Time
& Place:
Spring 2010 |
Instructor: Joël Dubois (view home
page) |
Course Policies & Schedule
(view printable PDF version)
DESCRIPTION:
Introduction to the nature and function of myth. The specific literature
studied will be exclusive of classical mythology and because of the breadth
of subject matter will vary in content. The mythology of at least four cultures
will be covered each term. (GE Area: C3)
THIS
SECTION defines a myth as any story
that establishes some connection between real life situations and dimensions
of reality normally hidden from view; such stories differ from fairy tales
and other similarly magical stories, which are designed primarily to stimulate
the imagination. Team-based learning (see www.teambasedlearning.org),
facilitated by SacCT and
eInstruction
response pads ("clickers"),
will be the primary mode of engaging with literature and film showing real
people incorporating mythic stories into their daily lives; these are the primary
sources for the course.
In examining these sources, we
will pay special attention to the relationship between mythic stories
and the rituals that often frame them; the relevance of mythic stories to
everyday human experience; and the ways in which such stories might be considered "true." We
will focus on the following four cultural regions: (1) Native North America
and the Pacific Rim, (2) Africa and its Latin American diaspora, (3) China
and (4) the Indian Subcontinent and surrounding regions. Emphasis will be
on the modern period, but the course will also consider briefly, via secondary
readings, the way that mythology has developed historically since ancient
times.
IMPORTANT NOTE: like most of the offerings in this department, "World Mythology" is READING INTENSIVE, assuming that you will dedicate 5-7 hours per week for reading and assignments outside of class time.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After attentively engaging with the materials presented in this course, you should be able to:
SOURCES: The two sources listed directly below contain all required readings and must be brought to all relevant class meetings. All but the first and last (for which instructions are provided below) are available at the Hornet Bookstore. The schedule of readings below refers to these sources using either a title abbreviation or the author's last name, as indicated below in parentheses in bold print.
Encyclopedia Britannica (EB) [free for enrolled students via links in the on-line version of the schedule below]
Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth (SHM) [ISBN #1-84195-716-X]--> the paperback edition is fine
Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony (Silko) [ISBN #0-14-008683-8]--> the older (1977 or 1988) Penguin Books ed.
Ahmadou Kourouma, The Suns of Independence (Kourouma) [ISBN #0-8419-0747-1]
Liu T'ieh Yün, The Travels of Lao-Tsan (T'ieh Yün) [ISBN #0-231-07255-4]
R.K. Narayan, The Guide (Narayan) [ISBN #0-14-011926-4]
"HRS 151: World Mythology" Course Pack (CP) [must be mail-ordered from www.universityreaders.com
at the above URL (click the "Students Buy Here " button at the top right side) or call 1-800-200-3908]
You will also need an eInstruction response pad ("clicker") for use throughout the course. See below under "SacCT &Clickers" regarding how to register your clicker.
Optional: for those seeking more in-depth study of myth, you may wish to search on-line for the following sources.
Christopher Siren, Myths & Legends [on-line source]
Alan Dundes, Sacred Narratives: Readings in the Theory of Myth
Scott Leonard & Michael McClure, Myth and Knowing: an Introduction to World Mythology
Donna Rosenberg, ed., World Mythology
ATTENDANCE: Evaluation of your attendance in this course is built into other parts of the grade. Roughly two thirds of the class sessions involve the completion of a graded activity for which you cannot receive credit if you are absent; this includes team readiness assessments scored for each individual and team assignments for which attendance will be taken within each team. (See "Grading Policies" below regarding credit for missed assignments.) The remainder of class periods are study sessions designed to guide you in making sense of the assigneed readings; missing these will make successful completion of in-class assignments more difficult.
Regarding FLU & COLDS, if you are experiencing flu-like symptoms or a severe cold, please stay home. We will work out a way to make up missed work once you return; see below under "Absences " and "Grading Policies."
CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: I ask students who arrive late to wait outside the door for a break following opening announcements (usually 10-15 minutes), at which point the door will be opened. If I am talking when you enter, take a seat near the door rather than crossing everyone's field of vision. To avoid distracting others once your are in the classroom, please:
Please contact me during the first two weeks of the term if you have a disability or other special circumstance that merits an exception to any of the above guidelines.
ABSENCES: Due to the amount of emails and calls I must process, I cannot provide information about every missed class to every absent student. If you miss a class or any part of one, please follow the steps below before contacting me by email or phone, which in many cases will not be necessary.
SACCT & CLICKERS: Class emails and grade posting will be handled through SacCT, the university's on-line instructional system. In order to be registered for this course in SacCT, you will need a valid saclink username and password; if you do not currently have one, call (278-7337); visit the Saclink Desk (Academic Information Resource Center, Room 2005, just behind the library); or simply go to www.saclink.csus.edu and follow the instructions for "Set up Saclink" in the left-hand column.
The eInstruction RF reponse pad ("clicker"), available for purchase at the bookstore, will be required for assessments throughout the course, starting during the second week's class session. Once you have purchased the unit, you will need to create an account for it on-line at www.einstruction.com/cpsonline.html, which requires inputting the clicker's serial number (the number on the display when the unit is turned on). Finally, you will need to enroll for this class once logged into the above site, using this course's class key: K58216F994.
EMAIL: in order to receive updates regarding class sessions throughout the term, you are required to check the email included in your SacCT account on a regular basis for the duration of the course. Unless you log in to SacCT on a daily basis, please set your SacCT email to forward messages to your regular email address. To do so, (1) click on the "My Settings" link in the upper left hand corner; (2) selecting the "My Profile" tab and updating the profile to include the email address you actually use; and finally (3) selecting the "My Tool Options" and checking the "Mail Forwarding" option.
To contact me, please EMAIL ME DIRECTLY (not in SacCT) at jdubois@csus.edu; include the abbreviation "WM" or "HRS 151" in the subject heading. I typically respond to student emails on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons, and usually sometime end of week or weekend, as time allows. For queries that require immediate attention, please call or leave a voice mail at 278-5332.
IMPORTANT: before contacting me by phone or email regarding an absence, which in many cases is not necessary, see the steps outlined above under "Absences."
ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments for this course are directly related to the learning objectives specified above. Students needing to skip assignments due to time constraints are advised to choose from #4-5; skipping #1-3 makes completing higher level assignments very difficult.
[GRADING SCALE: 940-1000 points=A, 900-939=A-, 870-899=B+, 840--879=B, 800-839=B-, etc.]
GRADING POLICIES:
SCHEDULE OF READINGS: All readings in this schedule should ideally be completed by the day under which they are listed, although this requirement is only assessed during TRAs and team assignments. All numbers in the schedule are page numbers unless otherwise noted. Optional readings in print are available at the Reserve Book Room (RBR), some in on-line form; videos are available at either the Library Media Center (LMC) or local video stores such as Blockbusters, as indicated.
If you click on a link to Encyclopedia Britanicca on-line from off-campus, you will initially be directed to an authentication page that asks you to enter your Saclink ID and password. WARNING: make sure that you use the links in the on-line version of this syllabus to access EB; going through the library's database page may lead you to different material that will likely confuse you when preparing for TRAs.
CAUTION: I reserve the right to make revisions to on-line materials prior to their discussion in class at the relevant point in the semester. Therefore WAIT until that time to print out materials you wish to have on hand, such as terms, excerpts and assignment guidelines.
NOTE: the following schedule incorporates one furlough day on Wednesday, March 24, pending administrative approval.
Introduction: Introduction to Myth & Team-Based Learning
Dates |
Tasks |
Readings |
Wed, January 27 |
introductions & inquiry: review of syllabus |
|
[2nd half:] |
guided reading for intro unit view film excerpts from
|
LOCATE & study TERMS in
these overviews: LOCATE & study EXCERPTS in these primary sources:
|
Wed, February 3 |
form teams & take trial TRA |
(same as above) |
[2nd half:] |
REVIEW IN DEPTH:
|
CHOOSE ONE item
in this list if you wish
[DUE 2/10, counted as EXTRA CREDIT towards TRA #1] |
|
Unit 1: Native
Americas & the Pacific Rim
Historical Focus: mythic stories of the Paleolithic period
Thematic Focus: animals revealing spiritual dimensions of daily life
Wed, February 10 |
guided reading for Unit 1 view excerpt from "Whale Rider" |
LOCATE & study TERMS in these overviews: |
[2nd half:] |
guided reading for Unit 1 (cont'd) 2nd excerpt from "Whale Rider" |
LOCATE & study EXCERPTS in
these primary sources: |
Wed, February 17 |
TRA #1 |
(same as above) |
[2nd half:] |
*Story Summary* DUE |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
Wed, February 24 |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
[2nd half:] |
continuing discussion of novel |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
CHOOSE ONE item
in this list for the source analysis from Silko, Storyteller (@ RBR)
The Horse Boy (excerpt)--> on-line: click link in RBR list [Any of these sources may also be used for EXTRA
CREDIT] |
[audio-visual:]
|
Unit 2: African
& the African-American Diaspora
Historical Focus: mythic stories of the Neolythic period
Thematic Focus: supernatural forces & spirits manifesting through natural
processes
Wed, March 3 |
*Unit 1 Source Analysis* guided reading for Unit 2 view excerpt from |
LOCATE & study TERMS in these overviews: LOCATE & study EXCERPTS in these primary sources: |
Wed, March 10 |
TRA #2 |
(same as above) |
[2nd half:] |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
|
Wed, March 17 |
*1st Guided Reflection worksheet* |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
[2nd half:] |
continuing discussion of novel |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
CHOOSE ONE item
in this list for the source analysis from Conversations with Ogotemmeli (@RBR):
[Any of these sources may also be used for EXTRA CREDIT] |
[films:]
|
|
Wed, March 24 | *Unit 2 Source Analysis* (PDF/ MS Word) & peer evaluation DUE 3/24 @ RIV 1015, 5:30 pm |
***FURLOUGH DAY*** |
Unit 3: China
Historical Focus: mythic stories of the Axial age
Thematic Focus: the therapeutic function of mythic stories
Wed, April 7
|
*first Guided
Reflection* guided reading for Unit 3 view excerpt from "King of Masks" (@LMC) |
LOCATE & study TERMS in these overviews: LOCATE & study EXCERPTS in these primary sources: |
Wed, April 14 |
TRA #3 |
(same as above) |
[2nd half:] |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
|
Wed, April 21 |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
[2nd half:] |
continuing discussion of novel |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
EXTRA
CREDIT sources for
the source
analysis
Religion & Ritual in Chinese Society (@ RBR):
|
from Travels of Lao-Tsan:
|
Unit 4 : India
Historical Focus: Western transformations
of mythic thinking, pre-modern and modern
Thematic Focus: functional vs. dysfunctional uses of mythic stories
Wed, April 28 |
*Unit 3 Source Analysis* guided reading for Unit 4 view excerpts from "Water" (@ local stores) |
LOCATE & study TERMS in these overviews: LOCATE & study EXCERPTS in these primary sources: |
Wed, May 5 |
TRA #4 |
(same as above) |
[2nd half:] |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
|
Wed, May 12 |
*Final Guided Reflection worksheet* |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
[2nd half:] |
*Unit 4 Source Analysis* |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
CHOOSE ONE item
in this list for the source analysis
[Any of these sources may also be used for EXTRA CREDIT] |
|
Wed, May 19 |
*follow-up Guided
Reflection* view excerpt from |
REVIEW IN DEPTH: |
WARNING: Barring submission of a petition for an incomplete and in contrast to my late policy during the semester, no final guided reflections will be accepted after the beginning of class of the final class session.
Also, if you wish to retrieve your final guided reflection, please attach to your paper a self-addressed stamped envelope (4" x 9" is usually OK if unless your paper is unusally thick) with sufficient postage for 3 ounces (currently $0.76 or two first-class stamps). Papers submitted without an envelope will receive only minimal comments and eventually be recycled without shredding.
OTHER COURSES OF INTEREST: Africa: Myths & Realities" (ETHN 010) "Native American Religion & Philosophy" (ETHN 050) "Arts & Ideas of Asia" (HRS 70 & 71) "Introduction to World Literatures in English" (ENGL 065) |