An examination of the myths of ancient Greece and Rome through literature and art. Topics may include creation myths, hero myths, the relationship between myth and history, artistic representations of myth, theories of myth interpretation. Comparison will be made with other mythologies including those of the ancient Near East.

A study of the development of various genres of Greek literature from approximately c. 700 B.C. to 300 B.C. Authors and works may include: Homer's Odyssey; Greek Lyric poets (including Sappho); the Greek tragedians (Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides); Greek comedy (Aristophanes and Menander); the literary criticism of Plato and Aristotle; historiography (Herodotus and Thucydides); pastoral poetry (Theocritus). Emphasis will be on modes of composition and performance, literary analysis, the influence of political and social change. (All works will be read in English translation.)†

A study of the development of Roman literature from its beginnings to the end of the Roman West. Authors and genres may include Plautus and Terence (Roman Comedy); Cicero (rhetoric); Sallust, Tacitus, Livy (historiography); Catullus, Ovid and Propertius (love elegy); Virgil (epic). Emphasis will be on the influence of Greek literature, analysis of style and literary motifs, the use of literature as propaganda and the impact of Latin literature on the modern world. (All works will be read in English translation.)†

A study of the western world's first theatre: its origin, writing, acting, and production. The works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, Plautus, and Seneca may be among those studied. Use of videos and other audio-visual media will complement the reading of plays. (All works will be read in English translation.)†