Seminar für Klassische Philologie

News

Preparatory Course (Propädeutikum):
For first-year students, the Department of Classical Philology will once again offer a preparatory course (Propädeutikum) in the winter semester 2026/27. The dates are as follows:
Latin: 05–16 October, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., room SKP 0.376.
Greek: 05–16 October, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m., room SKP 0.372.

The Department of Classical Philology is seeking a student assistant for the preparatory course in the winter semester 2026/27.
Click here for the job advertisement.

Guest Lectures:
The Department of Classical Philology and the Göttingen Friends of Ancient Literature invite you to the following guest lectures in the summer semester 2026:

  • Annette Harder
    Topic: The Home Life of the Heroes. The role of family life in the Argonautica of Apollonius Rhodius.
    Date: 07 May 2026 | 6:00 p.m. (c.t.)
    Room: PH 20
    • Abstract: The Argonautica of Apollonius is a travel epic in which a group of men traverses the world and faces a variety of challenges, but there is also a large number of ‘domestic’ scenes and brief references to family situations at home, which provide a contrast and background to the heroic adventures. For instance the description of Jason’s parents in the farewell episode, the stressed family relations in the home of Aeetes or the ‘divorce’ of Peleus and Thetis. In this lecture I will discuss some of these passages and show how here Apollonius is much indebted to Greek tragedy and thus gives the epic genre a new dimension and suggests a context for the troubled story of Jason and Medea.

  • Christine Schmitz
    Topic: The Power of Royal Women in the Poetry of Claudian.
    Date: 02 July 2026 | 6:00 p.m. (c.t.)
    Room: PH 20
    • Abstract: The late antique poet Claudian worked at the Western Roman imperial court in Milan, where the magister militum Stilicho conducted the affairs of state on behalf of Honorius, the underage son of Theodosius, who died in 395 AD. Claudian’s panegyrical poetry must be understood within this historical context. Although the women mentioned in his works did not hold official positions, they nevertheless played a decisive role within the power structure of the imperial court. Particular attention will be paid to Serena, the niece and adopted daughter of Theodosius and wife of Stilicho, as an influential female figure.

  • Michael Stierstorfer, Markus Janka
    Topic: Medusa Multimedial: Adaptations of Ancient Iconotexts in the Genres of Film, Graphic Novel, and Comics for Children and Young Adults.
    Date: 09 July 2026 | 6:00 p.m. (c.t.)
    Room: PH 20
    • Abstract: The myth of the beheading of the Gorgon Medusa, transformed into a snake-haired woman, is presented briefly but vividly in Ovid’s epic Metamorphoses within the narrative of her heroic conqueror Perseus (cf. Ovid, Met. 4,772–786). A multimedia and intertextual reading of this highly influential episode will demonstrate how the Roman poet, with his vivid narrative style, draws on and reinterprets earlier poetic and iconographic traditions surrounding Gorgo Medusa. In this context, reference will also be made to the early Greek poet Hesiod.

    Building on this intermedial dialogue in antiquity, which is fundamental for the Medusa theme, we will examine the phenomenology, techniques, and functional patterns that characterize adaptations of Medusa in contemporary media for children and young people.

    As reception documents, we will first consider representations of Medusa as an erotically charged femme fatale in the film adaptation of the novel “Percy Jackson: The Lightning Thief” (Rick Riordan 2006; Chris Columbus 2010), as well as her portrayal as a reflective victim figure in the recent series of the same name (James Bobin et al. 2023), oscillating between the roles of victim and perpetrator. We will then explore the postmodern deconstruction of the monstrous through the graphic novel “Medusa und Perseus” (André Breinbauer 2022) and the comic “Leo und der Fluch der Gorgonen” (Joe Todd-Stanton 2023).

    From a didactic perspective, the inter- and multimedia approach can encourage young learners, on the basis of foundational Latin competencies, to reflect on the tensions between patriarchy, the oppression of women, and emancipation/self-empowerment. Relevant perspectives for a reception-oriented approach to teaching classical languages will also be explored.

    Literature references:
    Rajewsky, Irina O.: Intermedialität eine Begriffsbestimmung, in: Bönnighausen, Marion/ Rösch, Heidi: Intermedialität im Deutschunterricht, Baltmannsweiler: Schneider 2004, S. 8-30.
    Stierstorfer, Michael und Markus Janka: (Proto-)phantastische Techniken komplexen Erzählens und Visualisierens in Ovids Metamorphosen und in aktuellen Kinoblockbustern. In: Zeitschrift für Fantastikforschung, Heft 2 (2020), S. 1-31. Online verfügbar unter: https://zff.openlibhums.org/article/id/2881/?fbclid=IwAR1_9HarWTYlwuUb6OeYGPsErOhBGhOl8k71KoOXxlzyHlq7QuRc2RZgFX4 (04.04.20)
    Stierstorfer, Michael/Markus Janka: Von der monströsen Täterin zur (teil-)emanzipierten Opfer- und Reflexionsfigur. Aktuelle Transformationen des Medusa-Mythos, in: Literatur im Unterricht 1/2025, S. 71-96.

    Students are warmly invited to express wishes regarding guest speakers or specific topics. For questions concerning the organization of the guest lectures as well as for submitting such suggestions, please contact Sören Lipphardt.