Thanks for checking out the syllabus for Classical Mythology!

We will be reading large parts of four books, each of which you need to buy in hard copy to aid your comprehension and memory.

1. Homer, 'Odyssey' (8^th? century BC):  The starting point for all later poetry and, for us, the starting point for depictions of the gods.
2. Aeschylus, 'Oresteia' (5th century BC):  A minor story in the 'Odyssey,' the gory history of the descendants of Atreus became the main subject in this trilogy of tragedies.
3. Euripides, plays about the Orestes story (50 years after Aeschylus' 'Oresteia'):  Showing you yet again that ancient poets repeated the same stories over and over with artistic and ethical variations.
4. Ovid, 'Metamorphoses' (1st century AD):  We switch from Greece to Rome, a much later culture of sophisticated poets and skeptical philosophers.  How did Ovid get away with such debasing depictions of the gods?

A.  Written work:  One 1- to 2-page double-spaced homework each week (Tuesdays); online discussion posts or some other activity on the alternating days (Thursdays).  No final paper, although there may be a 2- to 3-page final project.

B.  Attendance and participation:  You can miss up to two classes without a penalty.  You should speak at least once in each class.

C.  Grading:  You get an automatic A-minus for completing all of the course requirements.  You can raise your course grade to a solid A by giving a 5-minute presentation (I will provide topics to choose from).

On the whole:  a lot of activity for you on the basis of pretty modest reading.  You will probably spend 4 to 6 hours a week outside of class.

Students in this class in past years have done a terrific job with comparing the fine details of different passages and poems.  Their biggest takeaway:  There was no single "myth of Orestes" because each poet was innovative, original, and even competitive.