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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Greek and Roman Mythology by University of Pennsylvania

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About the Course

Myths are traditional stories that have endured over a long time. Some of them have to do with events of great importance, such as the founding of a nation. Others tell the stories of great heroes and heroines and their exploits and courage in the face of adversity. Still others are simple tales about otherwise unremarkable people who get into trouble or do some great deed. What are we to make of all these tales, and why do people seem to like to hear them? This course will focus on the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, as a way of exploring the nature of myth and the function it plays for individuals, societies, and nations. We will also pay some attention to the way the Greeks and Romans themselves understood their own myths. Are myths subtle codes that contain some universal truth? Are they a window on the deep recesses of a particular culture? Are they a set of blinders that all of us wear, though we do not realize it? Or are they just entertaining stories that people like to tell over and over? This course will investigate these questions through a variety of topics, including the creation of the universe, the relationship between gods and mortals, human nature, religion, the family, sex, love, madness, and death. *********************************************************************************************************** COURSE SCHEDULE • Week 1: Introduction Welcome to Greek and Roman Mythology! This first week we’ll introduce the class, paying attention to how the course itself works. We’ll also begin to think about the topic at hand: myth! How can we begin to define "myth"? How does myth work? What have ancient and modern theorists, philosophers, and other thinkers had to say about myth? This week we’ll also begin our foray into Homer’s world, with an eye to how we can best approach epic poetry. Readings: No texts this week, but it would be a good idea to get started on next week's reading to get ahead of the game. Video Lectures: 1.1-1.7 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 2: Becoming a Hero In week 2, we begin our intensive study of myth through Homer’s epic poem, the Odyssey. This core text not only gives us an exciting story to appreciate on its own merits but also offers us a kind of laboratory where we can investigate myth using different theoretical approaches. This week we focus on the young Telemachus’ tour as he begins to come of age; we also accompany his father Odysseus as he journeys homeward after the Trojan War. Along the way, we’ll examine questions of heroism, relationships between gods and mortals, family dynamics, and the Homeric values of hospitality and resourcefulness. Readings: Homer, Odyssey, books 1-8 Video Lectures: 2.1-2.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 3: Adventures Out and Back This week we’ll follow the exciting peregrinations of Odysseus, "man of twists and turns," over sea and land. The hero’s journeys abroad and as he re-enters his homeland are fraught with perils. This portion of the Odyssey features unforgettable monsters and exotic witches; we also follow Odysseus into the Underworld, where he meets shades of comrades and relatives. Here we encounter some of the best-known stories to survive from all of ancient myth. Readings: Homer, Odyssey, books 9-16 Video Lectures: 3.1-3.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 4: Identity and Signs As he makes his way closer and closer to re-taking his place on Ithaca and with his family, a disguised Odysseus must use all his resources to regain his kingdom. We’ll see many examples of reunion as Odysseus carefully begins to reveal his identity to various members of his household—his servants, his dog, his son, and finally, his wife Penelope—while also scheming against those who have usurped his place. Readings: Homer, Odyssey, books 17-24 Video Lectures: 4.1-4.8 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 5: Gods and Humans We will take a close look at the most authoritative story on the origin of the cosmos from Greek antiquity: Hesiod’s Theogony. Hesiod was generally considered the only poet who could rival Homer. The Theogony, or "birth of the gods," tells of an older order of gods, before Zeus, who were driven by powerful passions—and strange appetites! This poem presents the beginning of the world as a time of fierce struggle and violence as the universe begins to take shape, and order, out of chaos. Readings: Hesiod, Theogony *(the Works and Days is NOT required for the course)* Video Lectures: 5.1-5.9 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 6: Ritual and Religion This week’s readings give us a chance to look closely at Greek religion in its various guises. Myth, of course, forms one important aspect of religion, but so does ritual. How ancient myths and rituals interact teaches us a lot about both of these powerful cultural forms. We will read two of the greatest hymns to Olympian deities that tell up-close-and-personal stories about the gods while providing intricate descriptions of the rituals they like us humans to perform. Readings: Homeric Hymn to Apollo; Homeric Hymn to Demeter (there are two hymns to each that survive, only the LONGER Hymn to Apollo and the LONGER Hymn to Demeter are required for the course) Video Lectures: 6.1-6.7 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 7: Justice What counts as a just action, and what counts as an unjust one? Who gets to decide? These are trickier questions than some will have us think. This unit looks at one of the most famously thorny issues of justice in all of the ancient world. In Aeschylus’ Oresteia—the only surviving example of tragedy in its original trilogy form—we hear the story of Agamemnon’s return home after the Trojan War. Unlike Odysseus’ eventual joyful reunion with his wife and children, this hero is betrayed by those he considered closest to him. This family's cycle of revenge, of which this story is but one episode, carries questions of justice and competing loyalties well beyond Agamemnon’s immediate family, eventually ending up on the Athenian Acropolis itself. Readings: Aeschylus, Agamemnon; Aeschylus, Eumenides Video Lectures: 7.1-7.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 8: Unstable Selves This week we encounter two famous tragedies, both set at Thebes, that center on questions of guilt and identity: Sophocles’ Oedipus Rex and Eurpides’ Bacchae. Oedipus is confident that he can escape the unthinkable fate that was foretold by the Delphic oracle; we watch as he eventually realizes the horror of what he has done. With Odysseus, we saw how a great hero can re-build his identity after struggles, while Oedipus shows us how our identities can dissolve before our very eyes. The myth of Oedipus is one of transgressions—intentional and unintentional—and about the limits of human knowledge. In Euripides’ Bacchae, the identity of gods and mortals is under scrutiny. Here, Dionysus, the god of wine and of tragedy, and also madness, appears as a character on stage. Through the dissolution of Pentheus, we see the terrible consequences that can occur when a god’s divinity is not properly acknowledged. Readings: Sophocles, Oedipus Rex; Euripides, Bacchae Video Lectures: 8.1-8.9 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 9: The Roman Hero, Remade Moving ahead several centuries, we jump into a different part of the Mediterranean to let the Romans give us their take on myth. Although many poets tried to rewrite Homer for their own times, no one succeeded quite like Vergil. His epic poem, the Aeneid, chronicles a powerful re-building of a culture that both identifies with and defines itself against previously told myths. In contrast to the scarcity of information about Homer, we know a great deal about Vergil’s life and historical context, allowing us insight into myth-making in action. Readings: Vergil, Aeneid, books 1-5 Video Lectures: 9.1-9.10 Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. • Week 10: Roman Myth and Ovid's Metamorphoses Our consideration of Vergil’s tale closes with his trip to the underworld in book 6. Next, we turn to a more playful Roman poet, Ovid, whose genius is apparent in nearly every kind of register. Profound, witty, and satiric all at once, Ovid’s powerful re-tellings of many ancient myths became the versions that are most familiar to us today. Finally, through the lens of the Romans and others who "remythologize," we wrap up the course with a retrospective look at myth. Readings: Vergil, Aeneid, book 6; Ovid, Metamorphoses, books 3, 12, and 13. Video Lectures: 10.1-10.9. Quiz: Complete the quiz by the end of the week. *********************************************************************************************************** READINGS There are no required texts for the course, however, Professor Struck will make reference to the following texts in the lecture: • Greek Tragedies, Volume 1, David Grene and Richmond Lattimore, trans. (Chicago) • Greek Tragedies, Volume 3, David Grene and Richmond Lattimore , trans. (Chicago) • Hesiod, Theogony and Works and Days, M. L. West, trans. (Oxford) • Homeric Hymns, Sarah Ruden, trans. (Hackett) • Homer, The Odyssey, Robert Fagles, trans. (Penguin) • Virgil, The Aeneid, Robert Fitzgerald, trans. (Vintage) • Ovid, Metamorphoses, David Raeburn, trans. (Penguin) These translations are a pleasure to work with, whereas many of the translations freely available on the internet are not. If you do not want to purchase them, they should also be available at many libraries. Again, these texts are not required, but they are helpful....

Top reviews

TS

Jul 7, 2020

Well thought out well presented. I feel I have gained a very knowledgeable and thorough understanding of both Greek and Roman mythology and their historical gods and goddesses from taking this course.

KW

Aug 19, 2020

I loved this course. It covers material that is generally available to those who can afford an expensive private education. It was a great way to keep myself occupied during the coronavirus lockdown.

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51 - 75 of 677 Reviews for Greek and Roman Mythology

By Живлова Т А

Feb 6, 2017

That is such a wonderful course. I loved that the material was so in-depth, and the quizes! really testing the thoroughness of your knowledge. Sadly, I didn't have the time to complete the written assignments, but I think that the questions were very well posed. I am not a native English speaker (I'm Russian), and there are some issues even with the best (Soviet Union) translations of the Odyssey. I'd previously bought the Fagles translation, and this course allowed me to explore it in a much more efficient way; it has added a lot to my understanding of the epic. Great many thanks to all the compilers of the course and the lecturer! Keep up the good work)

By Richard L B

May 31, 2020

I am a retired educator in art history. I took the course for something to do at the outset of the COVID-19 lockdown. I had some passing knowledge of mythology, and this course filled in many gaps in that knowledge. I was especially pleased with the structure of the course, and enjoyed the aspect of considering mythology through a variety of analytic lenses.

I admire Professor Struck's natural and relaxed demeanor in front of the camera. My only complaint is one that many other learners have mentioned: the quality of the transcripts ranges from mediocre to appalling. A good proofreader would make reading through them much easier and more sensible.

By Alderick B

Mar 3, 2020

Dear Dr. Peter Struck and Team,

You guys can be proud of yourselves. This course was very informative, easy to follow and a whole lot of FUN! This was the perfect introduction into Mythology. You've handed me the perfect tools to not only dissect stories of Mythology, but you've introduced me to a culture and history that was until now unbeknownst to me. As a history student - mainly modern history - I would like to thank you form the bottom of my heart. And Peter, I have really enjoyed you lectures. Your knowledge and passion for this subject was very captivating. I thoroughly enjoyed it, thank you!

By Hassan R

Dec 22, 2020

The course contains very nice guidelines for reading and understanding Greek and Roman myths and epics. The idea of the toolboxes was an excellent way of interpreting the different meanings contained int he literary works and they were also extremely useful in differentiating the different styles of each Poet and their intended goals and objectives. The suggested materials also cover most of the needed resources to cover Greek and Roman Mythologies. As a personal recommendation, I would suggest to read the entire reading material and not limit yourself to the suggested pieces and chapters.

By Doris F

Aug 17, 2017

This course was intellectual adventure, an "odyssey" touching on some of the classic myths of our culture. Reading Homer's epics, some important Greek plays, and the Aenead and tasting the tales of Ovid--these encounters will stay with me both for their meaning and their literary quality. Professor Struck's analytical "tools" were helpful in thinking about the many ways of learning how myths offer a unique insights into our culture and our many conflicting values. I would recommend the course to anyone interested in understanding more about the normative foundation of our world.

By Pete T

Jun 22, 2020

This was an excellent course. It gave a full picture of the world of Greek mythology and how that lead on to the mythology of Rome. The different ways and emphases used by various poets handling the world of men and gods was fascinating. Reading the texts was challenging and maybe the course was a bit too long. But we (my daughter and I both took this course) enjoyed it and would certainly recommend it. The lecturer was excellent and showed a great love for the subject with the occasional unexpected injections of humour. Believe me, this is the truth and not a myth.

By Trisha Q

Apr 7, 2021

I thoroughly enjoyed the course on Greek and Roman Mythology. I starrted this course so that I could get a grounding in some ancient texts eg the Illiad and the Oddysey so that I can enjoy a number of more recent texts on the same subject eg A Thousand Ships, The Penelopiad, A Song of Achilles and Circe to name a few ... well now I am on another journey ... and now reading Edith Hamilton's Mythology. The course has opened my mind to many new avenues to explore. Really enjoyed Lecturer Peter Struck and his enthusiasm for his subject. I highly recommend the course.

By Bernard P

Aug 24, 2021

This has been a great experience for me, as a recently retired physician, I have wanted to get back to studying the humanities. I had started with refreshing my latin , reading Homer and Virgil but really wanted to dive more into classical studies. The course on Greek and Roman Mythology has met all my expectations and has helped me to better understand the work of key classical authors as well as gaining insights in ancient mythology. I want to thank Professor Struck and his team for making the course accessible , entertaining and motivating. Really well done !!

By Ellen E

Aug 27, 2017

Wonderful! If you've been meaning to read more of the Greek and Roman classics (Homer, Hesiod, Aeschylus, Virgil, Ovid, etc), this is a great way to do it. Dr. Struck not only helps you understand the texts themselves-- their themes, literary devices, and use of language-- but also uses them to look at several contrasting interpretations of myth and its role in human society. The lectures were lively and informative, the discussion questions were engaging, and the result is that I'm sure I'll be thinking about the ideas I learned in this course for years to come.

By Marc G

Feb 27, 2022

Peter Stuck is a great, inspirational lecturer. His video lectures were all about the right length. I also enjoyed the readings. However, I wish the course had been more spaced out as I was struggling to keep up with the readings. The other small issue was that the transcripts from the videos typically misspelt the names of the Greek or Roman heroes and gods or concepts, making it at times difficult to make things of the notes I had taken.

All in all, I very much enjoyed the course. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in Greek and Roman mythology.

By Kevin T

Apr 15, 2018

Professor Stuck is outstanding. The course is very well structured to provide a great easing in point for ancient mythology, which helps allay the fear that can come from undertaking such a daunting challenge as trying to understand the lessons and stories from texts that are thousands of years old. Once you've got your toes in the water, Professor Struck quickly gets you up to speed so that by the end of the course, you've learned to recognize a lot of the subtleties that flew right over your head at the beginning. Cannot recommend highly enough!

By Jesus A B S

May 8, 2017

Loved it. I took this course because I wanted to know more about these particular myths, since they have always caught my attention. Since I can recall, I have always loved them. This course made see them in a way I would not, even if I read the same Tragedies, Epic poems and plays that I read during this course. Fantastic course to do. I highly recommend it to anyone who likes or has some kind of curiosity about these myths. Cheers! Best of luck to everyone out there! And congratulation to all the Penn team and professor struck. My respects to you.

By Lina B

Feb 26, 2022

I've had so much fun with this course! I took a lot of various courses on Coursera, but Peter Struck is the most engaging professor so far. He so pationate about the subject that he makes you fall in love with all the works of these great Roman and Greek epic poets. You get to understand them and interpret the works, see the meanings between the lines. Highly recommend the course. It is not required to read the works professior talks in the class about, but for full experience I recommend reading the suggested before weekly lectures.

By Shravya K

Jun 30, 2020

This course was amazing. As someone who was a complete beginner to the Classics and is only doing this out of curiosity and a passion for Greek Myth I found myself completely enveloped in the world of Ancient Greece. Highly recommend not just reading the texts, but looking up audiobook or play versions on YouTube. I did full readings of all the plays and poems, and then some. Huge thanks to Professor Peter Struck, who smiles while he teaches - he has a genuine passion for his subject, and is a great teacher. Loved this course.

By Chalee B

Oct 2, 2020

This was a fun and enjoyable course to take! It was nostalgic to read some old favorites like the Odyssey and learning more in-depth theories and readings about what occurs in Greek and Roman mythology. I appreciated how the videos were broken up - there was never too much information in video and they were all easy to sit through and watch. The added visuals helped keep things interesting as well. Overall, I would recommend this course to anyone who wants to dive a little deeper into Greek and Roman mythology!

By Rita M

Feb 7, 2024

Taking this course was a highly satisfying experience. Professor Struck was engaging, and his enthusiasm for and knowledge of the subject was infectious and highly motivating. The quizzes were well designed and challenging, and as there was so much information, it was often necessary to review the material to ensure understanding of the themes and context. This was an in depth introduction to a fascinating world and I am grateful for the enlightened guidance given by Professor Struck and Coursera!

By Lynne W

Oct 10, 2020

This course was fantastic. In just 10 weeks of lessons I filled in huge lacunae in my classical education. (I must've been daydreaming throughout most of my early schooling.) Dr. Struck was so engaging and I could weave his narrative into sense that made all the stories and names and patterns make sense. My major motivation was to understand the brilliant writings of the famed Jungian, Helen Luke, who based much of her writings on classical Greek (and Shakespearean) stories. Bravo! Thanks.

By TC D

May 17, 2019

This was simply a wonderful course. Professor Struck is an excellent instructor who brings a lot of insight into the subject of mythology itself, different ways that mythology is interpreted, and Greek and Roman mythology itself. His humor, easy way of teaching a complex subject, and knowledge all contributed to making this one of my favorite online courses. Thank you, Professor Struck and your teaching staff at Penn for expanding my knowledge and insights of what it means to be human.

By Peter G

Jan 31, 2018

I grew up reading the greek myths and consuming media that has been inspired by the greek myths. This Course has enabled me to view these myths through a plethera of perspectives, and it has introduced me to a number of concepts foreign to me. The most important thing I got from this course has to be the introduction to the culture surrounding the authors of these myths and how it influenced their writing and the content of the myths. This course certainly delivered what it promised!

By Ger K

Jun 8, 2017

I thoroughly enjoyed this course. I was initially weary of the course beginning with 4 weeks of the Odyssey as I was familiar with this book and enrolled in the course to learn more about the non Homeric tales. However, I am glad to admit that I was wrong in this pre judgement as the pacing of the course, the content of the course and the richness of the course made for a wonderful learning experience. Well done to Prof. Peter Struck and his team for developing a marvellous course.

By Elli d R

May 8, 2022

A wonderful introduction to Greek and Roman mythology which has answered many of the questions I initially had, and inspired me to learn more. The stories examined here are still important and still referenced to this day, and getting a better grasp of the characters, as well as the world in which they were written, has given me insight into storytelling and culture to this day. 10 weeks very well spent in my opinion - I have been recommending this course to everyone I talk to!

By Fresia C L H

Jul 22, 2023

I really enjoyed the Greek and Roman Mythology course. Have always wanted to learn about classical mythology but never had the chance. The course was well organized, and the quizzes prompted critical thinking and further analysis of the myths and their elements. Professor Struck's tools to "dissect " the stories and his "universal rules" were really eye-opening to me. I also enjoyed the art pieces that he shared in class to illustrate his lectures. Thank you!

By Tomas K

Aug 20, 2021

My interest in the course had a sentimental origin: as a child, many years ago, my father talked a lot about Greek and Roman Mythology. Now in old age; I had the impulse both to learn a bit more and honour my father. The course has completely and fully satisfied my objectives and in the process, I have also enjoyed myself. I found Prof. Struck's lectures very didactic, informative and in an easy to follow language: I think he has done a great job. Many thanks.

By Lou M

Mar 22, 2019

Totally delightful course. Professor Struck, is wonderful! I haven't been exposed to an academic course that I've enjoyed as much as I have this one. It has been about 60 years since I experienced a college level course that included the topics presented in this course. At that time, I took advantage of "Cliff Notes" to get through the wonderful writers we were assigned to study. That was my loss, this course is my gain. Thanks to Robert Struck and Coursera.

By Debbie C

Jun 14, 2020

I am so sad that this course has finished. Regardless of the fact that I completed this during lockdown, it has enriched me in so many ways. Peter Struck is engaging and propels you through the materials with interest and passion. The materials pushed me and have fostered a real love of the stories and their context as well as enabling me to develop my ability to apply theories and perspectives. Amazing! Thank you, Coursera. Thank you, Peter Struck.