Greek and Roman Mythology in Popular Culture
Register for this Fall 2022 course on the new NYU SPS Academy of Lifelong Learning website.
In this five-session class, we will explore aspects of the reception of Greco-Roman myth in various popular contemporary media. Each class will be devoted to a different medium: TV, music, books, visual art, and internet culture. How do the forms of ancient mythology make it suitable for meme culture? How do pop representations of famous mythical and historical characters (Hercules, Zeus, Cleopatra, and others) square with their ancient receptions? How does engaging with pop culture from a mythical perspective help us be more mindful of diversity and political ideology? We will ask these and other questions through various readings in translation and analyses of contemporary pop culture, including Star Wars
, Taylor Swift, Station Eleven
(both the book and the TV show), among others. Fall 2022 tuition is $399.
You'll Walk Away with
- A familiarity with famous characters and stories from Greek and Roman mythology
- Knowledge about contemporary works of television, literature, music, and visual art
- An understanding of how ancient mythology can help us understand contemporary cultural and political issues
Ideal for
- Anyone wishing to know more about classical mythology
- Those with an interest in popular culture
- All members of the community––working, retired, and in-between
NO open sections available for this course at the moment. Please check back next semester.