In this one-unit freshman seminar, we will read and discuss a landmark of world literature, the ancient Greek epic poem called the Odyssey. The work tells the story of the Greek hero Odysseus’ struggle to make his way back home after the Trojan War and of what happened when he got there. Along the way, we will look at what the poem has to say about very many things, including identity, violence, the nature of “home,” the relationship between household and political community, gender, fame, family, and the power of storytelling. There will be monsters, strange lands with strange customs, sorceresses, conversations with ghosts, transformation and shapeshifting, gods and goddesses, storms, shipwrecks, tricks and schemes, lies and tall tales, and all kinds of other wild stuff. There will be no written assignments in this course; the only requirements are that you 1). complete the weekly readings, 2). think about them, and 3). on the basis of your reading and thinking contribute actively and constructively to our in-class discussions.