Course Policies & Schedule

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 myths as stories that relate familiar daily life situations to supernatural realms and/or hidden dimensions of the natural world, in contrast to fairy tales and other similarly magical stories. We will pay special attention to the connection between myth to storytelling and ritual; its relevance to everyday human experience; and the ways in which myths might be considered "true." The specific literature studied will be exclusive of classical mythology, covering four major world 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 the way mythology has developed historically since ancient times. Team-based learning (see www.teambasedlearning.org), facilitated by WebCT, the university's on-line instructional system, will be the primary mode of engaging with literature and film representing the way that real people incorporate myths into their daily lives; these are the primary sources for the course.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES: After attentively engaging with the materials presented in this course, you should be able to:

1. (a) effectively answer basic questions, posed by a peer unfamiliar with the topic of mythology in world cultures, regarding key terms, mythic stories and rituals of the four world regions surveyed in this course; and
   (b) formulate questions regarding the aspects of mythology that you want to understand more fully, in order to guide you in locating and reading reliable sources that address those questions.
2. (a) describe accurately and fairly, again for a peer unfamiliar with the topic, the assigned primary sources that show the impact of mythic stories on real people; and
   (b) present a balanced selection of excerpts from those sources that supports your statements about them.
   
3. (a) compare and contrast, for class members as well as peers outside the classroom, different viewpoints and myths within each tradition studied; and
   (b) compare and contrast the myths studied with your own direct experience of mythic storytelling in contemporary settings.
   
4. effectively communicate with peers while refining the skills listed in #1-3.
5. appreciate both the emotional impact and intellectual fascination of mythic stories throughout the globe in all periods of history.
6. continue asking questions and gathering insights about your own and other people's mythic stories and their impact on daily life.
   

SOURCES: You are responsible for obtaining the printed sources listed below, and for bringing assigned readings to each class meeting. The schedule provided below refers to the first two and the last of these sources using the BOLD CAPITAL abbreviations next to each title.

Karen Armstrong, A Short History of Myth (SHM) [ISBN #1-84195-716-X]
Encyclopedia Britannica (EB) [On-line entries re: Mythology]
Leslie Marmon Silko, Ceremony (Silko) [ISBN #0-14-008683-8]
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) [printed by and available from www.universityreaders.com
                           at the above URL (click the "Buy Here " button at the top right side) or call 1-800-200-3908]

Also Recommended (for those seeking more in-depth study of myth):

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 assignments for which attendance will be taken within each team. The remainder of class periods are study sessions; missing these will make successful completion of in-class assignments more difficult.

CLASSROOM ETIQUETTE: I ask students who arrive late to wait outside the door for a pause in the class presentation (usually 10-15 minutes). If I am talking when you enter, take a seat near the door rather than crossing everyone's field of vision. Once in the classroom:

• please handle cell phones as you would on an airplane: keep them turned off and stowed away for the entire duration of the class.
• due to frequent misuse, I also do not allow laptops, except for students with documented dissabilities requiring their use; if you have such a disability, please discuss it with me within the first week of class. (See also below under "Grading Policies.")
• avoid sights, sounds, and smells that are distracting to the instructor and other students, especially bringing food into the classroom, moving across the front of the room while the instructor is talking, and side conversation with a neighbor while anyone is speaking to the class as a whole.

STAYING INFORMED: if you miss a class or portion thereof, for whatever reason, you are responsible for

• consulting the syllabus to determine what activities you missed.
• finding out about any announcements that were made (usually during the first 10-15 minutes of a given class session) by contacting other members of your team ASAP, using the "browse" function to select student names in SacCT mail (see below), or by gathering direct email addresses from team members you know best during the first weeks of the term.
• approaching me to retrieve any graded assignments that may have been returned during your absence. I am not responsible for low scores on assignments resulting from failure to collect or read comments on earlier, similar assignments.

IMPORTANT: please do not contact me simply to announce an absence, either by phone or email. Also, due to the volume of emails and calls that I must process, I am not available to provide information about every missed class to every absent student. If you still have questions after consulting the syllabus and checking with team members, please approach me face to face at the next class meeting.

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.

In order to facilitate my response to your emails, 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 Monday and Wednesday 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: please do not contact me simply to announce an absence, whether by phone or email. See above under "Staying Informed."

EXCEPTIONS to some of the above-stated policies may be granted in rare instances for compelling reasons, which generally must be verified in writing by a medical or some other professional.

ASSIGNMENTS: Assignments for this course are directly linked to the learning objectives specified above. Each student chooses which assignments to complete depending on which grade (s)he hopes to earn.

In order to achieve a D ("passing with minimum effort") for this course, you must adequately complete:

1. four (4) in-class, on-line RATs ("readiness assessment tests") (3 x 100 points, 300 points total)
   [lowest score dropped; students may complete up to 10 points extra credit to raise low scores]
2. one or two (1-2) unit tests (see schedule) OR summaries of optional sources
   [one page, available for each unit; 50 points each for a maximum total of 100 points]
3. selection & memorization of a story to be told weekly (100 points)
   [assessed via submitting log and by appointment during final weeks of the term]
4. two (2) guided reflections (5 pages each, 2 x 100 points, 200 points total)
   [incomplete reflections will be returned and receive no credit]
   
   In order to achieve a C ("reasonably complete/sometimes insightful"), you must also adequately complete:
   
   
5. one or two (1-2) ADDITIONAL unit tests (see schedule) OR reading summaries (100 points)

In order to achieve a B ("often well-focused & insightful"), you must adequately complete:

1. four (4) in-class, on-line RATs ("readiness assessment tests") (3 x 100 points, 300 points total)
   
2. one or two (1-2) unit tests (see schedule) OR summaries of optional sources(100 points maximum)
   
3. selection & memorization of a story to be told weekly (100 points)
   
4. two (2) guided reflections (5 pages each, 2 x 100 points, 200 points total)
5. thirteen (13) in-class team assignments (200 points total)
   [attendance at a minumum of 11 team assignments required for participation in teams]
   
6. a peer evaluation rating each student in your team (60-140% range)
   [determines what percentage of team scores each student receives]
   
   In order to achieve an A ("consistently sophisticated & exceptionally insightful"), you must also adequately complete:
   
   
7. one or two (1-2) ADDITIONAL unit tests (see schedule) OR summaries of optional sources
   

[GRADING SCALE: 940-1000 points=A, 900-939=A-, 870-899=B+, 840--879=B, 800-839=B-, etc.]

GRADING POLICIES: Barring genuine emergencies, no make-ups are available for RATs; but note that the lowest score is dropped, so missing one RAT will not in itself lower your grade. I generally do not accept rewrites of guided reflections; however you may wish to show me prelimary drafts, submitted for review at least three days prior to the deadline. I DO accept late assignments, but subtract 5% from your overall score for each class day late; I will however not accept late submissions for the final assignment.

If you have a disability that requires some accommodation, please contact me to discuss such accommodation within the first two weeks of the term. I consider extreme difficulty with social interaction and interpersonal communication a legitimate disability, which should be brought to my attention as soon as possible, since team work is such an integral part of the course. If you are unsure about whether you have a disability, I encourage you to speak with me and/or also to contact the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities (Lassen Hall 1008, 278-6955).

I will generally elect severe penalties for academic dishonesty on tests and assignments: a zero score for the assignment, and failing the course for a second offense. You are responsible for reading my comments regarding the importance of academic honesty in FAQ, #10-13, and for requesting clarification if there is anything you do not understand. You may also want to check out the library's tutorial on plagiarism.

Finally, students needing extra time to complete their work for the course must submit to me an application for an incomplete, available in MND 2011. I will not accept a late final assignment or give an incomplete grade without this form in hand.

SCHEDULE: All readings listed should ideally be completed by the day under which they are listed, although this requirement is only assessed during RATs and team assignments. All numbers in the schedule are page numbers unless otherwise noted. In order to access the links to Encyclopedia Britanicca on-line from off-campus, you will need a Saclink ID and password; if you have questions about this, please consult the library access page.

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 excerpts, tests and assignments.

Introduction: Introduction to Myth & Team-Based Learning

Unit 1: Native Americas & the Pacific Rim
Historical Focus: mythic stories of the Paleolithic period
Thematic Focus: courage in facing the degeneration of traditional culture

Unit 2: African & the African-American Diaspora
Historical Focus: mythic stories of the Neolythic period
Thematic Focus: honoring unseen powers that manifest through natural processes, inner and outer

Unit 3: China
Historical Focus: mythic stories of the Axial age
Thematic Focus: the influence of deep-seated emotions, especially in connection with the dead

Unit 4 : India
Historical Focus: Western transformations of mythic thinking, pre-modern and modern
Thematic Focus: adapting and revising mythic stories so that mythic traditions can survive and grow

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.

DISCLAIMER: As you will learn from this term’s study of myth, things may not always be what they first appear! In creating this syllabus I have tried to be as careful as possible to get all the details right. I do however reserve the right to make alterations in the syllabus, announced in class and/or by email with at least three day’s notice, in order to correct an error or make a change that would significantly further the objectives of the course.

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)