CLAS 369/ASIAN 498 A/GLITS313:
EPIC EMOTIONS: THE ILIAD AND THE MAHABHARATA
How to deal with Epic Emotions? What are emotions anyways? To what extent are they culturally determined?
This class uses the larger-than-life emotions of classical epics, comparing those from two different cultures: the Greek Iliad and the Indian Mahabharata.
We read from the originals (in translation) and take into account contemporary representations to trace how heroes, heroines, and villains deal with fear, anger, hatred, grief, pity… and yes, also love and humor!
INSTRUCTORS:
Olga Levaniouk, Professor, Department of Classics.
olevan@u.washington.edu
Office: Denny M262B, (206) 543-2266
Office hours: Monday 4:30-5:30pm, Tuesday 3:30-4:30pm and by appointment
Heidi Pauwels, Professor, Department of Asian Languages and Literature
hpauwels@uw.edu
Office: Gowen Hall 223, (206) 543-4235; Office hours: TTh 3:20–4:10 and by zoom appointment
TEXTS
The Iliad. A New Translation. By Caroline Alexander. Ecco 2016 (or another translation in consultation with the instructors
The Mahābhārata. Abbreviated translation. By Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan. New York: Columbia University Press 1998.
Translation of the complete Mahābhārata on the Internet Archive (subscribe for free): The Mahābhārata. Trsl. By Debroy, Bibek. 2010–14. The Mahabharata. New Delhi, India: Penguin Books India.
EVALUATION:
60% group activities in class (two lowest scores dropped)
25% individual in class writing exercise (on paper!)
15% creative group project performing/redesigning epic scenes through a contemporary lens (W11)
If you miss a group activity you can make it up by coming to an office hour of instructor in question or setting up a zoom appointment for a (very) brief discussion.
SCHEDULE OF READINGS AND ASSIGNMENTS
FULL COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course is a co-taught upper-level seminar open to all majors. We will be discussing and comparing two major Epic poems, the Iliad on Ancient Greek side and the Mahābhārata on the Indian side, with a focus on emotions. Did you know that, according to one leading specialist on the subject, it takes “more than a life-time” to learn another culture’s emotions? We suspect that sometimes it can take “more than a life-time” to understand other people’s emotions even within one’s culture. The Iliad and the Mahābhārata took many lifetimes to be created and they can tell a lot about emotions, in Antiquity and today. So, we’ll think through emotions as we read parts of these two epics. They are very different, culturally contrasting, and yet you will also see many similarities. You will get to practice your trans-linguistic and trans-cultural analytical skills and to enjoy these towering works of world literature. This course could be both a culminating experience and an introductory experience for students in their study of literature; there are no prerequisites and no previous knowledge of the Iliad or the Mahābhārata is assumed. But: you will learn a lot even if you have read some of these poems before! Please be prepared for a substantial amount of reading
Course goals:
- develop a dialectic understanding of our shared humanity and cultural diversity via the creative processing of two culturally central works of world literature that at the same time echo each other and come from two very different cultures.
- have historical and cultural awareness in relating to works of literature from different times and places in general, and the Iliad and the Mahābhārata in particular
- be able to think about and discuss the phenomenon of traditional epic poetry and storytelling, its cultural role and importance, the similarities and differences between the Iliad and the Mahābhārata, and the similarities and differences between these epics and various modern ways of storytelling such as literature, theater, film, games etc.
- understand some of the latest developments in the study of emotions and their implications for understanding of the world literature and culture in general
- apply increased awareness about emotions to trans-cultural and trans-linguistic reading of the Iliad and the Mahābhārata
- gain critical awareness - understanding of the history of changing interpretations of the epics and how this is connected to the emotions and values of those who do the interpretations
- gain increased self-awareness and sensitivity to the cultural forces shaping our own emotions
- use an informed reading of culturally contrasting war epics to help think through some of the emotional issues of today
ACADEMIC SUPPORT
Disability Resources:
If you have not yet established services through DRS, but have a temporary health condition or permanent disability that requires accommodations (conditions include but not limited to; mental health, attention-related, learning, vision, hearing, physical or health impacts), you are welcome to contact DRS at 206-543-8924 or uwdrs@uw.edu or uw.edu. DRS offers resources and coordinates reasonable accommodations for students with disabilities and/or temporary health conditions. Reasonable accommodations are established through an interactive process between you, your instructor(s) and DRS. It is the policy and practice of the University of Washington to create inclusive and accessible learning environments consistent with federal and state law.
Religious accommodations
“Washington state law requires that UW develop a policy for accommodation of student absences or significant hardship due to reasons of faith or conscience, or for organized religious activities. The UW’s policy, including more information about how to request an accommodation, is available at Religious Accommodations Policy (https://registrar.washington.edu/staffandfaculty/religious-accommodations-policy/)Links to an external site.. Accommodations must be requested within the first two weeks of this course using the Religious Accommodations Request form (https://registrar.washington.edu/students/religious-accommodations-request/)Links to an external site..”
Learning Support:
- Many materials for the class are provided via canvas. If you do not have access to canvas please let me know and we'll find a way of getting the materials to you.
- Access and Accommodations: Your experience in this class is important to me. If you have already established accommodations with Disability Resources for Students (DRS), please communicate your approved accommodations to me so we can discuss your needs in this course.
- UW Academic Support: http://depts.washington.edu/aspuw/more/campus-resources/ Links to an external site.Links to an external site.
UW Counseling Center: http://www.washington.edu/counseling/Links to an external site.
Student conduct:
The University of Washington Student Conduct Code (WAC 478-121) defines prohibited academic and behavioral conduct and describes how the University holds students accountable as they pursue their academic goals. Allegations of misconduct by students may be referred to the appropriate campus office for investigation and resolution. More information can be found online at https://www.washington.edu/studentconduct/Links to an external site.
Notice to Students - Use of Plagiarism Detection Software
The University has a license agreement with SimCheck, an educational tool that helps prevent or identify plagiarism from Internet resources. Your instructor may use the service in this class by requiring that assignments are submitted electronically to be checked by SimCheck. The SimCheck Report will indicate the amount of original text in your work and whether all material that you quoted, paraphrased, summarized, or used from another source is appropriately referenced.
OL's Land Acknowledgment:
I am a white person of Jewish, Ukranian, Russian, Belorussian, and Polish descent, and I am teaching this course on the Seattle campus of The University of Washington, which occupies the unceded lands of the Coast Salish Peoples, the lands which touch the shared waters of all tribes and bands within the Duwamish, Puyallup, Suquamish, Tulalip, and Muckleshoot nations, whose ancestors have dwelt here since time immemorial and who live here today.
You can learn more about the history and culture of the Duwamish people from the resources at duwamishtribe.org. (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site.Real Rent Duwamish (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site. offers a collection of resources to learn more about the practices of Land Acknowledgement here (Links to an external site.) Links to an external site..
If you have comments about this Land Acknowledgement, please let me know: olevan@uw.edu