A Greek Odyssey:  Epic, Rhetoric and Imitation

Pre-requisite: None

Winter session 2008:   Trip to Greece   January 3 – 13, 2008

This course involves travel to various Greek regions, including Athens, Sparta, Corinth, Nafpleon and several Greek islands.  Destinations include famous oratorical and theatrical sites:  the Theatre at Epidaurus, the tomb of Agamemnon, and the Delphic Oracle.

Course readings include skill-based as well as theoretical texts regarding the oral tradition, among them treatises by Plato, Aristotle, and the Sophists.  We will also read numerous plays of various genres, including The Persians, The Bacchae, The Frogs, and The Cyclops.  To deepen student understanding of the origins of Greek thought, we will read extensively from Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey.  Grounded in sophist philosophy, students will engage in various forms of public address as we travel through Greece.

While in Athens the students attend a traditional folk dance and experience an authentic bouzouki.  There are opportunities to meet local residents and engage in a cultural exchange with students from the American University at Athens.  Aside from the travel and reading assignments, students are required to keep an E-journal, engage in public address on campus, and complete a formal research paper.

Once we return to campus, the class meets one day every other week throughout the spring semester.  Course outcomes include analysis and application of the practical and theoretical aspects of public performance, whether in the epic, rhetorical, or theatrical traditions as well as the theoretical underpinnings of the philosophers and political situation during the Classical Greek period.

The total cost of the travel will be approximately $2,350; this includes air, first class tourist hotels, daily breakfasts, local guides, buses, admission to the pre-planned sites, along with travel insurance.  While this course does not require specific coursework, prior to enrollment, all students should have a serious interest in the subject matter.

For more information contact:

Dr. Felicia Ruff, Department of Theatre,  fruff@wagner.edu, (718) 420-4133 

Dr. Devorah Lieberman, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, dlieberm@wagner.edu, (718) 390-3211