Students who love reading, Greek myth, and history: this class is for you!  Students who love talking about what they've read, asking questions, and thinking critically about material at hand: this class is for you! Students who have tried to read the Iliad before but have gotten bogged down in the details and names you've never heard before: this class is for you! 

Together in this course, we will read both of the classic Homeric epics, the Iliad and Odyssey, in full, unabridged form. These epics are phenomenally interesting, full of adventure, heroic journeys, sea monsters, ghosts, battles, gods and goddesses... And they also explore difficult topics of war, death, heartache, loss, homelessness, infidelity. Through all of it ultimately they explore what it means to be human. These poems might be thousands of years old, but they are still exciting and relevant to us today. 

We will discuss three chapters (called "books") each lesson, and as needed I will provide background information and cultural context to enrich your experience reading these astounding epics. The format of the class is many ways guided by our discussion questions, but we will not stick to those so closely that we miss out on other topics that come to mind as you read. If you have questions or observations to share, bring them to class and we will discuss them together! 


Reading Schedule:
*these chapters should be read BEFORE class that week as they will be discussed in detail during that week's lesson. Please see the detailed reading schedule (and discussion questions) in the Classroom for more information.

Day 1 - Iliad 1, 2, 3, 4
Day 2 - Iliad 5, 6, 7, 8
Day 3- Iliad 9, 10, 11, 12
Day 4 - Iliad 13, 14, 15, 16
Day  5 - Iliad 17, 18, 19, 20
Day 6 - Iliad 21, 22, 23, 24
Day 7 - Odyssey 1, 2, 3, 4
Day 8 - Odyssey 5, 6, 7, 8
Day 9 - Odyssey 9, 10, 11, 12
Day 10 - Odyssey 13, 14, 15, 16
Day 11 - Odyssey 17, 18, 19, 20
Day 12 - Odyssey 21, 22, 23, 24