Overview
In this course juniors and seniors will read and explore mythology from various cultures – Greek, Roman, Near Eastern, Biblical, and Norse mythology. We will discuss how people use myths to make sense of their life experience, how myths are represented in ancient and modern art, including film, animation, advertisements, etc. Regular reading, participation in class discussion, and close study of art will be required throughout the course.
Essential Questions
How are the myths of the ancient Romans and/or ancient Greeks relevant or present in today’s world?
How might the awareness of such influences enrich us and our experiences?
How does one find and effectively apply mythic elements to various types of literature?
How do I comprehend accurately more complex myths found in poetic, dramatic, and historical documents?
Your Notebook – Required Materials
5 Subject Notebook, preferably college-ruled
Glue sticks
Scissors
Pens with blue or black ink
Highlighters and Colored pens/pencils
More information regarding the setup, maintenance, and grading will be provided separately in class and on the website.
Abbreviated List of Readings (Green = priority)
Epic of Gilgamesh
Book of Genesis
Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound (Prometheus and Pandora), Agamemnon, Choephori, and Eumenides (Fall of Troy)
Euripides’ Bacchae (Dionysus/Bacchus and Pentheus), Hippolytus (Theseus and Hippolytus), Medea (Jason and Medea), Iphigenia at Aulis (Judgment of Paris)
Hesiod’s Theogony and Works and Days
Homer’s Homeric Hymns
Homer’s Iliad (Books 1-3, 5-6) and Odyssey
Livy’s Foundation of Rome (Book 1)
Ovid’s Metamorphoses
Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Antigone, Oedipus at Colonus
Vergil’s Aeneid (Books 2, 4, 6-12)
Various Norse, Native American, Near Eastern texts
Topics and Activities
Ancient and modern artistic representations of myth
The historical and cultural significance of myths
The principal rhetorical approaches to mythology
Reading aloud with expression, asking questions that show understanding of the material, offering informed opinions of the myths
Interpretation of myth via projects, performances, and essays
Answer key questions, including but not limited to the Essential Questions
Composition and demonstration of a myth unit
Grading Policy
Terms 1-3
Interactive Notebook and/or Project 20%
Responsibility, Preparedness, and Participation 20%
Thematic/Unit Exams 60%
Term 4
Final Exam 20%
Thematic/Unit Exams 60%
Responsibility, Preparedness, and Participation 20%
We must ALL strive to be…
Responsible.
Respectful — to everything and everyone.
Patient — with others and with yourself.
Positive.
Persistent.
Prepared.
Present (Physically and Mentally).
Prompt (i.e., On Time).
Organized.
Informed.
About Academic Integrity
Plagiarism is the practice of copying words, sentences, images, or ideas for use in written or oral assessments without giving proper credit to the source. Cheating is defined as the giving or receiving of external help on anything that has been determined by the teacher to be an individual effort. Both are considered serious offenses and will significantly affect your course grade. Please refer to the Student Code of Conduct for additional information.
Parent/Guardian(s):
In the article titled “Telling Stories: The Myth Tradition – From Homer to Gilgamesh to Vergil” that was published in the Classical Outlook and presented at the ACL Institute in June 2010, Dr. Paul Properzio states:
“There is a caveat to students and parents. The study of myth often involves very disturbing human behavior… Graphic artwork, as well as difficult and open discussion, require considerable maturity on the part of the student.”
Read through course expectations and assignments.
Visit and thoroughly read my website and complete the Parent/Student Contact Form. Completion of this form will indicate you understand the purpose, format, and expectations of this course.
Monitor students’ progress by way of the Student Informational System.
Please contact me with any questions or concerns you might have either via phone or e-mail.
Ms. Mix's Latin Classes 
Dear Friend,
I recently watched the movie Elf, and it was interesting. If you love Christmas, Elfs, songs, and hilarity than I would gladly recommend this movie to you. Elf is a Christmas comedy about a human boy, Buddy, who was raised with the elfs in the North pole, but when he discovers that he is not an elf but a human, he sets out on a mission to find his family. This is when the hilarity ensues, Buddy does not understand human ways and no one understand Buddy and Christmas anymore, but towards the end everyone begins to understand each other and Buddy teaches everyone the true meaning of Christmas, which is a tad bit cliche. However, if you do not like Christmas, comedy, songs, and family get togethers than this will be more of a waste of time, and you probably will not like it, so I would not recommend it.
Sincerely,
Hodman Abshir
Dear friend,
I highly recommend you watch the movie Elf because not only is it a great Christmas movie, it shows that even if you aren’t accepted by someone at first the time will come. Buddy the elf is completely lost when his dad doesn’t accept him fully but towards the end of the movie his father comes full circle and apologizes for not accepting him in the first place.