Humanities

 

HUMN 3

World Myths in Literature, Arts and Film

HUMN 3 is an interdisciplinary exploration of ancient myths and their modern adaptations in film, art, and literature.

Exploring the manner in which myths - sacred, oral narratives - remain vibrant and alive inspires understanding about the universal and cultural nuances of mythology influencing the largess of our thinking and awareness, as individuals and a global community. Humanity is linked through our shared, myth making genius.

HUMN 3 incorporates a survey of world myths from cultures such as Africa, China, Japan, Europe, the Americas, and India. Within these myths, we will examine archetypal themes of creation, destruction, and rebirth, and their enlivening characters including gods, goddesses, Tricksters, heroes, and heroines. Through class discussions, personal analyses, and instructor emphasis lectures, we will investigate mythology as a living, transformative force woven throughout ritual, fairy tales, media, literature, and art - all of which take on brilliant, deeply felt new meaning when viewed through a mythic lens. Learning the language of myth is a thrilling adventure!

Course Objectives

• identify some major theories of myth interpretation
• analyze how myths function as building blocks of culture.
• interpret mythic metaphors symbols, and analogies.
• analyze how myths relate to rituals and morality.
• compare and contrast characters, events, symbols, and motifs in various myths and their adaptations.
• recognize mythological themes in modern culture, including literature, television and film.
• analyze how adaptations of myth seek to reflect, classify and define the cultural and social experiences of an age.
• identify how adaptations of mythology inspire and inform the various movie genres (Action Adventure, Drama, Romantic Comedy, Science Fiction and Fantasy).