Syllabus World Mythology Mr. Gray [email protected]
Course Description- 5 Credits Grades 11 and 12
The study of the myths, legends, and beliefs of diverse cultures including Greece and Rome, the Middle East, Far East, and Pacific Islands, Africa, Northern Europe, British Isles, and the Americas. Emphasis will be placed upon the transformation of myths through time, connection to contemporary life, and the connections of mythology to cultural formation. Students will explore the human archetypes that run throughout history and cultures through a mythological lens.
URGENT: Due to the importance of maintaining easy communication with parents or guardians, I would like parents or guardians to do the following before reading this document:
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send an email to [email protected] right now,
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include your child’s name and class (e.g.1A, 2B etc) in the message line of the e-mail,
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include all of your e-mail addresses that I can use to reach you and your child,
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and include all of your working phone numbers that I can use to reach you.
Thank you.
Course Learning outcomes and goals-Students will be able to:
Outcome 1- Analyze and discuss verbally and/or in writing, the impact of mythologies on the formation of cultures.
Objective 1: Explain how geography played an important role in the forming cultural worldviews (mythologies).
Objective 2: Analyze the interaction of mythology on culture and culture on the transformations of mythology.
Outcome 2- Analyze and discuss verbally and/or in writing the primal mythologies of each cultural group studied.
Objective 1: Compare and contrast the earliest surviving mythologies.
Objective 2: Describe the reason for similarities and differences.
Objective 3: Evaluate the myths and legends relative to the time period and location.
Outcome 3-Analyze and discuss verbally and/or in writing the impact of experiential factors on the formation and transformation of myths and legends.
Objective 1: Describe the transformation of primal myths in and across cultures.
Objective 2: Explain the influential factors in transformation of myths.
Objective 3: Compare and contrast the transformation across cultures.
Outcome 4- Analyze and discuss verbally and/or in writing the mythologies that are associated with present day cultures.
Objective 1: Identify the mythologies of present day cultures.
Objective 2: Describe the impact of those mythologies on present day relations between cultures.
Objective 3: Evaluate the implication of cultural mythologies on future global relations.
Mandatory Reading
Marking period One or Three
The first few days of class will be spent creating rules, discussing the class, and gathering definitions that will help us have a shared vocabulary regarding myth and legend.
Greece and Rome
“The Creation of the Titans and the Gods” 82
“The Ages of Man” 90 “Demeter and Persephone” 93
Iliad 106 “Jason and the Golden Fleece”159
“Pyramus and Thisbe” 247 “The Aeneid” 255
The Middle East
Babylonia
“The Enuma elish” 3
“Gilgamesh” 26
Egypt
“Osiris, Isis, and Horus”
The Middle East
“The Enuma elish” Pages 2-11 Anthology
Gilgamesh 26
Midterm November 3rd or February 23
Second Marking period or Fourth
The Far East and Pacific Islands 291-360
“The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe” “The Ramayana”
“The Creation of the Universe and Human Beings” “Chi Li Slays the Serpent”
“Amaterasu” “Koan Utunnai”
“The Creation Cycle” “The Taming of the Sun”
The Americas 567-643
“The Creation”(Tiahuanaco/Aymara) “The Children of the Sun “Wanadi The Creator
“The Creation(Maya) “The Creation Cycle (Toltec/Aztec) Quetzalcoatl (Toltec/Aztec)
“The Emergence” “Lodge-Boy and Thrown Away’
“The Woman Who Fell from the Sky”, “Raven and the Sources of Light” “Sedna”
“Caught by a Hair- String”
Norse- Northern Europe 457-478
“The Creation, Death, and Rebirth of the Universe” “The Death of Balder”
“The Theft of Thor’s Hammer” “Siguard the Voldsung”
Final exam January 24th or June 6th
This is the first time this class has ever been taught! The reading list is not complete whatsoever- There are Legends and Myths that will need to be read to complete the projects.
Texts
World Mythology: An Anthology of the Great Myths and Epics
Norse Mythology: A Guide to the Gods, Heroes, Rituals, and Beliefs
Egyptian Mythology Nardo
Mythology of the North American Indian and Inuit Nations: Myths and Legends of North America
Troy by Adele Gearas
Heroes, Gods, and Monsters of the Greek Myths By Bernard Evslin
School Supplies
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Every student must keep a three ring binder for everything not offered in Google Docs. This binder will become several major grades in the class.
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Every student should be prepared with a pen/pencil every day. Turned in assignments must be in blue or black ink. It would also be very helpful to have a highlighter.
Grade Breakdown
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30% Summative Assessments
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30%Formative Assessments
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30% Classwork
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10%Homework
New Grading System
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90-100 = A
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80-89 = B
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70-79 = C
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60-69 = D
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59 and Below = F
Expectations
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Get to work as soon as you arrive. (Do Now)
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Write in the upper left corner of all work:
Your name
Mr. Gray
World Myth and Legend
Date
3. Do not touch the windows, door, or desk without permission.
4. Keep your binder with you at all times. Your reading, notes, several test grades, and many of your homework grades depend on the binder. Bring your anthology to class every day please- you will have reading in class and at home.
5. Keep your desks clear. If you have a bag or anything that must never touch the floor, don’t bring it to class. Keep your things out of the walkways.
6. Tissues, lotion, hand sanitizer are for your benefit; please do not abuse the privilege.
7. Keep your cell phones off and out of sight. You may not plug into the wall.
8. Test Procedure: clear your desk, if you talk or use your cell phone during testing; your test will be voided and you will not be allowed a make-up. If you are absent for a test, please expect to take it the day you come back.
9. As far as grades go, if you cheat, you may not make up the work and you receive a zero.
10. Come to me with problems before and after school; I will stay after school if you ask.
11. Please be on time and don’t get in any trouble, we really do not have enough time as it turns out.
12. Use A-Hall bathroom. You will be offered 4 pass tickets. These tickets are worth 2 extra credit points at the end of the marking period or one bathroom pass. In the event that you run out of tickets, you will have detention for as long as your break from class.
13. Do not bring food or drink into the room. I am liable to eat it, dump it out, or throw it out.
14. You are not welcome in the room out of uniform.
15. You must have computer access in this class. If you do not have access, you will lose the grades associated with any computer activity. Keep your AUP up to date.
16. Also, you may have as many days as you were out to learn and make up what you have missed- your group will be responsible for helping you.
17. The bell doesn't dismiss you, I do. Please don’t try to line up at the door at the end of the period. You will have work to do up till the bell.
18. I am not going to fill out passes, please ask me for a pass and fill it out; I will sign off before you leave.
Discipline procedure
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I will give you a verbal warning.
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You will receive a teacher detention
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The next level will be teacher assigned administrative detention.
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Write up referrals to follow.
Binder set up- 1 to one and a half inch binder
-Every binder cycle starts a count. I will give you reading for example; it gets a date and a 1 on the front cover. The next thing I give you or you create gets a two…so on until you hit 11.
-Keep a section for do now’s
-Keep a section for new vocabulary-HOMEWORK GRADE-Look up the words- I will offer you words daily but you can add as you like.
-When we get to 11, I will grade your homework, and count the other 10 as a test grade.
-The handouts in the binder need to be completed. If I have asked you to take notes on a reading, that should be evident on the reading. Each one of the 10 is worth ten points.
Much of your reading in this class will be in the binder. Most of that reading will be homework, so the binder cannot really stay in the room. You need to bring it back and forth.
Grouping- We will do a whole lot of discussion in this class about what we read. Let’s be very clear here; your grade when in group discussion is the same for the entire group. Your groups may be changed at the interim and or at the end of the marking period.
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The bottom line is you need to work together. The discussion rubric explains this better than I can.
Speaker, time on task, keeper, and recorder – these roles should be changed up – everyone gets a turn.
Jigsaw- Each group is responsible for a question or questions; each group gives the answer and everyone else in the room writes down the answer. Sometimes the other groups can peer review a bit and challenge or add to what the group has already said.
Fish bowl- The group is posed a question and the rest of the class listens in on the discussion. I like to use these as on the spot tests.
There are other types of grouping that will be explained as needed.
Job list- Extra credit- I don’t normally give extra credit and I certainly don’t give extra credit for people who owe me work but I will raffle off some jobs.
*** Save work for the absent people- may need more than one person for this job.
** Pass out work
** Clean up the tables- Clear tables
**Last period- Make sure all the chairs are up
**First period- make sure all the chairs are down.
Make up work is a hot issue
Make up work is when you are not here and miss something. You have the time you missed to make it up. Check the work folder, contact your study buddy.
People who choose to ignore due dates are not people who have make-up work. You are choosing to lose 10 points a day that the work in not in my possession.
Work that does not appear on the due date gets a zero until you turn it in but you are going to get taxed points.
If you are having trouble getting something done, turn it in incomplete or talk to me about what’s going on; please be responsible.
Testing
Ready or not if you are here for a test, you are testing that school day. I may just want to see what you can do or I may not consider the time you missed unimportant and believe that you can still find success.
Due dates
You do not change due dates. If you want an extension, let me know and we will talk about it on a case by case basis.
Office Hours: I should be available after school from 2:05- 2:35 Tuesday and Thursday in A201