Lecturer: Associate Professor Sean McConnell
Oedipus murdered his father and married his mother, whereas Orestes murdered his mother to avenge his father. Graeco-Roman myth is full of dark themes, tragic choices and reprehensible actions. These myths are embedded with the cultural values of their ancient audience, yet the psychological concepts they involve remain just as relevant today.
This paper undertakes a comparative examination of some of the key figures in Graeco-Roman myth through the lens of psychological theory to gain an understanding of these figures and why they still speak to us so powerfully today. The focus is on family relationships, gender dynamics and stereotyping in myth as an expression of societal fears and fantasies.
Internal assessment: 50%
Details
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.
| Paper title | Fantasies, Phobias and Families in Graeco-Roman Myth |
|---|---|
| Paper code | CLAS238 |
| Subject | Classical Studies |
| EFTS | 0.15 |
| Points | 18 points |
| Teaching period | Semester 1 (On campus) |
| Domestic Tuition Fees (NZD) | $955.05 |
| 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
