SACRED SPACES, DIVINE HEROES: GREECE 2008

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

In this J-Term class in Greece, you will explore the intersection of Greek Religions and Greek Myth and come to understand how different the religious experience was for the ancient Greeks. They had civic cults, elective cults, cults to the underworld, hero worship, etc. Every Greek polis (city-state) had its own myth and civic cults. In addition to visiting some of the greatest cities of ancient Greece, we will also visit the sites of the Panhellenic games, where athletes from around the Greek world would compete and vie for immortality: Nemea, Isthmia, Delphi and Olympia—the grand-daddy of them all. Most importantly, you will begin to see the relationship between place, myth and ritual.

Through creative and non-creative writing assignments (reading/observation journal), you will reflect what you are learning and discovering. The capstone experience will be a five-page, well-honed essay that intertwines both the creative and non-fiction writing. See below for more details.

Along the way you will learn much about modern Greece, its people, culture, and activities