THE 102 CC: GREEK MYTHOLOGY IN PERFORM

What values did the ancient Greeks have? What did they consider just? Whom did they consider a hero? What did their myths convey about their culture, ideas, and organization of their society? In this course students will study a selection of important mythological stories and figures as represented in Greek literature and art, and will discuss the values, ideas, and issues that these myths are interested with. The course will examine the myth of the Trojan War and stories about Agamemnon, Iphigenia, Achilles, Odysseus, Oedipus, Theseus, Ariadne, Medea, and Helen in order to understand the diverse ways in which ancient authors used myth to explore problems of their time. After gaining a good understanding of each myth, students will look at the modern reception of these myths in theater, dance, and music. Students will compare these different means of communication in order to understand how meaning is developed and how modern authors have used these stories for different purposes across time. Through reading, writing, interactive lectures, in-class discussion, and creative projects, students will compare the different renditions of these myths and will discuss the importance and function of myth and its relation to the society in which it is used. The course will therefore equip students to recognize and address issues that remain vital today: human relationships, the role of the divine, gender, justice, sexual assault, dealing with the other. It will also examine ways to communicate these issues through different ways of performance and the effect of each of these performances.