Undergraduate - UnitATS2084 - Classical mythology: Themes and approaches in Greco-Roman epic and drama

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2014 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	Archaeology and Ancient History
Offered	Clayton First semester 2014 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Eva Anagnostou-Laoutides

Synopsis

This unit examines the nature of myth through the myths of Greece and Rome. It explores the way in which myths are adapted to reflect particular societies, ages and cultural forms. We will investigate myths of creation, gods, heroes and monsters in Greek and Roman epic and drama (Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Vergil, Ovid, Seneca). Near Eastern parallels such as the Epic of Gilgamesh will be also examined. In addition, we shall explore the theoretical tools of studying myth including the ritual school, functionalism, post-structuralism and phenomenology. All texts will be studied in translation.

Outcomes

Become familiar with the myths of the Greeks and the Romans
Study the literary genres in which myths they were written and their conventions
Study the theoretical approaches to mythology and their application in Classical Studies
Examine the reception of Classical myth and its literary tradition within antiquity
Examine the reception of Classical myth in the discipline of classical studies
Study the socio-political aspects of using myths
Develop critical thinking and particular research skills to investigate the primary and secondary sources with regard to the above.