Myth and Folk
Course Description
*Course and materials adapted from the great Ty Devoe
Welcome to Myth and Folk.
People have always been mythmakers, trying to find explanations to events occurring in the surrounding world. Animals, for example, watch each other die but, as far as we know, they give the matter no further consideration. Yet even the primitive treasures in the graves of Neanderthal tribes demonstrate and attempt to form a counter-narrative to death. Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. From the very beginning we invented stories that enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, revealed an underlying pattern, and gave us a sense that, against all the often depressing and chaotic evidence to the contrary, life had meaning and value.
The study of mythology, particularly in its relevance to our daily lives, can yield rich results for the dedicated student. Our approach to mythology and folklore this semester will grant you the opportunity for cultural awareness and self-discovery. It is largely psychology and sociology through mythology. I hope you walk away knowledgeable and enlightened.
With that said, let’s look at the course itself. The principle goal of this course is to give you a working familiarity with the major mythos of the world, particularly the myths of Classical Greece and, to a lesser extent, Rome, mainly through examining primary sources, both literary and visual, with a particular focus on the role of heroes. We will also examine the nature and social function of mythology, studying a number of different ancient and modern theories. Also considered will be legacy of classical mythology in modern art and literature, including popular culture. Students will learn how mythic narrative patterns and symbols function in western culture. We will also delve into Norse, Arthurian, Egyptian, Indian, Native American, and many other cultural stories. Assignments in this course are designed to give you the freedom to explore your own humanity through extensive writing and reading; I hope you will think, reflect, and grow. The essential question that we will continually explore throughout our journey through mythology is: "Is being human something good, bad, tragic, or evil?" Your opinion on this matter may change frequently as you ponder human nature, the human condition, and your own life and role in this world. You will be discussing a great deal with your peers and your currently held beliefs will either be challenged and changed, or your current beliefs will be further solidified. In either case, you will think, reflect, and grapple with issues important to every human being at various stages of life.
Welcome to Myth and Folk.
People have always been mythmakers, trying to find explanations to events occurring in the surrounding world. Animals, for example, watch each other die but, as far as we know, they give the matter no further consideration. Yet even the primitive treasures in the graves of Neanderthal tribes demonstrate and attempt to form a counter-narrative to death. Human beings are meaning-seeking creatures. From the very beginning we invented stories that enabled us to place our lives in a larger setting, revealed an underlying pattern, and gave us a sense that, against all the often depressing and chaotic evidence to the contrary, life had meaning and value.
The study of mythology, particularly in its relevance to our daily lives, can yield rich results for the dedicated student. Our approach to mythology and folklore this semester will grant you the opportunity for cultural awareness and self-discovery. It is largely psychology and sociology through mythology. I hope you walk away knowledgeable and enlightened.
With that said, let’s look at the course itself. The principle goal of this course is to give you a working familiarity with the major mythos of the world, particularly the myths of Classical Greece and, to a lesser extent, Rome, mainly through examining primary sources, both literary and visual, with a particular focus on the role of heroes. We will also examine the nature and social function of mythology, studying a number of different ancient and modern theories. Also considered will be legacy of classical mythology in modern art and literature, including popular culture. Students will learn how mythic narrative patterns and symbols function in western culture. We will also delve into Norse, Arthurian, Egyptian, Indian, Native American, and many other cultural stories. Assignments in this course are designed to give you the freedom to explore your own humanity through extensive writing and reading; I hope you will think, reflect, and grow. The essential question that we will continually explore throughout our journey through mythology is: "Is being human something good, bad, tragic, or evil?" Your opinion on this matter may change frequently as you ponder human nature, the human condition, and your own life and role in this world. You will be discussing a great deal with your peers and your currently held beliefs will either be challenged and changed, or your current beliefs will be further solidified. In either case, you will think, reflect, and grapple with issues important to every human being at various stages of life.
Posts
9/15/15--Class Info
Agenda:
*We discussed "Children of the Wind" and I collected it
*We then read "House of Thebes" and followed up with Journal #7.
*We will discuss Journal 7 tomorrow with the quote on humility you were supposed to find for homework
HW: 1. Myth Quest #4 due Friday. 2. Read and annotate "House of Atreus". 3. Find a quote about humility and write in your journal and bring it in tomorrow.
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9/14/15--Class Info
Class Agenda:
*You received the prompt for Myth Quest #4--due Friday. Remember to include an MLA formatted source citation for where you got your information.
*You had Journal #6 which asked you about the family research you did over the weekend. You then shared out in your groups and with the class the artifacts and/or stories you discovered. Thank you to all who shared out. I truly enjoyed hearing your stories.
*We briefly discussed the myths of "Romulus and Remus" and "Antigone" and I collected those annotations. Remember in your annotations I am looking for evidence of intelligent thought and interaction with the texts. I know the annotations can get tedious, but they really are beneficial and you should get into the habit of annotating anything for school. It will help you to remember the material, will help to make the material more meaningful to you, will help you in our discussions of the material, and will help you with some of our writings.
*You received the myth "Children of the Wind" to read and annotate for homework.
HW: 1. Myth Quest #4 due Friday. 2. Read and annotate "Children of the Wind" due tomorrow.
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9/11/15--Romulus and Remus and Antigone
Homework due Monday.
9/11/15--Verbs
For the practice, write three sentences that each contain at least one helping verb and one main verb.
9/11/15--Class Info
Agenda for the day:
*Share out and collect Myth Quest #3
*Friday Fun Day Grammar--Verbs--collect the practice (write three sentences that contain at least one helping verb and one main verb)
*Discussion of "Cain and Abel" and "Ares and Hephaistos"--collected the annotations
*Handed out "Romulus and Remus" and "Antigone"
HW: 1. Read and annotate "Romulus and Remus" and "Antigone"
2. Research some family qualities, talents, interests, flaws, themes that have been common among generations. See if you can locate any photos or other tangible artifacts that illustrate these commonalities and bring them to class on Monday
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9/10/15--Class Info
*Today we had our class "Worst Parent" argument. I really enjoyed the arguments both classes presented. You performed well. After the argument we debriefed what happened. On the back of your charts you wrote which parent you started with and which parent you ended with. You also responded to the question of did the person who won the argument deserve to win, why or why not? You need to base this response on now well the group argued the case, not your own beliefs of who is the worst parent. For period 3, Oenopion won. For period 5, Hera won. You then responded to the question of which of the 4 character is the best parent and why. I collected the chart.
HW: 1. Myth quest #3 due tomorrow. 2. Read and annotate the myths of "Cain and Abel" and "Ares and Hephaistos" due tomorrow.
9/08-9/09/15--Cain and Abel--Ares and Hephaistos
Homework due Friday.
9/08-9/09/15--Class Info
*We began with Journal #5
*We briefly discussed the myths of "Osiris, Isis, and Horus" and "The Story of Poia" and I collected them.
*You spent the rest of the period preparing for our class argument tomorrow on the worst mythological parent.
HW: 1. Myth Quest 3 due Friday. 2. Read and annotate "Cain and Abel" and "Ares and Hephaistos" due Friday.
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