Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
World Mythology (100% Online)
Program in Comparative Literature
Course Description
Through analysis of mythological forms, practices and
symbolism, students will explore how myth pervades
literature and popular culture. A wide cultural and
transdisciplinary reach renders this course highly
relevant to today’s globalized and rapidly changing
world that is in need of nuanced perspectives. These
traits situate the course within the exciting domain of
Comparative Literature.
Note: This version of the course is entirely online and
requires a reliable Internet connection. It is also 100%
asynchronous and thus has no “live” time component.
Photo: Robert Frank
Course #: 01:195:150:91
Semester: Spring 2013
Instructor: Neil Pischner
Email: neilpischner1@gmail.com
Email Availability and Response Time: While I do not accept late work, I will answer your questions within 24 hours.
Program in Comparative Literature website:
http://complit.rutgers.edu/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1
SAS 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.
•
Students who are following the Liberal Arts Distribution Requirements and prefer to complete the Core Curriculum should
speak to an academic adviser.
•
This course satisfies the SAS writing requirement as a “writing-intensive course.” This course requires at least 15 pages or
more of writing in English—including at least one sustained piece of analytical or interpretive prose—and provides regular
detailed feedback on writing.
•
This course satisfies an SAS Humanities requirement.
Comparative Literature Learning Goals:
•
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.
•
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.
Instructor Learning Goals:
•
Students will come to understand how mythology is highly relevant to contemporary life on both personal and societal levels.
•
For diverse kinds of cultural artifacts and practices, students will learn to distinguish dimensions of content, form, and
symbolism/metaphor using theoretical frameworks drawn from literary criticism, cultural anthropology, comparative mythology,
psychoanalysis, among others.
•
By working across disciplinary borders, student writing will cultivate more complex and nuanced connective thinking and
enquiry.
Advantages of the Online Course Format:
This online version of the course matches the face-to-face version in rigor and quality of educational experience. Both versions are
highly interactive and are based on a combination of lectured content, student centered activities, small group discussions, and analysis
of texts, films, and other cultural artifacts and practices. Moreover, the online version is particularly well suited to fostering a rich set of
both student-student and student-instructor interactions. Indeed, such collaboration is crucial for the success of any version of the
course. Our online learning community readily provides a safe space and the means to hold students accountable for sharing their
ideas in the pursuit of the co-production of knowledge and understanding. The course will be conducted 100% via Sakai.
Login for our course here: sakai.rutgers.edu
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World Mythology (100% Online)
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Program in Comparative Literature
REQUIRED BOOKS TO ACQUIRE/PURCHASE
Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. Novato, CA: New World, 2008. (ISBN: 9781577315933)
Jung, Carl G. Man and His Symbols. Random House: New York, 1968. (ISBN: 9780440351832)
Lame Deer, John and Richard Erdoes. Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions. New York: Pocket, 1994.
(9780671888022)
(Other editions of the Jung and Lame Deer titles will work, too, but you do need the 2008 edition of Campbell.
To save money, all can probably be found in a library, either university or public, although they are great books
to keep.)
Attendance: This online course is 100% asynchronous and as such has no “live” attendance component
(neither online nor face-to-face). Nevertheless, there are regular and frequent due dates for assignment
submissions. You will need to anticipate any religious observances, athletic competitions, or other obligations
in order to manage your time accordingly (no extensions or special provisions will be made). In the event of an
illness that is serious enough to detract from your course commitments, documentation will need to be
provided. Long-term dire circumstances that threaten your success in the course can be discussed with a
Dean: http://sas.rutgers.edu/office-of-the-dean/leadership-a-staff-directory#Area.
Grading: A (92-100), B+ (87-91), B (80-86), C+ (77-80), C (70-76), D (60-70), F (59 and below)
Forum Discussion:
Short Analysis Papers:
Creative Project:
Analysis Paper for Creative Project:
10%
60%
20%
10%
(1 point each of 10 postings)*
(5 points each of 12 papers)
(20 points)
(10 points)
Note: There are actually 11 Forum postings, so one is an extra point for you.
No Late Work
I cannot allow any late submissions for any work. It may seem harsh, but most students in the end appreciate
this rule, since it helps them stay organized. You must simply accept the fact that things happen in life that
prevent you from completing assignments. A flat tire. Oversleeping. Random confusion. An innocent mistake.
Procrastination. Other responsibilities: Jobs, taking care of loved ones. I make no value judgments about this,
and I never get mad or feel disrespected when a student does not turn something in on time or at all. It
happens to all of us. That is why I design the course so that if you are not able for whatever reason to submit
something on time, in most cases it is not going to be a significant “grade changer” for you. It will likely only
significantly impact your final grade if you habitually miss deadlines, in which case your grade should be less
anyway. By staying in the course, we assume that you agree with this policy. Nevertheless, there are always
students who email me to apologize for missing a deadline and that they don’t want to waste my time with
excuses and prefer to take full responsibility for the situation but just want to attach the assignment to the email
anyway so that I know they finished it, although having no expectation of receiving any credit. I appreciate such
maturity, and I always enjoy reading student work, but I still cannot accept late assignments for credit.
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
World Mythology (100% Online)
Program in Comparative Literature
Some things to avoid if you want to nail a Short Analysis Paper:
This course is within the domain of Comparative Literature where we recognize that there are no absolutes,
and in fact we honor and encourage interpretive risks and out-of-the-box thinking. I do not deduct points if your
interpretation of something is different from my own. In fact, it happens all the time that students help me to
see things in new light. Re-read my words on that many times! On the other hand, I can tell when a student
has not made sufficient effort with writing assignments. I will take points off of your assignments if I find that
your response is too “general,” or otherwise lacking in meaningful engagement with specific details of the
assigned texts. I have been there, too. The following “signs of lack” particularly raise red flags for your Short
Analysis Papers (and not for your Group Discussion post, which affords you freedom to brainstorm and be
selective with your focus and texts):
(1) You summarize way too much. Your response is like a 7th grade book report. Summary can be useful, of
course, to contextualize analysis, so don’t neurotically shun summary. Use summary appropriately: to
contextualize analysis.
(2) Your response is void of quotes. Quotations are important in Comparative Literature. We value the
original language and seek to uncover what specific language can reveal.
(3) Your response is saturated with quotes. You use them as “filler” or “padding.” So, having zero quotes
raises a red flag, and so does putting in more quotes than your own words.
(4) Your response is too short. The length requirements for the Group Discussion and the papers are entirely
reasonable. It may be that a particular assignment does not interest you, so you run out of steam in your
response. Still, you will have to push yourself. Better yet, try to take the initiative and see how you can find
interest in something that initially does not spark your imagination.
(5) Your response has careless mistakes in spelling people’s names, referencing wrong titles, etc. Signs of
lack of care or attention to detail.
(6) Your response is intelligent and meaningful—but about the wrong topic or text. Yes, you put up a
smoke screen by going on and on about something other than what the prompt is asking. We have all done it.
And you can still do it in this course, but you will lose points.
(7) Your response is wonderfully detailed and intelligent—on part of an assigned text—but
“conveniently” or “mysteriously” fails to engage in a likewise manner with the middle and/or end of a
text. This can be innocent negligence or another smokescreen to disguise not having read the whole text.
Either way, points will come off. Indeed, your frequent rite-ups replace the need for quizzes, but it also means
that successful responses will be ones that let me know that you did in fact read the entire assigned text with
care.
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World Mythology (100% Online)
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
Program in Comparative Literature
Overview of Course Design:
Our Course Follows the Same Weekly Routine and Ends with a Creative Project and Accompanying Analysis Paper:
(1) LECTURE
At start of each week,
you review my
“Lecture” posted in
Sakai (Menu).
Each week starts on a Monday and follows the same sequence of tasks:
(1) First, at the beginning of the week, you will review a lecture that I will post by 9:00 am Monday
in Sakai (organized by “Week” in Sakai Menu) and for which you will need to block out about one
hour (any hour that is convenient for you, as there is no “live” component to the course). Its purpose
is to introduce you to that week’s readings, assignments, theoretical frameworks, and generally get
you interested in the material. The “lecture” may take the form of a video recorded by myself, or an
outside video upon which I will comment, written notes, Power Point, and so forth.
(2) Second, soon after having reviewed the lecture, you will read/view the assigned texts and films
listed on the Syllabus for that week, so that you can post to the Forum discussion thread (Sakai:
Menu: Forums: Select week #: click “Reply to Initial Message”) before the strict deadline of
Wednesday 11:55 pm. The readings/films and corresponding prompts are listed on the Syllabus
Course Schedule. Your post is meant to be an initial “contact” with the material and the prompt,
and in no way can it nor should it address all of the week’s assigned material or the prompt in its
entirety. This is a kind of brainstorming opportunity for you. No, you do not have to discuss
each assigned text when more than one are assigned for a particular week. 200 words (not less;
yes I do use a “word count” tool if a response seems short at first glance, but we do not want to
become neurotic about counting words either). After each week, I will assess the quality of your
participation in your Forum discussion, and I will determine the amount of credit earned. In
general, a sincere brainstorming effort posted on time will result in full credit. There will be 11
weeks total of Forum discussions, and there is a maximum of 1 point that can be earned for your
participation each week, thus 11 points total possible for the semester. There will be no credit for
posts after the deadline. If you want, you can still post late, but you will not receive any points.
Ground Rules for Forum discussions: I expect you to write in sentences (minimum of subject, verb, and expressing a
complete idea). I also expect you to uphold and promote a safe environment of mutual respect. No phone text style
abbreviations, (e.g.“ur” instead of “you’re”). I encourage respectful and civilized lively intellectual debate. We are not here to
simply agree with one another, but rather to co-produce knowledge and nuanced understanding.
(2) FORUM
DISCUSSION
You review assigned
readings/films and
respond to a prompt (on
Syllabus Course
Schedule) by posting
200 words minimum to
the Forum discussion
thread in Sakai.
STRICTLY DUE by:
11:55 pm Wednesday
(3) SHORT ANALYSIS
PAPER
Next, submit a 700-word
Short Analysis Paper via the
corresponding Sakai
“Assignment” email notice.
STRICTLY DUE by:
11:55 pm each Friday
(3) Third, you will finish the week by submitting a Short Analysis Paper strictly by 11:55 pm
each Friday by pasting inline text in the corresponding Sakai “Assignment” notice that you
will receive via email and can also find in Sakai “Announcements” and “Assignments.” I
program Sakai to not allow submissions after Friday 11:55 pm, and I will not accept anything
via email). The prompt for the Short Analysis Paper is the same one for the Forum
discussion. You Short Analysis Paper is 700 words minimum and besides being careful to
fully address the prompt and all assigned texts, it is more organized and formal than your
Forum discussion post. It is also only visible to me. 5 points each.
(4) CREATIVE PROJECT
You can do whatever you want as long as it is
imaginative and somehow related to mythology or
mythos, even in its broadest sense, as interpreted
by you.STRICTLY DUE by:
11:55 pm Friday April 27th.
(5) ANALYSIS PAPER FOR CREATIVE PROJECT
7 double-spaced pages, submitted as attachment to
the corresponding “Assignment” notice.
STRICTLY DUE by:
11:55 pm Monday May 6th.
(4) Starting Week 13, we no longer do the above routine; instead, we shift to
working on your individual Creative Project during Week 13 and 14. This should be
fun. Imaginative. You can do whatever you want as long as it is imaginative and
somehow related to mythology or mythos, even in its broadest sense, as
interpreted by you. Many medium, platforms, and formats are possible as vehicles
for your self expression in the realm of mythology/mythos. A painting? A short
film? A dance you choreograph and record? Spoken-word poetry? An
experimental audio-visual artefact or performance? A shadow puppet show? A
tattoo (yes, past students have done this)? This is a great opportunity to push
boundaries, think outside the box, and express yourself in ways that most of your
courses do not encourage or allow. You will upload a recording or image of your
project to Sakai (via private Youtube), visible only to our course participants.
(5) The very last week of the course, Week 15, is actually only one day: Monday
th
May 6 (last day of classes). The only thing you will do is submit a 6-page doublespaced paper analyzing both your own Creative Project and a Creative Project of
one of the other students (you choose!). About half of the paper (so, 3.5 pages)
should discuss your own Creative Project and your vision behind it. The other half of the paper (about 3.5 pages) should turn to
interpret another student’s Creative Project, offering your reaction and interpretation, possibly comparing with your project. More details
on this will be made available to you as we approach the final weeks. 7 pages double spaced, respecting MLA format,12-point Times
th
New Roman font, 1-inch margins all around. Strictly due by 11:55 pm Monday May 6 . 20 points.
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
World Mythology (100% Online)
Program in Comparative Literature
Course Schedule
As stated on the previous page, each week consists of a same sequence of tasks:
1. Lecture review
2. Read/View assigned material and the prompt and post 200-words minimum to the Forum discussion by 11:55 pm Wednesday.
3. Based on the same prompt, submit a 700-word minimum Short Analysis Paper via Sakai “Assignments” by 11:55 pm Friday
Classifying Mythology is Messy Business
Week 1 (of Jan. 21st)
Lecture Review:
Syllabus Overview Video Lecture (optional but recommended to view)
Read:
The course “Syllabus”
Prompt:
(1) Please briefly introduce yourself in the Group Discussion in Sakai, anytime this week. You can upload and
avatar, too, if you want.
(2) Not-for-credit quiz on the Syllabus, due Friday 11:55 pm.
You Will Never See a Disney Film the Same Way after Looking at Mythology with “X-Ray” Goggles
Week 2 (of Jan. 28th)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read:
(a) Extract from Morphology of the Folktale by Vladimir Propp
(b) “She-Calf/Wacacha,” narrated by Teodora Paliza and transcribed by Johnny Payne
Prompt:
First, a reminder. The “Prompt” is the same for the Forum discussion and the Short Analysis Paper.
The difference is that the Forum discussion post is 200 words minimum and is more of a chance to
brainstorm and share tentative ideas with your classmates before 11:55 pm Wednesday without
necessarily covering each of the assigned texts (at least one of them, obviously) or maybe not the full
scope of the prompt, while the Short Analysis paper is longer, 700 words minimum, more formal and
organized, treating all of the assigned texts and the whole prompt, and is only seen by me by 11:55 pm
Friday. That is our weekly routine.
Propp identifies and describes 31 “functions” that form the structure of Russian fairytales. He emphasizes how
these functions are defined by the actions of the “dramatis personae” or stock character roles. Which of these
functions can be discerned in the “She-Calf” story from Andean Peru? Which functions are notably absent?
Are there any cases of ambiguity as to whether a certain function is present or not? Support your
interpretation! Do you think that Propp’s “morphology”—based solely on his scrutiny of a sample of Russian
fairytales—also successfully applies to the “She-Calf” story from the other side of the globe? This is a
challenging folktale I have assigned. Please include quotes from both texts.
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
World Mythology (100% Online)
Program in Comparative Literature
Week 3 (of Feb. 4th) Note: You will need two of the required books for NEXT week (Campbell and Lame Deer)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
View:
An animated Disney or Pixar film of your choice; yes, any one of your choice, animated. More than one student
may do the same film. In such cases, I would hope to still see an effort to form distinct and independent ideas
in the written assignments.
Prompt:
Similar to the previous prompt, except now apply Propp’s morphology to an animated Disney or Pixar film of
your choice. Please use textual evidence (quotes) from both Propp and the film.
Logical Thinking Asks “How,” but Mythical Thinking Asks “Why does it Matter?”
Week 4 (of Feb. 11th) Note: You will need two of the required books for this week (Campbell and Lame Deer)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read:
(a) “Myth and Dream” in The Hero with a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell
(b) “Sahara” by Audre Lorde
(c) “Getting Drunk, Going to Jail” Chapter 4 in Lame deer: Seeker of Visions
Prompt:
Discuss how each text relates to the notion of “absence of myth” as discussed here:
“Delving deeper into the absence of myth and into the fragmentation that results from a lack of
collective center, one confronts the crux of the matter: namely, what is the lone individual to do when
there are no collective myths to orient him or her? If one is committed to salvaging meaning where one
can, one option is to seek out the sacred stories in other people’s myths […] and find inspiration in the
realization that a distant culture’s story can hit closer to home. Or once can take up the sword of
meaning for oneself. This effort, the determination to find or create a piece of personal grounding for
oneself, forms the basis for the movement called ‘personal myth’ […] the conscious intention to fashion
one’s individual myth out of the void.”
Week 5 (of Feb. 18th)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) extracts of The Myth of Sisyphus by Albert Camus
(b) “Future States: Plastic Bag” short film dir. by Ramin Bahrani
Prompt:
Camus speculates that Sisyphus ultimately can be happy. How does this compare with the attitude of the
plastic bag? Discuss, using textual evidence from the film.
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
World Mythology (100% Online)
Program in Comparative Literature
Mythical Transformations Happen on Campus, Too
Week 6 (of Feb. 25th)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) Extracts from The Rites of Passage by Arnold van Gennep
(b) Chapter 1 “Alone on the Hilltop” from Lame Deer; Seeker of Visions
(c) Chapter 8 from The Dark Child by Camara Laye
Prompt:
Discuss the extent to which van Gennep’s theoretical framework of rites of passage applies to “Alone on the
Hilltop” and Chapter 8 from The Dark Child. Support your interpretation with textual evidence from each of
those three texts.
Week 7 (of March 4th) Note: You will need two of the required books for NEXT week.
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) “Half-A-Day” by Naguib Mahfouz
(c) “The Last Farm” short film dir. by Runar Runarsson
Prompt:
Similar to the previous prompt: Discuss the extent to which van Gennep’s theoretical framework of rites of
passage applies to the two new assigned “texts.” Support your interpretation with textual evidence from each of
those three texts and The Rites of Passage, too.
The Hero’s Journey is in Your “Blood, Bones, Brain, and Soul”
Week 8 (of March 11th) Note: You will need the Jung book for this week.
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) “Departure” in The Hero with a Thousand Faces
(b) “The Process of Individuation” by Marie-Louise von Franz, in Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung
(c) Any film of your choice (any film that you think exemplifies the hero’s journey)
Prompt:
Use both Campbell and von Franz to interpret the “departure” part of your chosen film, as interpreted by you.
You will have to decide up to which point in the film is relevant to Campbell and von Franz. And you will have
to show your understanding of how concepts in Campbell and von Franz overlap without necessarily using the
same terminology. Don’t forget to use textual evidence (quotes) from both texts and from the film.
S P R I N G
B R E A K
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
World Mythology (100% Online)
Program in Comparative Literature
Week 9 (of March 25th; so, after Spring Break)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) “Initiation” in The Hero with a Thousand Faces
(b) “The Process of Individuation” by Marie-Louise von Franz, in Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung
(c) Continue with your chosen film, OR if you want, you can choose a different film.
Prompt:
Continuing from the previous prompt, use both Campbell and von Franz to interpret the “initiation” phase of the
film, as interpreted by you. Don’t forget to use textual evidence (quotes) from both texts and from the film.
Week 10 (of April 1st)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) “Return” in The Hero with a Thousand Faces
(b) “The Process of Individuation” by Marie-Louise von Franz, in Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung
(c) Continue with your chosen film, OR if you want, you can choose a different film.
Prompt:
Again continuing the recent sequence of prompts, use both Campbell and von Franz to interpret the “return”
part of your chosen film. Don’t forget to use textual evidence (quotes) from both texts and from the film.
End of the Microcosm: Just When You Thought the Hero’s Journey was Over…
Week 11 (of April 8th)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) “End of the Microcosm” in The Hero with a Thousand Faces
(b) The Tibetan Book of the Dead (documentary, online)
Prompt:
We have seen thus far this semester how the hero’s journey can map onto our own lives. Now, referring to
both “texts,” discuss how the process of death can been seen as a hero’s journey for Tibetan Buddhists. Don’t
forget to support your response with textual evidence (quotes), including from the documentary.
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Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
World Mythology (100% Online)
Program in Comparative Literature
End of the Macrocosm: Should Mythology be a Required College Course?
Week 12 (of April 15th)
Lecture Review:
on Sakai
Read/View:
(a) “Epilogue” in The Hero with a Thousand Faces
(b) “Healing the Split” by Carl G. Jung, in Man and His Symbols by Carl G. Jung
(c) “Blood Turned Into Stone” Chapter 12 in Lame Deer: Seeker of Visions
Prompt:
In his testimonial, Lame Deer is not simply recounting episodes of his life and details of his cultural milieu. He
is also giving us a message about society’s past, present, and future. What shared horizons do you find
between Lame Deer, Campbell, and Jung in the assigned texts? Also discuss and differences. Feel free to
express your views as they relate to the texts.
Week 13 (of April 22nd)
Lecture:
on Sakai (The lecture’s overall aim will be to encourage you and instill confidence regarding the Creative
Project)
Read/View:
Nothing assigned; you are free to work on your Creative Project
Prompt:
Although there is no Forum discussion this week, I do want you to submit to Sakai “Assignments” an update on
your project; I want to see what you are thinking about, the kinds of resources you are exploring, any difficulties
you are having. While your final project might be very different than what you talk about in this update (as you
might change ideas/projects), I do expect some effort in this update, and it will be worth the usual 5 points.
Week 14 (of April 29th)
Lecture:
on Sakai (the lecture will be more advice and address things/issues/difficulties that students bring up in their
project update from the previous week. I will also clarify the details of the Analysis Paper for the Creative
Project, which will be due the following week).
CREATIVE PROJECT DUE: must be submitted by 11:55 pm Friday April 27th.
Week 15 (of May 6th)
No Lecture
ANALYSIS PAPER DUE: must be submitted by 11:55 pm Monday May 6th.
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