HUM 131 - Mythology

1. Examine the concept of myth.
2. Discuss the basic myths of the Greeks and Romans.
3. Distinguish the major divinities.
4. Relate the stories told about the major divinities.
5. Identify the ways in which ancient and modern artists have illustrated the great myths and depicted the gods and goddesses through the visual arts.
6. Evaluate the effects of ancient myths on the western literary tradition through excerpts from ancient and modern literature.
7. Determine the similarities and differences between the major mythic systems of the world through contact with some myths from non-Greek and non-Roman cultures.

1.  Basic Concept of “Myth”
   1. Freud
   2. Jung
   3. Campbell
   4. Malinowski
   5. Burkert
2. Myths of the Greeks and Romans
   1. Greek creation story
   2. Non-Greek creation stories
3. Major Greek Divinities and their Roman Counterparts
   1. Artemis
   2. Athena
   3. Hestia
   4. Hera
   5. Demeter
   6. Persephone
   7. Aphrodite
   8. Zeus
   9. Poseidon
   10. Hades
   11. Apollo
   12. Hermes
   13. Ares
   14. Hephaestus
   15. Dionysius
4. Stories about the Major Divinities
   1. Theban saga
   2. Mycenaean saga
   3. Trojan saga
   4. Vergil’s Aeneid
   5. Orphic texts
   6. Perseus
5. Artistic Representation of Myths
   1. Ancient Sculpture & Painting
   2. Medieval Sculpture and Painting
   3. Renaissance Sculpture and Painting
   4. Modern Sculpture and Painting
6. Effects of Ancient Myths on the Western Literary Tradition
   1. Ancient Literature
   2. Medieval Literature
   3. Renaissance Literature
   4. Modern Literature
7. Similarities and Differences Between Major Mythic Systems
   1. Egyptian
   2. Norse
   3. Native American
8. Anthropological and Psychological Approaches to Mythic Systems
   1. James George Frasier
   2. Claude Levi-Strauss
   3. Otto Rank
   4. Carl Kerenyi
   5. Carl Jung
   6. Joseph Campbell
   7. James Hillman
   8. Jean Shinoda Bolen