Foundation Myths: Kings, Heroes, and Sorceresses in Ancient and Modern Imaginations 

AN N EA M75 - Foundation Myths: Kings, Heroes, and Sorceresses in Ancient and Modern Imaginations 

<p>(Same as Ancient Near East M75.) Lecture, three hours; discussion, one hour. Examination of ancient myths from across the world as narratives that are still foundational for present identities. Such myths did and still do legitimize the beliefs and institutions of those who tell such stories by projecting the present reality into a forgotten past. In this way, they can justify inequitable social structures controlled by kings, while heroes and sorceresses also challenge them to empower oppressed populations and reorder societies. Examination of mythologies featuring such legendary characters from ancient East Asia, West and Central Asia, North Africa, the Mediterranean and Europe, and the Americas. Features expert guest lecturers. Exploration of and connection with mythologies of the ancient world that may be foundational for present identities. Study focuses on four thematic units of foundations of humanity, myths of the state, myths of collapse and refoundation, and foundations of the present. P/NP or letter grading.</p>

Classics

College of Letters and Science

General Education — Literacy & Cultural Analysis (Arts & Humanities)

General Education — Historical Analysis (Society & Culture)

CLASSIC M75 - Foundation Myths: Kings, Heroes, and Sorceresses in Ancient and Modern Imaginations 

Identify areas of commonality and diversity through the comparison of ancient texts and artworks to engage in the complex reasoning and analysis necessary to hold both ideas simultaneously

Create their own personal and emotive foundation myths that empower their identities in the present and effectively communicate these myths through writing and oral communication

Use historical, archaeological, textual, and artistic data to recognize how these myths inequitably structured ancient societies across the globe

Recognize how myths may be expressed in other ancient texts to challenge or renegotiate social hierarchies as well as support them

Combine their historical knowledge with modern literature and media to reflect on how the stories we tell about ancient worlds today are also a form of myth and how they structure our own society

Analyze ancient foundation myths in their historical, geographical, and social contexts through texts in translation and the ancient arts of diverse cultures throughout history

Gain knowledge of what a myth is and how these stories, expressed in literature and art, shaped diverse human societies

De-objectify and thus de-fetishize foundation myths throughout history

General Catalog

Foundation Myths: Kings, Heroes, and Sorceresses in Ancient and Modern Imaginations

CLASSIC M75

5 units