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? 

Eng 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, Sumerian, and Norse mythologies. We will examine these mythologies through:

• Creation myths and how they created the very fabric of societies
• The female divine and her role
• The male divine and how he defined the norms

The course is divided into two units. In the first unit, we will discuss myth in general and its expression in the above three themes. This unit consists of BlackBoard discussions and postings, and a mid-term exam. The second unit consists of text-based research papers based on specific myths related to the above themes. The last assignment in this unit is a final exam, which will be short essay responses to questions that will test your knowledge of the materials. 

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 as entertaining stories, but also critically and analytically, because the "myth onion" has many layers, and each layer reveals a new meaning, a new perspective, and a new connection. Your essays and other assignments should be a reflection of this holistic approach.

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

1. Understand the origin of myth and its dynamics
2. Describe specific myths from the four assigned cultures
3. Describe societal norms and how they created the cultures depicted in the texts
4. Recall characters and their roles in the story
5. Understand cross cultural universal themes
6. Explain the important role of mythology in today's world

Possible Assignments Include: (Subject to change each semester. The actual assignments are available in the Syllabus in the Blackboard course site on the first day of classes.)

Your final grade may be based on the following scale. Please note that you must also pass both exams in order to pass the course, regardless of your scores on the other assignments.

There are 2 exams in this course.

Last Updated: May 15, 2013