FYS 198: The Truth about Tall Tales:  Saga, Myth, and Orality
from The Lost Gods of Britain to the Vanishing Hitchhiker
 

Course Schedule

A Foliate Green Man carving from a church at Llangwm in Northern Wales. The Green Man has been an important fertility figure in many cultures, and is often linked with the Great Goddess. Celtic representations of the Green Man pre-date the Christian era by some centuries, and reasserted themselves in Christian contexts well into the early modern era. The Foliation associated with this type of carving recalls Druidic and Dionysion imagery, as well as the medieval Green Knight of Sir Gawain and later folkloric figures associated with spring country festivals. Image Credit: Copyright © 1996-2001 Sacred Source. Sacred Source (www.sacredsource.com) is a source for images of the divine, and joins this web site in spreading healing archetypes to every corner of modern culture.

Click the Green Man to view the Course Syllabus!


Week-by-Week Short Paper One  Short Paper Two
Oral Presentation One Oral Presentation Two Movie Review One
 Movie Review Two  Final Presentation  Final Paper
Midterm Exam Final Exam Reaction Paper One
Reaction Paper Two Reaction Paper Three Reaction Paper Four
Portfolio Yule Festival

 
 

First Week
Course Introduction:
Introduction to Comparative Mythology and Methods:
The nature of comparative mythology, mythic archetypes, the hero with a thousand faces
Assignment:
The World of Myth
("Introduction"--3-8")
("The Creation"--13-42; "The Flood"--43-62")
("The Afterlife"--64-75; "The Apocalypse"--76-89)

Second Week
Topics:
Introduction and Overview of History of Early Britain, including some specifics of comparative British mythology
Assignment:
The World of Myth
("Hero Myths"--217-310)
("Myths of the Gods"--93-212)
Heroes, Gods, and Kings:  The Battle for Mythic Britain
("Preface"--ix-xi; "Introduction"--3-9; "The Pantheons"--13-63)
MOVIE ONE: Lord of the Rings/Harry Potter

Third Week
Topic:
Introduction to Oral Culture and Narrative Techniques: oral formulaic theory
Mythic echoes in Medieval British literature I:  The Anglo-Saxon tradition.  Recite Beowulf aloud in class and discuss oral narrative components
Assignment:
Beowulf
("Introduction" and lines 1-2199)
Heroes, Gods, and Kings:  The Battle for Mythic Britain
(Germanic "Deity Types"--75-109; "Sacred Objects and Places"--111-114)
(Germanic "Heroes and Heroines"--117-138)
REACTION PAPER ONE DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK THREE

Fourth Week
Topic:
Mythic echoes in Medieval British literature II:  The Anglo-Saxon tradition. Recite Beowulf aloud in class and discuss oral narrative components
Assignment:
Beowulf
(Lines 2199-3180)
Heroes, Gods, and Kings:  The Battle for Mythic Britain
(Germanic "Sagas"--147-168)
(Germanic "Creation and Apocalypse"--139-145)
MOVIE TWO: Star Wars/O Brother Where Art Thou?
REACTION PAPER TWO DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK FOUR

Fifth Week
Topic:
Mythic echoes in Medieval British literature III:  The Irish tradition
Assignment:
The Tain (in entirety)
Heroes, Gods, and Kings:  The Battle for Mythic Britain
("The Pantheons"--63-73; Celtic "Deity Types"--75-109; "Sacred Objects and Places" 114-115)
("Sagas of Ireland"--169-181)
SHORT PAPER ONE DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK FIVE

Sixth Week
Topic:
Mythic echoes in Medieval British literature IV:  The Welsh tradition
Assignment:
The Mabinogion (in entirety)
Heroes, Gods, and Kings:  The Battle for Mythic Britain
("Sagas of Wales"--181-189)
(Celtic "Creation and Apocalypse"--139-145)
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ON WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY OF WEEK SIX
MOVIE THREE: The Fisher King/Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Seventh Week
Topic:
Some Medieval Conclusions & Catch up;  review for midterm exam
Assignment:
Heroes, Gods, and Kings:  The Battle for Mythic Britain
("Conclusion"--191-221)
MIDTERM EXAM ON FRIDAY OF WEEK SEVEN

Eighth Week
Topic:
Native American Mythology
Assignment:
The Mythology of Native North America
MOVIE REVIEW ONE DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK EIGHT
MOVIE FOUR: Smoke Signals/Little Big Man/Last Stand at Little Big Horn

Ninth Week
Topic:
Native American Mythology
Assignment:
The Mythology of Native North America
REACTION PAPER THREE DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK NINE

Tenth Week
Topic:
Modern American Mythology
Assignment:
Myths, Legends, & Folktales of America
SHORT PAPER TWO DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK TEN
MOVIE FIVE: Dark passages/Beloved

Eleventh Week
Topic:
Modern American Mythology
Assignment:
Myths, Legends, & Folktales of America
ORAL PRESENTATIONS ON WEDNESDAY AND FRIDAY OF WEEK ELEVEN

Twelfth Week
Topic:
Modern American Mythology
Assignment:
Myths, Legends, & Folktales of America
MOVIE SIX: The Blair Witch Project/Scream
REACTION PAPER FOUR DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK TWELVE

Thirteenth Week
Topic:
Urban Legends
Assignment:
The Vanishing Hitchhiker
MOVIE REVIEW TWO DUE AT THE START OF CLASS ON FRIDAY OF WEEK THIRTEEN

Fourteenth Week
Topic:
Urban Legends
Assignment:
The Vanishing Hitchhiker
Catch up;  consult about and prepare for final presentations; review for final exam
PORTFOLIO DUE AT THE START OF THE FINAL CLASS

FINAL PAPER DUEbefore Yule Festival

Yule Festival: FINAL PRESENTATIONS

Finals Week
FINAL EXAM