FRS 004 — Sec. 003 — (2 unit) — CRN 73087 — T 1:10-3:00 PM — Room TBA
Homer’s Odyssey

Instructor: Seth Schein, Department of Comparative Literature, College of Letters and Science

Description: I would like the students to achieve an understanding of the main ideas and values of the poem and a sense of how and why it became a foundational text of western culture. At least as important, I will use the Odyssey to introduce students to the interpretive study of literature—to ways of reading and understanding texts. Specific topics on which we shall focus include the Odyssey as traditional oral poetry and a text grounded in specific historical circumstances; narrative strategies and form; representations of social and religious institutions and values; transformations of folktales and traditional stories into epic adventures; the representation of gender roles and gender hierarchy; and conceptions of heroism.

Format: In our weekly, two hour meetings, I will lead the general conversation, but one or two students each session will make brief oral presentations and lead discussion of particular parts of the poem or specific topics or themes. Each student will write two brief papers, one of which will be a close reading of a specific passage and the other a more general, interpretive essay. Grading: The course grade will be based on the quality of the two required papers (20% first paper, 25% second paper), oral presentations (25%), and preparation for and participation in class discussions (30%).

About the Instructor: I have been studying and teaching Homeric epic, in Greek and in translation, for 36 years, including, in the past six years, a previous FRS 1 on the Iliad and two versions of HUM 1 on "The Odyssey and its Continuing Cultural Impact" and " The Iliad as War Poetry." Relevant publications include The Mortal Hero: An Introduction to Homer's Iliad, Reading the Odyssey: Selected Interpretive Essays (edited with introduction), and about 20 articles on Homeric poetry.