped up together, an integrated life view. Step Two will be to try to understand what these myths meant to the Greeks. Why was mythology such an integral part of their culture? And Step Three will be to figure out why mythology survived long after other aspects of Greek culture, including their polytheistic religion, fell away…to trace its influence in the art (painting, sculpture, decorative arts, music, dance, film, etc.) and literature of all the cultures in the western tradition in the ages ever since. When you are done with this course, you will wonder how you ever got along without it – not a day will pass by without your seeing the influence of Greek mythology in your own culture. The study of classical literature enriches are lives in many ways – this is just one. COURSE OBJECTIVES: 1. To learn the myths of the Greeks and Romans: readings from primary literature. 2. To understand the myths of the Greeks and Romans: origins, nature, categories (myth, legend, folktale) and functions (e.g., aetiological, charter, etc). 3. To understand the
representation of individual, cultural, political, and sexual identity in
myth. 4. To become acquainted with some major theories of myth interpretation (e.g., myth in ritualism, structuralism, functionalism, feminist, psychoanalytic, etc.). 5. To recognize mythological themes in art, literature, music, film, cartoons. 6. To become familiar with correspondences between the classical myths and those of other cultures (e.g., Native American, Norse, Egyptian, African, etc.) TENTATIVE COURSE SCHEDULE You’ll be expected to have the “assigned reading” completed for that day’s class: WEEK 1 Monday, June 16 Introduction catch-up later: pp 3-50 Tuesday, June 17 Creation chapter 3: 51-75 Wednesday, June 18 Zeus’s Rise to Power: chapter 4: 76-107 The Creation of Mortals Thursday, June 19 The Twelve Olympians: chapter 5: 108-127 Zeus, Hera, and Children The Nature of the Gods chapter 6: 128-146 WEEK 2 Monday, June 23 Poseidon, Sea Dieties… chapter 7: 147-156 Athena chapter 8: 157-169 Tuesday, June 24 Aphrodite and Eros chapter 9:170-199 Wednesday, June 25 Artemis chapter 10: 200-225 Apollo chapter 11: 226-256 Hermes chapter 12: 257-273 Thursday, June 26 Dionysus chapter 13: 274-306 Demeter chapter 14: 307-327 WEEK 3 Monday, June 30 Realm of Hades chapter 15: 328-353 Orpheus and Eurydice chapter 16: 354-369 Tuesday, July 1 Mycenaean Saga chapter 18: 404-435 Wednesday, July 2 The Odyssey chapter 20: 482-504 Thursday, July 3 Perseus chapter 21: 505-518
WEEK 4 Monday, July 7 Heracles chapter 22: 519-547 Tuesday, July 8 Theseus chapter 23: 548-571 Wednesday, July 9 Jason/Medea/Argonauts chapter 24: 573-601 Thursday, July 10 Roman Mythology and Saga chapter 26: 623-663
COURSE RULES:
1. Attendance is mandatory. And don’t be late. In this intensive summer schedule, missing one day is the same as missing an entire week of an ordinary semester. Miss one day, you will be grievously behind. Miss two days, you risk failure. Miss three days, you guarantee failure of the course. Class readings are only springboards for our class discussions. I will not waste class time going over facts, but discussing context and interpretations with you. Much of the course material you will be held responsible for will be presented in class via slides, films, etc. We have a smart classroom and we’ll use it! Daily quizzes will check to see that you did your homework. Don’t fall behind. 2. The good news is that class will be fun! 3. For every day’s class, come prepared. This means a) that you read the assigned pages and b) that you think about what you read. So please do come, be involved in class discussion, and enjoy yourselves. 4. Get into the habit of checking the class webpage every day: http://lilt.ilstu.edu/drjclassics. Then go to ISU CLASSES, MYTHOLOGY EVALUATION PROCEDURES: QUIZ AVERAGE (80%) FINAL PROJECT (20%) Both the quiz average and the final project must fulfill a minimum standard. In other words, you need a passing grade in each to pass the class. Quizzes: Because of the nature of our class, and the intense focus of every day’s work, there will be a small quiz EVERY DAY to keep you on task. You will be responsible for the plot of every tale in the reading, as well as keywords I will point out. The format will be a mixture of objective questions (true/false, multiple choice, fill-ins) and short answer. Your QUIZ grade will be an average of these daily quizzes. Final Project: You will be required to hand in a final project for the course. The choice of your topic and medium of presentation is up to you. It must be well researched but also include interpretation unique to you. Topics could include following a particular mythological theme through time to see how its reception changed and why, comparing the ancient art concerning a theme to its presentation in modern art, tracing the classical influences in a modern piece of literature or a film, etc. You MUST have your topic approved before you start. I can help you attain the proper scope, and provide you with resources. Or, you can be creative and apply what you have learned to writing your own myth (if you like to write), or putting a new twist on an old myth in a poem or short story (recast it in terms of time and place, but keep the intrinsic themes) or creating your own piece of art (if you like to draw, sculpt, etc.), or film your own home movie. You can make a webpage, or a flash movie. The opportunities are endless. Again, your project MUST be approved before you begin. You have to learn a bit about myth before you can choose your topic. Topic choices are DUE June 30 so I have time to approve them and get you headed in the right direction. I will hand out a FINAL PROJECT sheet with specific requirements (length, research expected, etc.) as the time approaches.
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