In this multi-day class students will understand that the magic of myths lies not only in the stories themselves, fascinating as they are, but in the logic behind them and in their deeper meaning. Myths will be appreciated as a system of beliefs and a way of thinking about the world, as it was created by the ancient Greeks.

The goal for the students is to learn at an introductory level how Greeks were structuring their myths and some of the narrative patterns that they were employing to tell meaningful stories about their gods. 

We will discuss together how were these stories played out in the sanctuaries of the gods, and in their worship, and how ancient Greek artists depicted them. What did they mean to priests and to worshippers, as well as to the political and social elite of ancient Greece.

We will finally delve into an ancient religion with respect, so as to learn from this example two very important lessons: that there is no absolute truth, and that nothing unchangeable in time, when it comes to religious traditions, old and new. 

I have a B.A. in Archaeology and History, an M.A. in Archaeology and History of Art, with specialization in the ancient world, a second M.A. in History and Philosophy of Religions, with specialization in ancient religions, and I am currently a PhD candidate in Religions and Cultures. I speak ancient Greek and Latin, and I am trained in archaeology, in history of art and architecture, as well as in the study of ancient incriptions and ancient coins, which I always use to explain ancient myths or history.

Homework Offered
Homework, designed to take no more than an hour in total per week, will be assigned in two forms: 

(a) before each meeting students will be asked to study the short hand-out which will be distributed in advance as part of their preparation, 
and 
(b) the students will be assigned a certain number of (optional) quizzes, in order to test their memory, attention and observation. These quizzes are not graded. Instead, I send my feedback individually to every singe student based on their answers as a form of communication outside the classroom time and as a second chance to correct anything from the class material that may be misunderstood. 
0 - 1 hours per week outside of class
Assessments Offered
I do not believe that a letter grade is meaningful for a multi-day class on mythology. However, as I often do with my one-time classes, which are always small classes (up to 5 or 6 students), I communicate with the parents and the children directly, providing my personal comments, private feedback and an informal assessment.
Grades Offered