Ms. J. Williams
World Mythology Course Syllabus
ROOM 320
Objectives
This course is designed to explore a variety of texts involving mythology from various cultures including
Greek, Egyptian, Norse, and Japanese just to name few. Students will also read, analyze, and respond to
selected articles, stories, novel excerpts, plays, epics, and movies. Students will write academic and
creative papers as well as produce creative projects, comics, etc. This course is reading and writing
intensive, and involves working with others.
The Nature of Mythology
In dealing with the stories and art of other cultures and times, students in this course will be confronted
with issues of ethics, sexuality, nudity, and violence that may not conform to their own values systems.
Likewise, a comparative approach to the religious attitudes of ancient cultures may expose students to
beliefs alien to their own. Our base text is a standard high school resource for classical mythology.
Although neither the book nor the instructor will raise these issues for their shock value, such topics cannot
be ignored in an educational setting simply to avoid risking offense. Please be prepared to address
fundamental questions of human existence as presented in world mythology. Remember, the purpose of
this class is to present the values and beliefs of cultures different from our own.
Media and Mythology
During the semester students may view a number of films or film segments dealing with mythological
themes. By no stretch of the imagination is any movie a substitute for one on one instruction. On the
contrary, these films are not shown in lieu of, but rather as an integral component of the class instruction.
They provide one more way in which students can discover and discuss the creation of myths in the 21st
century. Indeed, an additional assignment will accompany each full-length film. The movies might
include:
*Jason and the Argonauts
*The Lord Of The Rings (2001-3)
*Immortals, Person Jackson
*Star Wars
*Indiana Jones
*Star Gate
*The 7th Voyage Of Sinbad (1958)
*The Seventh Voyage of Sinbad
*Excalibur (1981), Time Bandits
*Thor
*Jack The Giant Slayer
*Clash of The Titans
Areas of Study
The Middle East
Greece and Rome
The Far East
The British Isles
Northern Europe
Africa
The Americas
Required Supplies
1) 1 ½ inch three-ring binder (for Mythology only) & loose-leaf paper
a) you will receive a zero if you turn in paper with slivered/crinkled edges
2) Blue or black pens for essays and drafts (you will receive a zero otherwise)
3) Pencils and/or various colored pens (optional for writer’s notebook, annotation, and artwork only)
4) 3 different colored highlighters or pens/pencils for notes
5) Thumb drive
Daily Planner/Electronic Device – this helps you keep up with assignments
Course Goals and/or Major Student Outcomes
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To develop critical reading skills, fostering an ability to gather, analyze, and evaluate information
from primary and secondary sources.
To develop expository writing skills.
To discuss and complete tasks in small and large groups, working effectively and with classmates
of different learning styles.
To develop awareness of cultures and beliefs that differ from our own.
To use critical reasoning skills to examine a mythology against the backdrop of its cultural
background.
Students will …
1. Read and communicate proficiently.
 Read proficiently to gather, analyze, and evaluate information.
 Communicate effectively through written and oral language.
2. Use problem-solving skills.
 Use scientific, mathematical, technological, and critical reasoning skills in problem solving.
3. Understand and work with diverse groups of people.
 Work effectively in groups of individuals with diverse cultures, languages, ideas, and learning
styles.
4. Show personal responsibility and respectful behavior.
 Act ethically, responsibly and respectfully, practicing principles of wellness and self-discipline.
5. Participate in co-curricular and/or extra-curricular activities.
 Create and participate in visual arts, performing arts and/or extra-curricular activities.
Assignments/Classwork
Most homework will be announced in class, but we will utilize “Edmodo” as much as possible. Once the
system is up and running please check “Edmodo” every night for possible postings no earlier than 6:00
p.m.
Late work or homework will be given less than half credit. The late assignment must be completed
and turned in the next school day before the late bell. You should expect to have homework most
every night, including on weekends. Homework may be written work; or it may be to read, to study, or
to prepare to present specific material for discussion or presentation.
Written homework may or may not be checked for completion or graded for accuracy, but as a means to
begin discussion or review.
Non-written homework may be checked by a “pop” quiz on the due date.
It is important to do all homework that is assigned, whether or not it is collected or graded.
Again, late assignments will receive less than half credit. If you have done three out of four
assignments, but the only assignment collected is the one you have not done, you will of course receive a
zero.
If you are absent on the day that homework is due, then you must turn in your work immediately upon
your return to class. This is YOUR responsibility; I will NOT ask you for it. If you forget to turn your
work in, you will receive a zero for that assignment.
Point value: Homework is usually in the 20-80 point range.
QUIZZES AND TESTS
Quizzes (50 – 80 points)
Unit tests (100 – 120 points)
TMAs (300 – 400 points)
Final Exam will be given over course material (400 – 600 points)
Tests are announced no less than a week or a week and a half in advance.
If you are absent on the day of a scheduled test, you should expect to take the test on the day you return to
school.
YOU know when you have missed a scheduled test; make arrangements to come before school or after
school to make it up. Be responsible.
CLASS WORK
If you forget to turn in work that is due at the end of the period, your grade for the assignment will be a
zero. Point value: Class work is usually in the 20-55 point range.
WRITING ASSIGNMENTS
Out-of-class essays/papers must be turned in on or before the due date in order to be eligible for full credit.
Grade penalties (less than half credit/due the next school day by before the morning late bell) will be
applied to any essay or paper that is turned in late. Point value: Writing assignments are usually worth
100-200 points.
TMAs
Time Management Assignments are major assignments that you will complete over an extended period
of time. They are designed to be done steadily over time and cannot be completed satisfactorily at the last
minute. Because managing your time well is a major objective of any TMA, these assignments must be
turned in on or before the due date to be eligible for a passing grade. If your TMA is one day late, you
have not fulfilled a major objective of the assignment, and the highest possible grade is 69% of the
evaluated grade. Each additional day late will result in another 10% reduction.
Computer or printer problems are NOT excuses for a late TMA or assignment; plan to complete the
assignment in advance of the due date so that any problems can be solved before the due date.
Furthermore, being absent on the day a TMA is due is also NOT an excuse for a late TMA; your TMA
must come to school whether you do or not. Point value: These major assignments are usually in the
250-350 point range, or about as much as two unit tests.
Make-up Work and Late Work
*All assignments will be given a clear due date.
*Late assignments must be turned in the very next day before the morning late bell. This
policy will stand for semester and alternating day classes.
*All late assignments will be penalized by less than 50% credit.
ABSENCES
In order to make up work after an absence, your absence must be EXCUSED. (See CHS and MCSD
handbooks for details.) Unless you turn in a valid note to your homeroom teacher within three days of
your absence, then your absence is unexcused. After an absence, it is your responsibility to find out what
was missed and to make arrangements for making up work.
I expect you to find out what you missed the day you return to school.
If you have questions, see me before school or after school; please do not interrupt class to discuss your
missed work. As a general rule, if you are absent for one day, then any work missed should be made up
within 3 days. For longer absences, I will work with you on a reasonable timetable for having your work
completed.
IMPORTANT! If you are in school but miss this class for any reason (for example, a dental
appointment, a choral concert, a sports event, a drama performance. etc.), it is YOUR responsibility to
turn in any work that is due and to find out what homework has been assigned. You must also
complete any assigned work and have it ready to turn in when it is due. Missing class for these kinds of
planned events does NOT mean you are excused from the work or have extra time to complete it.
Example: An assignment is given on Monday with a due date of Wednesday, but the student is absent on
the due date. The Assignment will be due upon the students return to school.
If an assignment is given on Monday with a due date of Wednesday, but the student is absent on the
assigned date (Monday), the student will have three days to complete the assignment.
Classroom Rules:
1.
COME TO CLASS PREPARED. Bring all necessary materials to class every day: textbooks,
notebooks, paper, pens, and pencils. Pens should be blue or black ink only; be sure to always have
extras. ALL WORK IS TO BE DONE IN INK, UNLESS OTHERWISE SPECIFIED.
2.
FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS! (This includes following all CHS and MCSD rules. Be sure you
are familiar with both handbooks; ignorance of the rules is no excuse!)
3.
SHOW RESPECT. Use common courtesy and good manners in class; do not interrupt me or anyone
else who has the floor. Raise your hand and wait to be recognized to speak. Use appropriate
language in both speech and in written work. Respect the property of others. (Remember that what
is on my desk belongs to me—it is not public property!)
4.
BE ON TIME. Be in your assigned seat before the tardy bell rings. If you are tardy or if you are not
in your assigned seat, you will be assigned after-school detention with me.
5.
BE ON TASK. Get out your notebook and begin the daily activity as soon as the tardy bell has rung.
You are expected to do this quietly and without having to be reminded. There is to be NO TALKING
during these activities.
6.
BE HERE. Stay in the classroom for the entire period; do not ask to go to your locker, the restroom,
the water fountain, or another teacher’s room unless it is an emergency. You have five minutes
between classes to take care of these things. (You will have three Emergency Passes per 9 weeks.
Use them wisely. Detention must be served if there are any other “emergencies” beyond these three.)
7.
KEEP THE ROOM NEAT. Straighten your desk and chair before leaving the room; push the chair
under the desk. Keep your desk and the area around it clean. Do not write on desks. Place all trash
in the trashcan as you leave the room.
9. NO FOOD OR DRINK WILL BE ALLOWED IN THE CLASSROOM – Water in
a clear container is the only exception
10. Electronic devices should be put away unless permission has been given for device to be
in use.
FAILURE TO FOLLOW THESE RULES WILL RESULT IN DETENTION OR OTHER APPROPRIATE
CONSEQUENCE.
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
Academic integrity is of the highest importance. Cheating is a serious matter, and the penalty for
cheating is a zero for any and all persons involved. Cheating includes:
1. Copying someone else’s homework or class work
2. Allowing someone else to copy your homework or class work
3. Talking, passing notes, or in any way communicating with another student during a test or an
independent assignment in class
4. Looking (or trying to look) on someone else’s paper during a test or independent assignment
5. Using any unauthorized materials during a test
6. Revealing test information to others, or accepting test information from others
7. Engaging in plagiarism
8. Presenting work done by another as your own
9. Working with another student on an assignment meant to be done individually
10. Writing on your paper after you have left your seat to turn it in
11. Being dishonest while grading your own papers in class
If cheating becomes evident, you will receive a zero on the given assignment; your parents will be notified
of the cheating incident, and a report will be made to the Honor Council. Notice will also be given to the
Beta Club and National Honor Society sponsors; no student may be admitted to these honorary societies if
he/she has been involved in cheating within one calendar year of the induction ceremony. Remember
that your personal character and integrity are more valuable than any grade.
***NOTE: Unless instructed otherwise, you are expected to work on assignments independently.***
Write the Honor Pledge on all tests and assignments:
It is my word of honor that I have neither given nor received
unauthorized aid on this test or assignment. (Followed by your signature)
COLUMBUS HIGH SCHOOL
SYLLABUS ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
TEACHER: Ms. JWilliams………………………………………COURSE: World Mythology
PLEASE SIGN BELOW INDICATING YOUR AGREEMENT TO THE FOLLOWING:
 I understand the goals and the and the skills to be learned.
 I understand the rules and policies to be followed during the year.
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I have read the parent letter and understand the academic integrity policy.
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I have reviewed the class syllabus and understand the grading policy.
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I give permission for my child to view G, PG or PG13 movies if they are related to the
curriculum of the class.
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I understand that my child will have outside reading assignments that parallel to the
readings in class.
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I am willing to be contacted by email.
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I have access to the internet and will access the I-Cue parent feature (once it is available) to
check on my child’s progress. I understand that teachers will make every effort to post
grades within two weeks of accepting the assignment, but that the posting of grades on larger
papers and projects may extend beyond the two week time frame.
Student Name: ________________________________ Class Period: _________
(Please print.)
__________________________________________
(Student’s Signature)
_______________________________________
(Parent’s Signature)
__________________________________________
(Student’s E-mail—optional but encouraged)
_______________________________________
(Parent’s E-mail—optional but encouraged)
RETURN THIS FORM WITH BOTH SIGNATURES BY 1/12/05.