Olivia’s presentation is called, “Teaching Homer’s Odyssey: Where is your Ithaca?”
For several thousand years, students have eagerly devoured the tale of the wandering Odysseus making his way home from the war at Troy. In the world of smartphones, paperless classrooms, and Project Based Learning, does this ancient myth fit today? Absolutely. This presentation seeks to explore how one may teach myth through Homer’s epic poem, the relevance of this text for students seeking a path through all their wanderings, and how to engage students with an ancient text. With two paths, students advocate for their desired level of involvement either through examining “what is your Ithaca” or “how does myth inspire art.” While this project is constructed for secondary education, it may easily be scaffolded for junior high or college level courses.
Olivia Happel, PhD is a Latin, Mythology, Theory of Knowledge, English, and Film Studies teacher at Dos Pueblos High School where she has worked since 2014. There she serves as the Extended Essay Coordinator (a four thousand word research essay comprised by IB students over the junior and senior year). She has created her own curriculum for both the Mythology and Film Studies course at DPHS. Her doctoral dissertation is titled, “That Which Is Not Yet Known: An Alchemical Analysis of Michael Maier’s Arcana Arcanissima.” She has presented at the American Academy of Religion Regional Conference as well as the Pop Culture Association Regional and National Conference. Her academic interests include myth, religious studies, alchemy, and classics. She seeks to pursue the #immutablediamondbody throughout her life, scholarship, and career.