Greek Mythology

Course Description: An interdisciplinary study and analysis of Greek mythology. We will begin with the investigation of the relationship between myth, religion and culture in ancient Greece. We will explore the Greek view of the irrational and its position on fate and free-will. We will examine the nature of the Greek pantheon and the issues raised by the unique nature of the Greek gods as well as the aporias of the Greek view of human nature. Next we will study and analyze the nature of the individual gods and their mythological narratives. We will closely interpret and philosophically analyze the great sagas of ancient Greece, including the stories of Oedipus, Antigone, Agamemnon, Clytemnestra, Iphigenia, Orestes, Electra, Phaedra, and Medea among others and their complex interpretations by the great Greek dramatists, Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides. We will conclude the course with the study of the Trojan saga and its aftermath through a close reading of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey.