CLAS 129: Greek Myths
Spring 2015 – MWF 10:50 – 11:50 AM – Neill Hall (formerly Humanities Building) room
216
Instructor: Brian V. Lush
Contact Information:
Old Main 316
(651) 696-6820
blush@macalester.edu
Office Hours:
MW 2:15 – 3:15 PM
R 11:30 AM – 1:00 PM
or, by appointment
Required Texts:
1) Homer. Odyssey (trans. R. Fagles). Penguin. 1999.
ISBN: 978-0140268867
2) Dalley, S. Myths from Mesopotamia. Oxford. 2008.
ISBN: 978-0199538362
3) Hesiod. Theogony and Works and Days (trans. M. L. West). Oxford. 2009.
ISBN: 978-0199538317
4) Homeric Hymns (trans. N. Richardson). Penguin. 2003.
ISBN: 978-0140437829
5) Grene, D., R. Lattimore, M. Griffith and G. W. Most (eds.). Aeschylus II: The Orestiea. U. of
Chicago Press. 2013.
ISBN: 978-0226311470
6) Grene, D., R. Lattimore, M. Griffith and G. W. Most (eds.). Sophocles I: Antigone, Oedipus
the King, Oedipus at Colonus. U of Chicago Press. 2013.
ISBN: 978-0226311517
7) Grene, D., R. Lattimore, M. Griffith and G. W. Most (eds.). Euripides I: Alcestis, Medea, The
Children of Heracles, Hippolytus. U of Chicago Press. 2013.
ISBN: 978-0226308807
8) Grene, D., R. Lattimore, M. Griffith and G. W. Most (eds.). Euripides V: Bacchae, Iphigenia
in Aulis, The Cyclops, Rhesus. U of Chicago Press. 2013.
ISBN: 978-0226308982
9) Apollodorus. The Library of Greek Mythology (trans. R. Hard). Oxford. 2008.
ISBN: 978-0199536320
10) Ovid. Metamorphoses. Penguin. 2004.
ISBN: 978-0140447897
11) Vergil. Aeneid (trans. R. Fitzgerald). Vintage. 1990.
ISBN: 978-0679729525
12) Gaiman, Neil. American Gods. HarperTorch. 2002.
ISBN: 978-0380789030
Course Objectives:
Myth is a concept whose definition (if there is one) and contours are difficult to establish. In spite of
these difficulties and perhaps because of them, this course’s primary goal will be to explore the myths that
the ancient Greeks told about themselves. However, these intoxicating and ambiguous narratives can be
approached usefully from many perspectives and they continue to exert a powerful influence upon
modern stories and ways of seeing our world. We will therefore augment our growing familiarity with
Greek myth by discussing and applying a number of important theoretical models and examining several
instantiations of ancient myth in modern art and entertainment.
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More specifically, CLAS 129 will seek to accomplish the following learning objectives:
Students will . . .
1) gain exposure to many of the most prominent and enduring Greek myths.
2) critically examine Greek myth by way of course discussion and written expression.
3) explore Greek myth through a number of influential critical lenses.
4) enact the creative process of mythmaking by formulating the structure of a new Greek tragedy and
performing a scene composed for that drama.
More broadly, students will . . .
1) strengthen critical thinking skills.
2) develop their ability to communicate and explore ideas through discussion, written analysis and
dramatic performance.
3) improve their capacity to apply critical models to literary narratives.
Course Assignments and Expectations:
In terms of expectations in the course’s day-to-day progress, two contributions will be expected of all
students: first, you will be expected to complete the day’s reading assignment in a thoughtful way that
prepares you to participate in an active course discussion; second, you will be expected to submit six
assignment responses during the course of the semester, four of which must be completed before Spring
Break (March 12th – March 20th). These reflection essays may be a compelling synopsis of day’s
material; an exposition of an important theme that you’ve found in the myth; a comparison to another
myth that you’ve learned; or a specific response to one of the day’s reading prompts. You may also
substitute an oral recitation of a favorite mythic narrative at the beginning of a class meeting; this spoken
account must be delivered extemporaneously and you must inform me of your intention to perform a
spoken myth the day before our class meeting.
In the class meeting before we discuss a reading, I will post reading prompts about that reading on our
course’s Moodle site. As you complete the assignment for the following discussion, use the prompts to
think critically about the assignment and to take thorough notes for use in our next discussion.
Additionally, an undetermined number of “pop quizzes” will be given in order to assess your basic
command of the reading assignments. These will not be announced in advance, so be sure that you
carefully read each day’s assigned text(s). You will also take a final exam at the end of the term that will
test your knowledge of the mythic narratives that you’ve learned and different ways in which Greek myth
can be explored.
Writing for this course will range from the analytical to the creative. Short (roughly three pages) essays
will require you to apply a number of critical models learned in class to a mythic narrative of your choice.
A final essay will be more substantial (roughly six – eight pages), and will require you to apply a critical
model of your choice to a modern adaptation of a Greek mythic narrative. Late essays will result in a
penalty of 12 percentage points for each day after the deadline, so please plan ahead. Finally, as a
creative group project you will be expected to compose an outline of a new Greek tragedy and to perform
a pivotal scene from your tragedy in front of the class. You may choose to adapt an existing tragic plot
toy our own ends or develop a tragic narrative that is not represented in corpus of existing tragedies. If
you choose a myth for which a Greek tragedy already exists, you will be expected to alter the plot in a
way that you see as corresponding to the conventions and expectations of the genre.
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A Note on Attendance, Participation and Discussion Etiquette:
Since this course will rely heavily on discussion and student participation, daily attendance and informed
participation are required and non-negotiable. You will be allowed two absences without penalty, after
which 5% will be deducted from your final grade for each additional unexcused absence. More than six
absences will result in a failing grade for the class. Further, all class members are expected arrive on
time; avoidable lateness will be treated as an absence for the day. Please make special note of the fact
that meetings directly before and after Spring Break are required and are just as important as all other
class meetings. Absences due to ill-timed trips or vacations, imposed family trips, plane tickets, etc. will
not be excused. If necessary, please inform family and friends early in the term that your presence in
class on these days is required. Finally, please avoid leaving the room once class has begun if at all
possible, since this often results in distraction (for both students and instructor) and can derail a
productive discussion. Absolutely necessary exits should be undertaken discreetly.
All students will be expected to complete daily assignments carefully and to take notes for use in course
discussion. Your opinions and insights are important and crucial for the course’s success, and I will
therefore elicit input by actively calling on you and encouraging you to volunteer your ideas. You will
not be expected, however, to provide the “right answer” to questions that require critical analysis or
interpretation. I welcome your opinions, especially when they differ from my own, and I greatly enjoy
the give-and-take of course discussion and the insights generated by dialogue with intelligent and well
prepared students. Aside from my expectation that come to discussion prepared to contribute, you will
find that our classroom is a judgment-free zone.
Since our classroom is welcoming and judgment-free space for the production exchange of ideas about
Greek myth, please be considerate of your fellow student-scholars by framing disagreements
diplomatically (although disagreements are welcomed and encouraged), respecting other students’ right to
speak their minds, and turning off all electronic devices that may produce noises (even if the noises are
carefully chosen and clever).
Disability Accommodations for This Course:
I am committed to ensuring access to course content for students. Reasonable accommodations are
available for students with documented disabilities. Contact the Office of Student Affairs, 651-696-6220
to schedule an appointment and discuss your individual circumstances. It is important to meet early in the
semester, since this will ensure that your accommodations can an implemented as soon as possible. The
Assistant Dean of Students, Robin Hart Ruthenbeck, coordinates services for first-, second- and third-year
students, as well as seniors new to accommodations. The Associate Dean of Students, Lisa Landreman,
coordinates student accommodations for seniors.
Composition of Course Grade:
Class Preparation & Participation:
Quizzes:
Final Exam:
Reflection Essays:
Critical Application Essays
Final Essay on Modern Myth:
Greek Tragedy Project:
25%
5%
15%
10%
15%
15%
15%
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Course Schedule:
n.b. Please note that the following course schedule is subject to alteration at the instructor’s discretion.
Students will be notified of any changes in advance of the relevant class meetings.
CLASS SCHEDULE:
n.b. Schedule of assignments is subject to change at the discretion of the course instructor.
Week 1
Friday, January 22 –
Week 2
Monday, January 25 –
Syllabus and Introduction – Course Logistics
Homer, Odyssey 1-6
Apollodorus, Library, pp. 146-158 (“The Trojan War”)
Wednesday, January 27 –
Homer, Odyssey 7-12
Friday, January 29 –
Homer, Odyssey 13-18
Week 3
Monday, February 1 –
Homer, Odyssey 19-24
Reading Prompts for Homer, Odyssey 1-6
1) How would you characterize conditions in Ithaca in the Odyssey’s opening books? What does Homer
seem tell us about how these conditions differ from those of a healthy, functional chiefdom?
2) How does Homer seem to depict Odysseus’ son, Telemachus? What challenges does he face as he
comes of age in Odysseus’ beleaguered household? What crucial life transitions seem to characterize his
experiences in these early moments of the poem?
3) Describe the social dynamics and mutual expectations in the interactions between Telemachus, Nestor
and Menelaus.
4) How are the gods depicted at the beginning of the poem? What is the nature of their relationship to
mortals? What motivates them? For what reasons do they intervene in mortals’ lives?
5) What is the state of the war-hero and nostalgic traveler Odysseus in books five and six? What aspects
of epic heroism does Homer foreground at these moments? What seem to you to be Odysseus’ primary
attributes when he appears in the poem?
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