Voyage: Summer 2013 Discipline: Art History Course Title: Mediterranean Art and Myth Course Number: ARTH 3591 Division: Upper Faculty Name: Tyler Jo Smith Pre-requisites: none SEMESTER AT SEA COURSE SYLLABUS COURSE DESCRIPTION This course focuses on the mythological stories, figures, and settings of the ancient Greek and Roman worlds, including the Near East and Egypt. Works of ancient literature and art are introduced and analyzed, as well as the theories of anthropology, religious studies, and art history. Important themes are landscape, memory, narrative, and the role of Classical myth on popular culture. COURSE OBJECTIVES *Introduce textual and visual sources for ancient mythology *Define the mythological systems of ancient Mediterranean cultures *Understand mythology in relation to other phenomena (i.e., religion, ritual, rites of passage) *Learn the basic principles of art historical analysis REQUIRED TEXTBOOKS AUTHOR: Barry B. Powell TITLE: Classical Myth PUBLISHER: Pearson ISBN #: 978-0-205-17607-6 DATE/EDITION: 2012/7 th edition AUTHOR: T.H. Carpenter TITLE: Art and Myth in Ancient Greece PUBLISHER: Thames and Hudson ISBN #: 0-500-20236-2 DATE/EDITION: 1991 ELECTRONIC COURSE MATERIALS These will be provided by the course instructor. They are indicated below as PDFs. ADDITIONAL RESOURCES DVD: Athens: the Dawn of Democracy (2007). 1/5
METHODS OF EVALUATION / GRADING RUBRIC Attendance, Participation, Enthusiasm 25% Field Lab and Flash Paper 25% Two Papers (3-4 pages; due C12 and C18) 25% Final Exam 25% ATTENDANCE Attendance is required. It is your responsibility to record your name on a daily sign-in sheet. If there are 2 or more unexcused absences, the result will be a lower final grade; more than 6 unexcused absences equals an automatic F in the course. HONOR CODE Each written assignment for this course must be pledged by the student as follows: On my honor as a student, I pledge that I have neither given nor received aid on this assignment. The pledge must be signed, or, in the case of an electronic file, signed [signed]. TOPICAL OUTLINE OF COURSE C1. Introduction: Myth, Legend, and Folklore Powell, ch. 1. Recommended: Shapiro, Myth into Art, Introduction [PDF]. C2. Places, Dates, and Evidence Powell, ch. 2. Carpenter, ch. 1. C3. Egypt, the Near East, and Greece Powell, ch. 3. Recommended: Boardman, The World of Ancient Art, Egypt [PDF]. C4. Creation Myths Powell, ch. 4-5. CASABLANCA, MOROCCO C5. Zeus, Hera, Poseidon, Hades Powell, ch. 6. Carpenter, ch. 3. C6. Apollo Powell, ch. 7. Recommended: Graf, Apollo, Apollo in Homer [PDF]. 2/5
C7. Hermes, Pan, and Hephaestus Powell, ch. 8. Carpenter, ch. 2. C8. Aphrodite, Artemis, and Athena Powell, ch. 9. Recommended: Cyrino, Aphrodite, Birth, Origins, and Names [PDF]. C9. Demeter, Persephone, and Eleusis Powell, ch. 10. Recommended: Bowden, Mystery Cults of the Ancient World, pp 26-48 [PDF]. ANTAYLA, TURKEY C10. Dionysus, Wine, and Drama Powell, ch. 11. Recommended: Seaford, Dionysos, Theatre [PDF]. C11. Myth, Death, and Afterlife Powell, ch. 12 Recommended: Burkert, Greek Religion, 190-199 [PDF] ISTANBUL, TURKEY C12. Gilgamesh and Heroic Myths Powell, ch. 13. [Paper 1 due in class: Reading response on the gods] C13. Perseus Powell, ch. 14. Carpenter, ch. 5. PIRAEUS, GREECE C14. Heracles Powell, ch. 15. Carpenter, ch. 6. C15. Theseus Powell, ch. 16. Carpenter, ch. 7. 3/5
C16. Crete and Knossos Powell, ch. 17. LIVORNO/CIVITAVECCHIA, ITALY C17. Jason Powell, ch. 19. Carpenter, ch. 8. C18. Oedipus Powell, ch. 18. [Paper 2 due in class: Object analysis] MALTA C19. The Trojan War I Powell ch. 20-21. C20. The Trojan War II Powell, ch. 22. Carpenter, ch. 9-10. MARSEILLE, FRANCE/BARCELONA, SPAIN C21. Aeneas: From Troy to Rome Powell, ch. 23. Recommended: Buxton, Complete World of Greek Mythology, Greek Myths after the Greeks [PDF]. C22. Roman Myth Powell, ch. 24. Recommended, D Ambra, Roman Art, Empire and its Myths. CADIZ, SPAIN/LISBON, PORTUGAL C23. Conclusion: The Reception of Classical Myth Powell, ch. 25. Recommended: Morford, Classical Mythology, Classical Mythology in Music and Film [PDF]. C24. FINAL EXAM 4/5
FIELD WORK AND ASSIGNMENTS Field Lab The Field Lab for this course will be a group visit to two archaeological sites in Athens (Acropolis, Agora) and their accompanying museums. Students will have the opportunity to view ancient mythology in relation to the topography and built environment of the ancient Mediterranean, as well as to study and analyze art objects firsthand. They will be shown the Agora excavations by Dr Kristian Lorenzo, who has excavated there for several years. Attendance is mandatory and participation constitutes 20% of the contact hours for the course. The field lab will take place for a full day on July 14 th. Field Assignment One of the requirements for this class (25%) will be participation in the Field Lab at the Athenian Acropolis and Agora (Piraeus, Greece) on July 14 th. The sites chosen play a fundamental role in ancient Mediterranean mythology. Students will tour the sites and museums and be asked to consider a list of important questions throughout the day. In advance of the Field Lab, students will be provided with background reading about these sites, including their dates, major monuments, and the important discoveries made there. Immediately following the on-site visit (within 24 hours), the students will write a flash paper detailing their experience of the sites and museums; how these places, monuments, and objects have expanded their knowledge of ancient Greek or other mythology; and how the places and/or objects apply to the themes and ideas discussed in class. 5/5