Introduction to Greek Literature

The course is foundational and mandatory for the BA 'Ancient Civilizations for the Contemporary World' and belongs to the literary-linguistic area. It aims to offer a good knowledge of ancient Greek literature and civilization within the framework of ancient Mediterranean cultures. Greek civilization, moreover, spread well beyond antiquity, thus affecting the contemporary world in multiple ways. The course also aims to improve the students' knowledge of the Greek language, with a focus on specific words and notions that help understand Greek civilization and its contemporary legacy.

Knowledge and understanding: basic tools for the literary analysis of texts (technical terms, methods, digital tools); knowledge of key themes, periods or genres of Greek literature; knowledge of key terms in Greek (brief texts to be read in the original along with English translations and commentaries).

Ability to apply knowledge and understanding: an ability to read and analyze ancient Greek texts and place them within their historical context by using an appropriate critical terminology; ab ability to collect, select, understand, and use modern scholarship.

Expressing critical opinions: ab ability to address texts and themes objectively, with a historically informed approach and an awareness of their multifaceted reception in the contemporary world

Communication skills: clear exposition (oral and written)

Learning skills: reading, understanding and interpreting Greek texts with the aid of English translations and with an eye to interdisciplinary comparisons; an ability to independently develop and integrate relevant pieces of knowledge and skills.