CLASS SCHEDULE
Text Abbreviations:
CM: Harris & Platzner, Classical Mythology
SI: Powell, Short Introduction to Classical Myth
DATES
READING ASSIGNMENT, TESTS, PAPERS
Jan 5
Jan 7-12
Intro to Mythology: Goals and Methods of Course.
No classes due to International Conference on Art & Humanities
Jan 7-21
Introduction: What is Mythology?
SI: Ch 1, “What is a Myth?” Ch 2 & 3, “The meaning of Myth, I & II”
CM: Ch 1, “Introduction” and Ch 2, “Ways of Interpreting Myth”
Jan 19
MARTIN LUTHER KING DAY
Jan 23-30
Part 1: Creation Myths: How did the world begin?
SI: Ch 6, “Myth and Creation”
CM: Ch 3, “In the Beginning”
Feb 2-13
Part 2: Mythic History: What really happened?
SI: Ch 5, “The Development of Classical Myth,” Ch 9, “Myth and
History” and Ch 10, “Myth and Folktale”
CM: Ch 12, “Heroes at War,” Ch 13, “A Different Kind of Hero”
and Ch 19, “Virgil’s Roman Epic”
Feb 16
TEST 1: Creation Myth and Mythic History
Feb 18-27
Part 3: Hero Myths: Who is a Hero?
SI: Ch 8, “Myth and the Hero”
CM: Ch 10, “Heroes of Myth” and Ch 11, “Heroines of Myth”
Feb 23
Feb 27
Paper 1: Mythic World View vs Science
WITHDRAWAL DEADLINE
March 1-19
Part 4: Social Myths: How should I live?
SI: Ch 4, “The Cultural Context of Greek Myth,” Ch 11, “Myth and
Society,” Ch 12, “Myth and Law” and Ch 14, “Myth and Politics”
CM: Ch 14, “The Theater of Dionysus,” Ch 15, “The House of Atreus”
and Ch 17, “A Different Perspective on Tragedy”
March 8-12
March 22
SPRING BREAK
Test 2: Hero and Social Myths
March 24-Apr 2
Part 5: Religious Myth: What should we believe?
SI: Ch 7, “Greek Myth and Greek Religion” and
Ch 13, “Roman Myth and Roman Religion”
CM: Ch 8, “Dionysus,” Ch 9, “Land of No Return”
and Ch 16, “The Tragic House of Laius”
April 5
Paper 2: Society and Myth
April 5-16
Part 6: Pantheon Myths: Which gods do we worship?
SI: Ch 15, “Myth and Art”
CM: Ch 4, “Alienation of the Human And Divine,” Ch 5, “The Great
Mother Goddess and The Goddesses,” Ch 6, “The Olympian Family
of Zeus” and Ch 7, “In Touch with the Gods”
April 19
Part 7: Myth and the Modern Age
CM: Ch 21, “The Persistence of Myth”
FINAL EXAM:
Friday, April 23, 7:00-9:50am
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