RELS 609 - Divination and Semiotics

Institution:

University of Pennsylvania

Subject:

Description:

Struck. This course will trace a history of signs, using Greek divination as the primary focus. We will explore ancient and contemporary sign theories and their usefulness in illuninating ancient practices of divination--or the reading of signs thought to be embedded in the world. Participants in the seminar will be expected to contribute an expertise in one (or more) of three general areas: Greek literature, Greek and Roman religions, and contemporary theory in the humanities. The course is open to graduate students without Greek as well as classicists--though please register appropriately. The particular areas we cover will to some extent be determined by the interests of the participants, but will surely include: divination by dreams, entrails, and oracles as attested by literary and (to a lesser extent) archaeological evidence; Platonic, Aristotelian, Stoic and Neoplatonic theories of signs; and contemporary semiotics as articulated mainly by Saussure, Barthes, and Eco. Ancient authors will include: Homer, Xenophon, Sophocles, Cicero, Artemidorus, and Iamblichus.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.upenn.edu

Phone Number:

(215) 898-5000

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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