DSP-340-21: Myths & their Meaning (Fall 2012), page 1
DSP-340-21(22119)Myths & Their Meaning
Lebanon Valley College, Fall 2012
Wednesday, 6:30-9:30pm, HUM 302
Instructor: David Wayne Layman, Ph.D.
Cell phone: 717-606-5270
Email: ;
Web Page:
DSP-340-21: Myths & their Meaning (Fall 2012), page 1
Textbooks
- Robert A. Segal, Myth: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2004
- Helen Morales, Classical Mythology: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford University Press, 2007
- Anthology Of Classical Myth: Primary Sources in Translation, Stephen Trzaskoma, R. Scott Smith, Stephen Brunet, eds. and trans., Hackett Publishing Company, 2004
Class Schedule—please see note next page
Aug29Syllabus, Introduction: Myth, “Introduction”; Handout
Sept.5Myth, Science, Philosophy: Myth, chs. 1-2
12Myth and Philosophy: Classical Mythology, ch. 4;
Anthology of Classical Myth, [Allegory, Plato]pp. 116-120; 363-367
[Oedipus]49-51 (top); 235[#66]-236; 241 [#85]; 352 [#N]
19Myth, Psychology, Society: Myth, ch. 6-7; Classical Mythology, ch. 5-6
26Myth and Society: Myth and Literature: Myth, ch. 5; Classical Mythology, chs. 1-2
Oct.3Test # 1(N.B.: the test is designed to only cover Aug. 29—Sept. 19)
10Submission of Essay Proposal
Anthology of Classical Myth: pp. xix-xxiii; Callimachus; Hesiod
17Anthology of Classical Myth:pp. 190-1 (§4d); 73-4; 456-468; 472-478; 160-67
24Anthology of Classical Myth:Homeric Hymns; Pausanias;Sappho, Sophocles #941; pp. 107-109
31Rough Draft Due
Anthology of Classical Myth: Apollodorus
Myth, Ritual, Religion: Myth, chs. 3-4
Nov.7Myth, Ritual, Religion: Myth, chs. 3-4
Myth of “Cinyras and Myrrha”: Handouts
14Test # 2
In-class preparation of Group Reports
28In-class preparation of Group Reports
Group Reports (See under requirements, #3, for details.)
Dec.5Group Reports; Essays Due
Important note about the above schedule
The original schedule for this course was prepared, and has been successfully used, on the supposition of a 2-½ hour class period. The instructor was informed about 3 weeks prior to the beginning of the semester that, due to credit hour requirements by state and accreditation agencies, each class period must be 3 hours long. The instructor has attempted to adjust the schedule, but cannot guarantee that the breaks in topics will happen exactly as presented in the above schedule. The student needs to be aware especially that the instructor may be required to give lectures on Oct. 31 and Nov. 14 (after the Tests). Also, the pacing of the in-class prep time and the group reports may need to be adjusted. Finally, since this class does not have a final exam, and the time scheduled for an exam does not count towards the additional time, we will not be meeting December 12,unless required to complete Group Reports.
Course Description
Looks at the significance Greek and Roman myths hold for us today from the perspectives of literature, psychology, religion, sociology, and anthropology.
Requirements & Grade Determination
1.Grades will be based on three types of assignments: evaluations, essay, and group report.
2.Evaluations: There will be two Evaluations.
a.They will primarily objective, emphasizing understanding of the readings and the lectures.
b.They will consist of true/false, multiple choice, short answer and an essay.
c.Each evaluation will be approximately 70 points, and are intended to be completed in approximately 1 hour and 30 minutes, although some students will complete them sooner.
3.Group Report:
a.The class will be divided into 4 or 5 groups (depending on size) into the major “methods” studied in the course (Science, Philosophy, Psychology, Society & Anthropology, Ritual and Religious Studies, Literature).
1.Students will be permitted to choose a group in a method they have academic skills in. E.g., psychology majors could choose the psychology group.
2.After lecture and class discussion of the Myth of “Cinyras and Myrrha”, each group will study the myth from the standpoint of its assigned method.
3.Students will be encouraged to do outside research.
b.Following the study, each group will report its findings to the class. The Rubric will be as follows, with each scale worth 20 points (for a total of 100 points).
1.Factual accuracy in the interpretation of the myth and the discipline’s data
2.Understanding the discipline’s skill sets and methods
3.Application of the discipline’s methods to the myth
4.Insight into the myth using those skill sets and methods
5.Interest of the presentation
4.Essay: The essay is to be a minimum of seven pages long, as determined by the “Technical Requirements for Essay, 7” below.
a.The subject of the essay can be a single myth, 2 or 3 closely related myths, or the concept of myth in general, e.g., some aspect of the theory of interpreting myths.
1.The student should ask (in some manner) the question: what do(es) this (these) myth(s) mean(s)?
2.Or, he/she can ask: does myth have meaning today? How or in what sense?
3.He/she can also examine the application of some discipline to (a) myth.
b.Because this is a WP (“Writing Process”) course, the essay is to be developed in the following stages:
1.Proposal (due October 17)
2.Rough draft (due November 7)
3.Final essay (due December 5)
c.The proposal is to include:
1.A thesis or argument that the student intends to explain.
2.A summary and brief description of the literature and sources the student will use in developing the thesis.
3.A tentative outline of the essay.
4.The rough draftwill be graded on content, not style, grammar, or correct citations.
5.Required Documentation for Essay
a.It assumed that the student is not an expert in the fields of the study myth. Therefore, his or her ideas and concepts are based on some outside source(s). This source (these sources) must be documented.
b.Some sources are direct quotes. The student is advised against relying on extensive quotation. An important task in any paper or essay is knowing how to restate one’s sources.
c.Most sources are paraphrased. These sources must be documented just as much as direct quotes.
d.Many students think it is only necessary to provide citations for direct quotes. This is not the case.Therefore, I will require a student to provide at least one citation for each and every paragraph, excepting the first and last.
1.Every paragraph without a citation will be penalized three (3) points.
2.If the student attempts to bypass this requirement by using long paragraphs (i.e., approximately one page long, or longer), the instructor will penalize a citation-less paragraph six points.
e.The student will use “MLA” format for citations.
1.Direct quotes are cited as follows: “This is a pretend quotation (Morales, 75).” Here “Morales” represents the last name of the author, and “75” represents the page number. Please observe that the citation is inside the period that ends the sentence, and that the closing quotation mark is outside the period.
2.Other citations are placed at the end of the paragraph: This sentence represents the last sentence of the paragraph. (Morales, 75-83; Segal, 120)
(1)Note two differences here. The citation is outside the sentence.
(2)Multiple references can be included within the citation, assuming that no reference refers to a direct quotation.
f.If there is more than one work in the bibliography by some author, the date of publication must follow the name of the author: (Augustine, 2001:42).
g.Works Cited: The form for the “Works Cited” (“bibliography”) is, e.g.:Segal, Robert A. Myth: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004.
6.Substantive Requirements for Essay
a.The writing is clear, easy to understand, and avoids complicated sentence structure.
b.It states a thesis in the opening paragraph, develops that thesis in the body of the paper, and summarizes the thesis in the conclusion.
c.It demonstrates an understanding of the ideas it discusses and clearly explains those ideas.
7.Technical Requirements for Essay
a.written on word processor (exceptions only by special dispensation);
b.one inch margins on all sides;
c.double–spaced (not 1-1/2 space);
d.use a 12–pt. size font, preferably a standard “serif” font such as Times New Roman;
e.If you use Courier for the font, the essay must be a minimum of 8-1/2 pages long.
f.I would prefer that you do not use a “sans–serif” font (e.g., Arial/Helvetica); absolutely do not use a display font, except on a title page (if you choose to use one);
g.do not use fully justified margins.
8.Final Grade Determination: All grading will be done on the standard LVC grading system. The assignments shall be weighted as follows:
- Evaluations ## 1& 2....21% each 42%
- Essay Proposal...... 8%
- Rough Draft...... 8%
- Group Report...... 17%
- Essay...... 25%
9.Attendance: The student is allowed one (1) “free” unexcused absence. Thereafter, each unexcused absence will result in a two (2) point deduction from the final grade point average.
Cheating and Plagiarism(adaptation of official LVC policy)
- … All individual work that a student produces and submits as a course assignment must be the student's own. Cheating and plagiarism are acts of academic dishonesty.
- Cheating is an act that deceives or defrauds. It includes, but is not limited to, looking at another's exam or quiz, using unauthorized materials during an exam or quiz, colluding on assignments without the permission or knowledge of the instructor, and furnishing false information for the purpose of receiving special consideration, such as postponement of an exam, essay, quiz or deadline of an oral presentation.
- Plagiarism is the act of submitting as one's own the work … of another person or persons without accurate attribution. Plagiarism … can emerge as the incomplete or incompetent citation of resources; it can take the form of the wholesale submission of other people’s work as one’s own, whether from an online, oral or printed source.
- To avoid “incomplete or incompetent citation of resources,” the student is is observe the requirement stated above at “Requirements and Grade Determination 5.d”.Penalities for failure to observe the requirement are noted there.
- Any student who submits plagiarized work will be subject to the penalties described in the Student Handbook and outlined in LVC’s “Academic Honesty Policy” ( Relevant excerpts are as follows: “… the instructor shall report the suspected incidence to the associate dean of the faculty. At the moment the work has been submitted, the student involved forfeits the right to withdraw from the course or to change his or her course status in any way. … For the first offense of academic dishonesty, the faculty member has the option of implementing whatever grade-related penalty he or she deems appropriate, up to and including failure in the course.”
Disability Accommodations
If you have a physical, medical, psychological, or learning disability that is going to impact your attendance or require accommodation, please let me know. In order to ensure that your learning needs are appropriately met, you will need to provide documentation of your disability or medical condition to the Director of Disability Services. The Office of Disability Services will then provide a letter of verification of disability that describes the accommodations needed for this class. This office is located in the Humanities Building, room 04, and the Director may be reached by phone at 717-867-6071.
Emailing Documents
1.Emailed documents must be attached(not included in the body of the email).
2.Documents should be either (1) Microsoft Office 2007 (suffix of “.docx”)or Microsoft Office (“.doc”), (2) Rich Text Format (“.rtf”), or (3) Pages (part of the Apple iWork Suite), on OS X (“Apple Computers”).
3.Do not use “.wps” or “.odt”. The professor cannot read these documents, and will not accept them.
4.Please wait for a return receipt. If the professor does not send you one within 6 hours, or within 3 hours the next morning if you sent it after 9 pm, assume he did not receive the document.
5.The student is responsible for ensuring that the professor receives the document. The professor is not responsible for failure to attach a document, incorrect email addressing, or any technical errors in the internet delivery system.