In this interdisciplinary seminar, we will examine the representation of Dionysiac myth and ritual in ancient Greek art and poetry. We will pay close attention to the nature of the relationship between myth and ritual; to the complex connections between Dionysiac ritual and dramatic performance; and to the contributions of the visual arts to the articulation of those relationships. Most of the works of art to be considered in the course date from the Archaic and Classical periods, but important works of art from the Roman period will be included. Reading assignments will include Euripides' Bakchai, Aristophanes' Acharnians, Nietzsche's Birth of Tragedy, as well as contemporary scholarship on Greek mythology and ritual, Greek conviviality, and visual narration in Greek art. Requirements: short presentations, participation in discussions, and a final paper. Enrollment limit: 15. Preference given to students in the Graduate Program in the History of Art, undergraduate Art History majors, and Classics majors -in that order.