Greek and Roman Mythology

Course description.
Mythology is the study of the legends about the origins and history of a people, their deities, ancestors and heroes. The stories of the gods and legendary heroes of the Greco‐Roman tradition have provided the fountainhead for literature and the arts in the service of religious and political imagery down to the present. While the emphasis will be primarily literary, with extensive readings of such writers as Homer and Vergil (noting, in passing, the influence upon later literature), the visual depiction of these myths will also be studied. A field trip to a museum in Rome may be required.

Required Textbook (subject to change).
 Mark Morford & Robert Lenardon, Classical Mythology 10th ed.  

Course Learning Objectives.
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Identify and define the principal deities and legendary figures of Ancient Greece and Rome, as narrated and dramatized in some of the major works of Classical literature (in translation)
2. Assess critically the role of myth in ancient society 
3. Contrast the use of myth in the ancient world with comparable mechanisms in
our own society

Course Learning Activities.
 Out-of-class reading and writing assignments (LOs 1\2\3): Each week students will read the scheduled primary texts in preparation for seminar-style discussion.
 In-class analysis (LOs 1\3): students will read and analyze primary texts; they will become familiar with the analytic methodology and critical terms; they will answer orally and in writing to questions stemming from the assigned readings. Critical and interpretive essays will also be subject to critical analysis.
 In-class discussions (LOs 2\3): Students will participate in discussions, sustain their views and ideas by using a new and specialized lexicon. Class participation will count towards the final grade (see below).
 Oral presentations (LOs 1\2\3): students will choose a topic among the ones provided which they will prepare and present orally to the class (i.e. not reading out to the class), using elements of critical terminology already learned. A piece of written work based on the oral presentation will be expected from the students.

Assessment tools.
Class participation 10%
Oral presentation 10%
Essay 20%
Mid‐term Exam 30%
Final Exam 30%