Overview
Examines mythic figures from a psychological perspective and their role as models for positive and negative social relationships.
Graeco-Roman myth is full of sinister themes, tragic choices and reprehensible actions. Oedipus killed his father and married his mother; Atreus fed his own sons to Thyestes; and Romulus slew his brother Remus to found Rome. This paper explores the darker side of Graeco-Roman myth through some of the great literary works written by Virgil, Ovid and Seneca.
About this paper
| Paper title | Fantasies, Phobias and Families in Graeco-Roman Myth |
|---|---|
| Subject | Classical Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees ( NZD ) | $981.75 |
| International Tuition Fees | Tuition Fees for international students are elsewhere on this website. |
- Prerequisite
- (18 CLAS, GREK or LATN points) or 54 points
- Schedule C
- Arts and Music
- Contact
- classics@otago.ac.nz
- More information link
- View more information about CLAS 238
- Teaching staff
- Co-ordinator and Lecturer: Dr Sean McConnell
- Paper Structure
The paper covers the following mythological topics and figures from a psychological approach:
- Cosmogonies
- Foundation myths
- Paradise
- Prometheus
- Oedipus
- Electra
- Phaedra
- Heracles
- Plato's Myth of Atlantis
- Thyestes
- Teaching Arrangements
- 24 lectures, 6 tutorials.
- Textbooks
Virgil, Aeneid (trans. C. Day Lewis). Oxford World's Classics, 1998.
Ovid, Metamorphoses (trans. David Raeburn). Penguin, 2004.
Seneca, Six Tragedies (trans. Emily Wilson). Oxford World's Classics, 2010.
Course Reader.
- Graduate Attributes Emphasised
- Scholarship, Critical thinking, Cultural understanding, Information literacy, Research, Self-motivation.
View more information about Otago's graduate attributes. - Learning Outcomes
Students who successfully complete this paper will have:
- A knowledge and understanding of selected mythic narratives
- An understanding of gender dynamics as represented in myth
- An understanding of the construction of gender stereotyping
- An understanding of family dynamics as represented in myth
- A knowledge and understanding of the psychological and social function of mythic narratives