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USSY 203 - Myth, Ritual & Society in the Ancient World (3 hrs). Charles Burroughs, TR 10:00-11:15 AM, classroom TBA.
(Prereq: FSCC 100 or equivalent)
This course will introduce students to Greek, Roman and some Ancient Near Eastern myth and ritual along with the various ways of interpreting or explaining them. The focus will be on reading the primary sources (Hesiod, Homer, Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides, Aristophanes, and Menander) in their entirety and from these gleaning an understanding of what myth and ritual tell us about the societies that generated them: what were their values, collective memories, sense of humor and how are they similar to or different from our own? Part of the class will involve an overnight stay at the Pink Pig (located at CWRU's Squire Valleevue Farm) on Friday, January 25 in order to read significant parts of the Iliad in translation.
USSY 236 - Romantic Comedy (3 hrs). Timothy Wutrich, TR 8:30-9:45 AM, classroom TBA.
(Prereq: FSCC 100 or equivalent)
From ancient Athens to present-day Hollywood, romantic comedies have enjoyed continuous widespread popularity in the theater. In this course we shall read a broad range of romantic comedies, from the genre's beginnings with the Greek New Comedy playwright Menander to the Romans Plautus and Terence and on to Shakespeare. We shall also watch selected modern American films that preserve elements of Classical New Comedy. The course begins with a look at selected theories of drama and comedy in particular in order to elucidate our understanding of the plays and films. Through readings and screenings, class discussions, presentations, and essay writing, we shall investigate many aspects of romantic comedy such as the relationship between tragedy and comedy; the importance of love and sex in the comic tradition; the audience; laughter; comedy and society and more.
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