Greek Mythology

Code:

PEUS142

Acronym:

MG

Instance: 2024/2025 - 2S (edição n.º 1)

Active?	Yes
Responsible unit:	Department of Portuguese and Romance Studies
Course/CS Responsible:	Higher Education Studies for Older People

Cycles of Study/Courses

Acronym	No. of Students	Study Plan	Curricular Years	Credits UCN	Credits ECTS	Contact hours	Total Time
PEUS	19	Study Plan	1	-		20	20

Teaching language

Portuguese

Objectives

To present and to discuss the definition of myth, its function and forms of expression in the ancient Greek world.
To present and analyse mythical narratives from the Greek tradition, especially its literary version.
To present some of the fundamental characters of Greek mythology and their presence over the centuries.
To discuss the relevance of Greek myths as a means of building identity and collective memory, both in the Greek world and today.

Learning outcomes and competences

At the end of the semester, students should be able to:
Understand the concept of myth and its function and expression in the ancient Greek world.
Be familiar with mythical stories from the Greek tradition and some of the literary works in which they have been treated.
Identify some of the main characters in Greek mythology and their presence over the centuries.
Recognise Greek myths as a means of building identity and collective memory, both in the Greek world and today.

Working method

Presencial

Program

1. Defining myth.
  1.1. Myth and religion.
  1.2. Myth and literature.
  1.3. Mythos and logos.
2. Greek myths.
  2.1. From chaos to cosmos.
  2.2. Gods and heroes.
  2.3. Muses and poets.
  2.4. Death and life.
  2.5. Punishment.
  2.6 Fatal women and exemplary women.
  2.7. The war of wars: Troy.
  2.8. Conflicting families: the Atreids; the royal house of Thebes.
  2.9. Metamorphoses.
3. Greek myths in the Roman world. 4. Greek myths today.

Mandatory literature

BURKERT, W.; Mito e mitologia, Edições 70., 1991
BUXTON, R.; Imaginary Greece. The contexts of Mythology [tradução espanhola: (2000), El imaginario griego. Los contextos de la mitologia. Cambridge University Press], Cambridge University Press, 1994
CSAPO, E.; Theories of Mythology, Blackwell, 2005
DETIENNE, M.; L’ invention de la mythologie, Gallimard, 1992
DOWDEN, K. / Livingstone, N. (eds.); A companion to Greek Mythology, Wiley-Blackwell, 2011
GRAVES, R.; Os mitos gregos, D. Quixote, 2005
GRIMAL, P.; Dicionário de mitologia grega e romana, Antígona, 2020
JABOUILLE, V.; Introdução à ciência dos mitos, Inquérito, 1994
MORALES, H.; Classical Mytholoy. A very short introduction, Oxford University Press, 2007
POWELL, B.B.; A short introduction to Classical Myth, Prentice Hall, 2002
WOODARD, R.D. (ed.); The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology, Cambridge University Press, 2007

Comments from the literature

Throughout the semester we will be working on excerpts from Homer, Hesiod, Pindar, Stesychorus, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Apollodorus, Virgil and Ovid, among others. As a rule, these excerpts will be provided by the teacher.

Teaching methods and learning activities

This unit will have a minor expository component and will essentially be based on analysing and discussing, involving the whole class, some of the fundamental texts of Greek literature, which are indispensable for accessing Greek mythology. The same will happen with some iconographic records and contemporary literary works that take up and rewrite the narratives of Greek mythology.

Evaluation Type

Distributed evaluation without final exam

Assessment Components

Designation	Weight (%)
Participação presencial	100,00
Total:	100,00

Amount of time allocated to each course unit

Designation	Time (hours)
Frequência das aulas	20,00
Total:	20,00

Eligibility for exams

75% attendance.

Calculation formula of final grade

n/a