Course Schedule and Catalog

Department: *Classics*

Grade Mode: Standard Letter

Course Type: Lecture

Credit Hours: 3

Description: MYTH AND STORYTELLING: ANCIENT, MEDIEVAL AND MODERN TRADITIONS ***** This year, this class will focus on myths of voyage and return-travelers' tales. Primary texts will include examples of this type of tale as it appears in ancient, medieval, and modern storytelling traditions. The course will address questions of the following kind. How are travelers' tales from various parts of the world and from various historical periods alike, and in what ways do they differ? Who are the typical tellers and audiences of such tales? What is involved in the act of telling such a tale, and what hangs on it? What is the purpose of such stories- how do they function both in their immediate and in their broader cultural contexts? In addition to the primary texts, secondary readings will be assigned that explore these and related questions from the disciplinary perspectives of folklore studies and anthropology, addressing such issues as tale types, storytelling, performance, and oral tradition. ***** Enrollment is limited to 15. Repeatable for Credit.