Myths! What are they? Why are they remembered? Why should they be remembered? Are myths merely falsehoods--entertaining stories about gods and demigods written by people of ancient times, or are they a context where the actual truth of the human lot occurs?

English 257 is a cross cultural survey of some of the world's mythologies and the myths of various cultures. It is designed to facilitate an inquiry into these enigmas and to learn how myth delineated individual societies and how it continues to define our lives.

Since the world of myth and the study of mythology is gargantuan, we will focus on only a few aspects of it. Our emphasis in this course is on Greek, Hindu, and Celtic mythologies, specifically, the epic battles, The Iliad, The Mahabharata, and The Tain. Through these mythologies of warfare we will examine:

• The concept of war and how it created the very fabric of societies
• The theme of honor and glory
• The relationship between Man and Divine
• The role of woman as wife, goddess, and catalyst

Although myth is most often presented in narrative, it is protean in nature. Thus, the study of myth is interdisciplinary. In this course, while focusing on myth's literary form, we will see, with the aid of films and slides how seamlessly it translates into not only classical visual art forms but also into popular culture.

One of the main purposes of this course is to inculcate a love of myth, and an effective way to do that is to read the myths, not only critically and analytically, but also with a deep sense of enjoyment, as one would with a good story. Your essays and other assignments will be a reflection of this love and appreciation.

Please view my introduction to the course on video. (This requires the basic RealPlayer, which you can download at no cost from www.real.com.)

If you do well in this course, you will be able to:

• Recall specific myths from the three assigned cultures
• Describe societal norms and explain how they created the cultures depicted in the texts
• Describe the characters and their roles in the ‘story’
• Recall peripheral myths that give the texts their totality of experience
• Identify cross cultural universal themes
• Describe the relationship between classical forms of myth and popular culture
• Recognize the important role of mythology in today’s world

The required textbooks for this course are:

• Homer The Iliad, Robert Fagles (trns), Penguin Classics, 1998
• The Mahabharat, Chakravarthi V. Narasimhan (trns), Columbia University Press, 1998
• The Tain from the Irish epic Tain Bo Cuailnge, Thomas Kinsella (trns), Oxford University Press, 2002

For information on how to order your textbooks, go to http://eli.nvcc.edu/books/

Videos

There are two videos you will view for this course:

• Troy, 2004. Starring: Brad Pitt, Eric Bana. Director: Wofgang Peterson
• Mahabharata, 1990. Director: Peter Brooks

You can either purchase these from any film/book store such as Amazon.com or rent them from any video store, such as Blockbuster Video or Tower Records, etc. Many libraries also carry these films.

Optional Study Guides

The following are the Study Guides I recommend using for this course:

• Epics for Students: Thomson/Gale Study Guides for The Iliad, The Mahabharata, and The Tain.

These are not mandatory; they are supplemental to your textbooks. If you use these, please know that I expect you refer to them only for a deeper understanding of the main texts not as the main source of information and study. They are available on Amazaon in PDF form and cost $3.95. Once you pay for them, Amazon will send the link to download them to your E-mail.

eNOVA Materials

This course uses eNOVA, the virtual web classroom. Consequently, you need to have speakers and a microphone, or a headset with microphone. Microphones and headsets can be purchased inexpensively at any computer store. See the microphone tutorial for assistance in installing your microphone.

Your course grade will be determined according to the following points:

There are 3 exams in this course. You are expected to take your examinations at one of the NVCC campus Testing Centers. Be sure to allow enough time to complete your exam before the Testing Center closes; Testing Centers have specific policies relating to the administration of ELI exams. You will need to take a photo ID, your NovaConnect Empl ID number, and the appropriate Exam Pass when you go to the Testing Center.  

For Testing Center locations, hours of operation and policies, click here.

For information on taking exams outside of the metropolitan area, click here.

I am here to help you succeed in this course. Occasionally questions or problems may arise. Here is how to contact me when they do:

E-mail : mnayak@nvcc.edu Telephone : (703) 404-7337
E-mail : jemmons@nvcc.edu
You may also call to schedule a meeting in person, either at ELI or the office at Loudoun Campus. 

1. Use your web browser to connect to http://www.nvcc.edu/bbstart. Follow the directions to determine your email, Blackboard and VIVA account user names and passwords.
2. Access your email account and make sure you know how to use it; you will be required to use this account for all course-related email.
3. Log on to Blackboard at http://nvcc.my.vccs.edu.
4. Click on this course under "My Courses." Review the entire course to make sure you understand what will be required of you. Then start completing the assignments.

Please note that account generation takes approximately one week from the time of your paid registration. If you cannot log on after one week, contact the IT Help Desk. If you can log on to Blackboard, but your course isn't listed, please contact ELI or your instructor.