Class Syllabus

   

English 285-01 Spring 2013. MWF 222 AJM. 1:-2   Mythologies. Instructor: Michael Sexson Office: 2-183 Willson. Hours: 11-12; 2-3 MWF.

Text: Ovid: Metamorphoses (trans. Horace Gregory). Online: Eliade, From Primitives to Zen. http://www.mircea-eliade.com/from-primitives-to-zen/

Myth, as it will be understood in this class, will be thought of as “the precedent behind every action,” a line from Roberto Calasso’s book, The Marriage of Cadmus and Harmony. So understood, myth becomes not just cultural texts concerning the activities of gods, goddesses, and heroes, or even “story” itself, (the meaning of the word “mythos”)  but our daily seeings, sayings and doings. That is, myth may be found as often in our routine activities as in books or past imaginings. In order to understand how myth is to be discovered in our daily activities, we need to imagine those activities as a landscape liberally sprinkled with mythic “clues,” “signs,” or “signatures.” And we need to think of ourselves as detectives whose task is to discover these clues and interpret them. If we are successful sleuths, we will discover that myth is less a “topic” or “subject” than a manner of being in the world. Myth is not what we study but what we are.

To fully our abilities to detect mythic clues, we will need the assistance of a textbook, a daily journal, a short term paper,  some tests (mythic clues), group and individual activities, and lots of material from the internet.   The two texts for the class range from “mythology” to “mythologies”, that is, from a single historical instance of myth---the classical or Greco-Roman-- to world or comparative mythologies. Ovid’s Metamorphoses fits the first, Mircea Eliade’s online anthology, From Primitives to Zen, the second. The single required print text, The Metamorphoses, was chosen because it is not only a good translation but because it is small, light-weight, and cheap. Therefore, you are required to carry it with you where ever you go this semester. You never know when you might need to reference it. Your first assignment is to read the book--the whole thing. What we do in class will not be a reading of this text, but a re-reading, an essential strategy if we want to treat the text appropriately. You will have three weeks to complete the reading of Ovid.

You will be required to keep an electronic journal or “blog” containing (a) class notes (b) bookmarks of peer sites (c) responses the texts, class lectures, discussions, and various themes and issues related to our subject (d) an on-going account of your “mythic detective activity” (e) responses to the blogs of your classmates (f) links to websites you find important, relevant, and interesting (g) miscellaneous assignments  (h) a draft and then a final version of your short term paper on the topic “My Life as a Mythic Detective. You may negotiate with the instructor for another topic if you convince him that it is important. There will be a total of 600 points in this class: Quiz 1: 100; Quiz 2: 100; Term Paper: 100; Presentation:100; Journal: 150; Final Exam: 50. Each student will be expected to make presentations both individual and communal. Details will be explained in class. Details concerning the creation of an electronic blog will be discussed by those who have done them in the past. If you wish to consult an exemplary or model journal from previous classes go to: http://jennythornburgsmyths.wordpress.com.  Note how this journal not only satisfies the requirements but uses the resources of the internet to make the site appealing. When you have created your blog, email it to me: michael.sexson@msu.montana.edu, and I will forward it to everyone in the class who will then bookmark it. If you don’t see your name listed in the blog of our two “master bloggers,” notify me and we will make amends. The rule of thumb we will follow as to the number of blog entries is “one for each class period.” 

A more precise schedule of events including dates for quizzes and presentations will be forthcoming after the first few weeks of class.

 The word “myth” comes from the Greek “mythos” which means “story,” or “fable,” or “fabrication,” or “fiction.” Therefore, prepare yourself to be immersed in stories, not only from the most obvious source in western culture--the Greeks and Romans-----but from all over the world, and, most importantly, from your own lives.

Between now and the first installment of the class schedule, begin reading The Metamorphoses of Ovid.  This, as you will find out, is not an easy read, for it contains at least 250 separate stories which are strung together on the thread of “change” or “transformation” and it was composed two thousand years ago. The stories, however, are among the most beloved and entertaining ever, and if you get confused or bored with one, just wait a few minutes, for another one is coming that will enthrall you.  Also, be aware, as you are reading, that a good discussion of these stories involves thinking about them in many contexts, so, as you are reading, begin blogging what has been said and thought about them, especially how they are considered by the artists of the world.

That, and begin looking for mythic clues everywhere.