Introduction to Mythology
Comparative Literature 195:244:01
Spring 2013
MTh3 (11:30 - 12:50)
Frelinghuysen Hall, B4, CAC
Instructor: Tara Coleman
Email address: tjcole@eden.rutgers.edu
Office Hours: Mondays and Thursdays, 1-2pm in Au Bon Pain (CAC) or by appointment
Course website: https://sakai.rutgers.edu/portal, “Intro to Myth” tab
Program in Comparative Literature website: http://complit.rutgers.edu/
Learning Goals
Note that this course fulfills the following requirements:
 SAS Liberal Arts Distribution Requirements
This course fulfills the Humanities and Writing requirements.
 The Liberal Arts Distribution Requirements are restricted to:
o first year students enrolled in SAS prior to Fall 2011
o transfer students enrolled in SAS prior to Fall 2012
o school to school transfer students enrolled in SAS prior to Fall 2012
o First year students entering SAS in Fall 2011 or later and transfer students
entering SAS in Fall 2012 or later must complete the Core Curriculum.
Comparative Literature Learning Goals:
This course employs the learning goals that have been developed by the Program in Comparative
Literature for its respective majors, minors and for non-majors who take these courses as
electives:
 Students will demonstrate familiarity with a variety of world literatures as well as
methods of studying literature and culture across national and linguistic boundaries and
evaluate the nature, function and value of literature from a global perspective.
 They will demonstrate critical reasoning and research skills; design and conduct research
in an individual field of concentration (such as literary theory, women's literature, post
colonial studies, literature and film, etc); analyze a specific body of research and write a
clear and well developed paper or project about a topic related to more than one literary
and cultural tradition.
Course Description
What is myth? What is it for? This course will examine mythological works from a range of
cultural contexts in order to trace some of the common features of myth, while also paying close
attention to how myth functions differently in different times and places. Genres related to myth,
such as “legend,” “fairy tale” and “folklore,” will also be discussed, and we will think about how
these narratives inform a society’s understanding of itself. We will apply techniques derived
from literary theory and criticism to the analysis of myths, while also asking about the difference
between myth and literature. What happens to myth when it becomes part of literary or filmic
narratives? During the course, some of the major twentieth-century theories of myth will be
introduced. As the study of myth has had wide-ranging influence on the study of culture more
broadly, we will discuss some of the ways in which these theories have been applied to cultural
studies beyond the realm of mythology.
Attendance Requirements
Students are expected to attend all classes and attendance will be taken at each class meeting. If
you expect to miss one or two classes, please use the University absence reporting website
https://sims.rutgers.edu/ssra/ to indicate the date and reason for your absence. An email is
automatically sent to me.
Each student is allowed two unexcused absences for the semester; exceeding that number
will result in a lowering of the final grade for each further absence. Your overall participation
and quiz grades will also be affected if you are not present in class.
If you expect to miss class for religious holidays, athletic competitions, job interviews or
doctor’s appointments, you will be excused if you notify me in advance. If you do not notify me
in advance, absences will only be excused with some form of verification, such as a doctor’s note.
Late arrivals of more than 15 minutes will count as half an unexcused absence.
Long-term absences. In cases where students must miss classes for periods longer than one
week, they are directed to see a Dean of Students for assistance to help verify these
circumstances.
Required Texts- available at the RU Bookstore
1. Eva M. Thury and Margaret Devinney, Introduction to Mythology: Contemporary Approaches
to Classical and World Myths [ISBN: 9780199859238]
 Please note: The textbook ordered through the Rutgers bookstore is the Third Edition.
You may also purchase the Second Edition for a cheaper price at Amazon or another used
book outlet. [ISBN: 9780195332940].
2. Roland Barthes, Mythologies. Translated by Annette Lavers. [ISBN: 9780374521509]
Films for Viewing
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The Searchers (1956), dir. John Ford
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000), dir. Ang Lee
Pan’s Labyrinth (2006), dir. Guillermo del Toro
All three of these films are available at the Douglass Media Center (in the basement of the Mabel
Smith Douglass Library). All three are also available on DVD through Netflix (with a
subscription) and are available to stream on Amazon (for a fee).
Course Etiquette
Our class meetings will be a time for us to come together to dive into the readings and to develop
and refine our ideas about them. It will also be the time for us to draw connections between texts
and traditions. In order to be prepared for discussion, you must read the texts or view the films in
their entirety before class. Because interpretation and analysis require close readings, you
must bring a hard copy of the assigned readings to every class. For readings made available
on Sakai, you are required to print them out and bring them to class. I will note down
students who do not have the readings in front of them. Consistently failing to bring the readings
to class will affect your participation grade at the end of the semester.
The class discussion is meant to be a time for lively discussion and debate. While I hope you will
disagree with each other and challenge one another to push your ideas further, a productive
intellectual community requires respect for every participant’s views. All students should feel
free to pose questions and suggest interpretations, whether to check a basic fact or test out a notyet-fleshed-out idea. Class time will also be used to develop your writing skills and workshop
papers. I expect all students to provide respectful, constructive feedback on their peers’ work.
Please note that all cell phones, tablets, netbooks, laptops and any other form of electronic
equipment must be turned off and put away during class. Improper use of laptops and cell
phones violates the spirit of intellectual working together that constitutes the classroom
experience. Unfortunately, it is impossible for one instructor to monitor the use of electronic
devices by all students in the classroom and therefore such devices may only be used with
special permission (e.g. if you want to look something up during group work). In all other cases,
I will interpret the use of such devices as evidence of less than full participation in the day’s
discussion, and your participation grade will be affected as a result.
Course Requirements
Attendance and participation: 10%
In-class quizzes: 10%
Response papers: 20%
Midterm paper: 30%
Final paper: 30%
Total--------------------------------------100%
In-class quizzes: Short quizzes will be given randomly at the start of class to make sure that you
are keeping up with the readings. Quizzes cannot be made up due to lateness or absence.
Response papers: You will write four short responses (2-3 pages each) during the semester. In
these responses you will practice doing an interpretive analysis of the readings and may either
respond to the suggested topics or explore your own ideas. They are meant to help you prepare
for the longer midterm and final papers. Responses will be submitted through Sakai and are due
before the start of class that day (11am). Late responses will not be accepted.
Midterm and final papers: You will write two longer papers (5-7 pages each) which will bring
two or more texts from the course together. Each paper will be organized around your own
argument, but suggested topics will be provided. The midterm and final papers will be submitted
through Sakai and checked for plagiarism.
Grading Rubric
A=90-100; B+=87-89; B=80-86; C+=77-79; C=70-76; D=60-69; F=59 and below
A specific rubric for your written assignments will be posted on Sakai.
Policy on Plagiarism
Plagiarism can include using information from published materials (including the internet)
without acknowledging the source, teaming up with a classmate to write a paper, and having
someone else write some or all of a paper for you. In this course I am interested in your ideas, in
your work. If I should discover evidence of plagiarism, I will pursue it following the interim
Rutgers Academic Integrity Policy, which can be accessed by clicking on this link:
http://academicintegrity.rutgers.edu/files/documents/AI_Policy_9_01_2011.pdf
Violations of the policy include: cheating, fabrication, plagiarism, denying others access to
information or material, and facilitating violations of academic integrity. Here is a plagiarism
tutorial that students might wish to consult for clarification of what plagiarism is:
http://sccweb.scc-net.rutgers.edu/douglass/sal/plagiarism/Intro.html
Students with Disabilities
Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey abides by the Americans with Disabilities Act of
1990, the Americans with Disabilities Act Amendments (ADAA) of 2088, and Sections 504 and
508 which mandate that reasonable accommodations be provided for qualified students with
disabilities. If you have a disability and may require some type of instructional and/or
examination accommodation, please contact your instructor early in the semester. If you have not
already done so, you will need to register with the Office of Disability Services, located in the
Kreeger Learning Center, 151 College Avenue, Suite 123, phone number 732-932-2848.
The Undergraduate Program in Comparative Literature
Comparative Literature is an exciting interdisciplinary program that allows you to study
literature as it shapes and is shaped by the world of science, economics, politics, sexuality, and
other cultural and historical forces. It is a major that should be attractive to students with a wide
ranging interest in literature, theory, and cultural studies, and who also wish to read literature in
the original language as well as in translation. For more information on majoring or minoring in
Comparative Literature at Rutgers, please visit: http://complit.rutgers.edu/ or contact
Undergraduate Director Jorge Marcone at jmarcone@rci.rutgers.edu.
Schedule of Readings
**Page numbers are given for readings found in the textbook, Introduction to Mythology:
Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths. Readings not found in the required
texts are on Sakai, under the “Resources” tab.
Jan. 24- Introduction: What is Mythology?
Jan. 28- Lauri Honko, “The Problem of Defining Myth” and G. S. Kirk, “On Defining Myths”
[Sakai]; Biblical Creation Stories (pp. 50-56)
Jan. 31- African creation stories (pp. 102-109); Indigenous Australian dreamtime stories [Sakai]
Feb. 4- Native American Creation Stories (pp. 89-101); “A Chinese Creator Goddess” (pp. 111124)
Feb. 7- The Prose Edda (pp. 78-88, pp. 147-154 and pp. 218-230)– Response Paper 1 due
Feb. 11- The Ramayana (pp.203-217); Excerpts from The Hero With A Thousand Faces [Sakai]
Feb. 14- Excerpt from The History of the Kings of Britain [Sakai]
Feb. 18- Epic of Gilgamesh (pp. 166-188)
Feb. 21- Epic of Gilgamesh, cont’d (pp. 189-192); “A Levi-Straussian Analysis of the Epic of
Gilgamesh” (pp.193-202) – Response Paper 2 due
Feb. 25- The Structural Study of Myth (pp. 280-294)
Feb. 28- Selections from Russian Fairy Tales [Sakai]
Mar. 4-The Morphology of a Folktale (pp.499-513); “A Proppian Analysis of The Wizard of Oz”
(pp.514-523)
Mar. 7- NO CLASS
Mar. 11- Man and His Symbols (pp. 468-484); Workshop midterm papers
Mar. 14-; “The Raven” (pp. 531-534), “How to Perform a Jungian Analysis of a Myth or Fairy
Tale” (pp. 485-493)- MIDTERM PAPER due Mar 14 by midnight
Mar. 18 + 21- SPRING BREAK
Mar. 25- Oedipus the King (pp.231-279)
Mar. 28- Ovid’s Metamorphoses (pp.42-56, 129-138)
Apr. 1- Myth in Poetry [selected poems available on Sakai]
Apr. 4- Myth in Poetry, cont’d – Response Paper 3 due
Apr. 8- The Searchers – film; Excerpt from Signs and Meaning in Cinema [Sakai]
Apr. 11- The Searchers, cont’d; Excerpt from Stars [Sakai]
Apr. 15- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon - film
Apr. 18- Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, cont’d; “The China Simulacrum” and excerpt from
Visuality and Identity [Sakai]
Apr. 22- Pan’s Labyrinth- film; read “Pan’s Labyrinth, Fear and the Fairy Tale” [Sakai]
Apr. 25- Pan’s Labyrinth, cont’d; “Embracing the Horror” [Sakai] – Response Paper 4 due
Apr. 29- Mythologies (selections TBA)
May 2- Mythologies, cont’d
May 6- “Ara Irititja: Protecting the Past, Accessing the Future—Indigenous Memories in a
Digital Age” [Sakai]; Conclusion
FINAL PAPER DUE May 6 by Midnight