Students must have their own copy of the book The Odyssey. I HIGHLY recommend the Emily Wilson translation (https://www.emilyrcwilson.com/the-odyssey) which is available on Amazon, Audible, many libraries, and any bookstore should either have it or be able to order it. This is the edition I will be teaching from, and sometimes different translations do make a big difference to the reading experience. It's okay if student's have a different translation, but I do encourage the Emily Wilson version in either print or audio if possible. 

Students should read the first 5 "books" (chapters) before the first meeting.

The Odyssey is from a violent time, and the book contains multiple character deaths that include things like people being eaten by monsters, turned to stone, and killed with swords and axes. It doesn't tend to be graphic by today's standards, but it does make mention of blood, etc. It also includes disabling events such as one character being blinded by a red-hot stick.

The book also includes multiple mentions of extra-marital relations, including by the hero, Odysseus. These are NOT graphic in any way. They usually amount to something to the extent of, "so he went to her bed and laid with her." 

The story is also dealing with ancient religious practices, and includes sacrifices made to the gods (NO human sacrifices are made in this book, though one is mentioned from a previous time, but they do include offering animals and, at one point, blood to hungry spirits), as well as examples of magic (Circe transforms some men into pigs, etc.), and a brief trip into the underworld.

Finally, there are slaves in the book, and we will be discussing their roles and treatment as we encounter them. All told, the book is very kind to slaves, giving them some very important roles, however, slavery was normal and common in the ancient world and there is no point in the book where the morality of it is questioned. We will, of course, acknowledge the evils of slavery in the class, just as we will acknowledge the destructive nature of misogyny that is also present in the book.