Babbie_Syllabus_297A_Spring2025_1.2.docx
This class will be epic.
English 297 B is a linked writing course to Classics 430. Students will extend their studies of classical Greek and Roman mythologies through their own writing. We’ll study adaptations in many genres and forms, so no matter the roots of your interests in classics, you’ll be able to write about them--whether you’re coming from poetry or film, web comics or video games, from your knowledge of original Greek texts or your love of popular novels! We will also consider mythologies from other cultures in an attempt to situate classical Greco-Roman myth in a broader context.
One unique aspect of this course will be a deep dive into Homer's Odyssey. It is an absolutely fascinating text--and it's hilarious! Get ready for laughs when we dig into the humorous side of epic poetry.
Magic (real and unreal), ghost stories, and other forms of mythical power will sit alongside the classics as we see just how close we can get to the past and how ultimately, like the tortoise outrunning Achilles, it will always elude us.