Classical Mythology

(3 Credit Hours) · Undergraduate

As a kernel part of the ancient Greek civilization, Greek mythology has a history of more than three thousand years and is also known as Greek and Roman mythology as the result of its long-term assimilation and integration with Roman mythology. Generally speaking, Greek civilization runs parallel to Hebrew civilization as two leading sources of the western civilization as a whole. In regard to its extensive, profound and on-going influences in European countries and beyond, including China, Japan and other Asian countries, Greek and Roman mythology has been contributing to the making and development of the languages, cultures, ideologies and other aspects of both people and society. As to the undergraduate students who take English as their major, it would be helpful for them to better understand the English languages, literature, and culture and have better access to understanding the development of western civilization and its main characterizes if they can learn and interpret Greek and Roman mythology in systematic and profound ways. This course is intended to introduce the evolution of Greek and Roman mythology on the basis of the textbook Greek and Roman mythology and some supplementary reading materials, and help student learn how to analyze and interpret the values and meanings of the legendary stories of gods and goddesses and heroes in Greek and Roman mythology. The main content of the course is teaching about fifty myths with a focus of interpreting their values and meanings from such perspectives as history, culture, religion, literature, visual art, and comparative study. The aim of the course is to help students with essential and systematic understanding of Greek and Roman mythology and lay a foundation for their further study of the English language and culture as well as western history and culture.