Download Classics 102 Mythology Essay

Classics 102 Mythology
Essay
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Important Information and Instructions:
Basic Requirements
hand-written essays will not be accepted
title page is optional - go ahead, save a tree
no less than 6 and no more than 10 pages long
double spaced in
10 or 12 point type on
standard 8.5x11" white paper with
1" margins all around
opening paragraph and a conclusion are required
you may add some (relevant) illustrations, maps, and drawings
you will have to use notes of some sort, unless every sentence
of your paper is 100% original thought, which is impossible
I prefer footnotes, but use endnotes or APA style if you wish
if you use APA style, you must include the page numbers
Bibliography is a must
Style - use APA or Chicago, I’m not fussy. Be consistent. Choose a style and stick with it. See here.
Late papers will be docked 5% per day to a maximum of 40%, and will be graded without
comments.
Hand in essays to me personally in class or at my office, or email it to me in any standard document
format. If you email it, you MUST receive confirmation that I got it - otherwise assume it didn’t
work. I will check names off against the class list as I receive them. I will know if you did not give
me an essay, so don’t claim later that I must have lost it. Keep a copy of your essay until you get it
back.
Marks will be deducted for spelling and grammatical errors, poor logic, circular arguments,
irrelevancies, filler, extra large fonts, and all other such things.
Sources:
You must use at least three different sources, at least one of which is a primary source (see
below).
DO NOT cite the course text as one of your sources; the essay should take you beyond what the
course text says, which you should already be familiar with anyway
DO NOT use web sites as sources for essays, INCLUDING WIKIPEDIA. Remember:
ANYONE can make a web site, and say ANYTHING they like on it, and ANYONE can edit or
rewrite wikipedia articles. There is no peer review required, no editing necessary, no checking
of "facts", and they don’t have to specify their sources. Many web sites are not much better than
graffiti. With few exceptions, web sites, should be treated as a starting point; they should NOT
be your only source of material. Some web sites are acceptable sources; ask your instructor
first.
DO NOT cite encyclopedia articles. They are fine for high school, but you are beyond that
now. Read them by all means, they are a good starting place if you know little or nothing about
a topic.
Use real books as source material. Books are hard to write and hard to get published. You can
be sure a great deal more effort went into a book than a web site. Real books in electronic
format are fine (like Bullfinch’s Mythology, or ancient texts on-line, below).
Primary Sources: A Primary source is something written as close in time to the events as
possible. You can find many of them under the Perseus Project http://www.perseus.tufts.edu (for
Classical Greece and Rome especially). There are also several collections of ancient texts
on-line, such as http://www.ancienttexts.org/library/index.html. A wide range of information on
various topics (within the field of Classics) can be found under:
http://www.digital-librarian.com/classics.html Look also under the Internet Classics Archives:
http://sms-va.com/mdl-indx/internet.htm. Also, Diotima: Material for the Study of Women and
Gender in the Ancient World: http://www.stoa.org/diotima/.
Remember: The purpose of the exercise is to show the instructor that you know how to a) find, b)
organize, and c) present information in an orderly and logical fashion. I would also expect you have
something to say about that information. I hope you will learn something, and perhaps I will too.
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Sources
The Giant All-in-One Bibliography
A continuously-evolving work in progress. NOTE: Just because a topic has few books listed here doesn’t
mean there are few available on that topic; look for yourself. The Giant Bibliography PDF - click here
Greek and Roman Mythology Web Sites - a place to start from, remember
1. Bulfinch’s Mythology - Homepage and Table of Contents: Annotated, hyperlinked edition of Bulfinch’s
Mythology. Home Page and Table of Contents. http://www.bulfinch.org
2. Greek Mythology Link, Home Page. http://hsa.brown.edu/~maicar
3. Classical Myth: Homepage: this site is designed to draw together the ancient texts and images available
on the Web concerning the major figures of Greek and Roman mythology.
http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/index.html
4. Links2Go: Classical Myth: Homepage: Links and topics related to Classical Myth: Homepage.
http://www.links2go.com/more/web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth
5. Morford and Lenardon’s Classical Mythology Homepage: http://www.classicalmythology.org
6. Harris and Platzner’s Classical Mythology Homepage: http://www.mayfieldpub.com/mythology
7. Mythology in Western Art: http://www-lib.hafia.ac.il/www/art/MYTHOLOGY_WESTART.HTML
8. Classical Myth: http://web.uvic.ca/grs/bowman/myth/
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Mesopotamian Myth Web Sites
1. Classical Myth. Mesopotamian materials: http://duke.usask.ca/~cavanst/mesop.htm
2. Myth: Mesopotamian Gods and Goddesses - Ancient/Classical History Links to mythology and
mythological characters from ancient mythology around the world.
http://ancienthistory.about.com/education/ancienthistory/library/bl/bl_myth_mesopotamian_gods_index.htm
3. Mesopotamian Myth: Review Questions over the Babylonian Creation Myth and The Hittite Succession
Myth. http://chss2.montclair.edu/classics/mesopot.htm
4. Creation in Mesopotamian Myth: http://www.nd.edu/~theo/glossary/creation.mesop.myth.html
5. Sumerian Myth: Mesopotamian Religion and Culture. Assyro-Babylonian Mythology.
http://pubpages.unh.edu/~cbsiren/assyrbabyl-faq.html
6. Hittite/Hurrian Mythology: a description of the pantheon, and history of the Hittites, who drew heavily
upon the pantheon of their neighbors the Hurrians. http://pubpages.unh.edu/~cbsiren/hittite-ref.html
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Topics
Your essay must be on one of these topics.
1. Compare the concept of the hero in the Iliad and the Odyssey.
2. Compare the portrayal of women in the Iliad and the Odyssey.
3. Discuss the political significance of the Delphic Oracle.
4. Describe and discuss the Mystery Religions (or Cults) in general. How do you account for their
popularity?
5. Do Greek heroes have free will, or has fate pre-determined everything? Consider Oedipus, or
Odysseus, or compare the two.
6. Discuss Dionysus and the development of Greek theatre.
7. Research the cult of Isis among the Greeks and the Romans. How do you account for her popularity?
8. Compare Odysseus and his wife Penelope with Agamemnon and his wife, Clytemnestra.
9. What is the relationship between Roman legend and history?
10. Compare the heroes of Homer with those of Vergil.
11. Describe and discuss the various types of divination in the Greek and Roman world.
12. Discuss the influence of Ancient Near Eastern mythology on the mythology of the Greeks.
13. Compare Hesiod’s account of creation with that of Ovid. How do you explain the differences
between them?
14. Discuss Greek ideals for heroes and heroines. How are they different? Similar?
15. A topic of your own choice. You MUST discuss this with the instructor before proceeding, and we
will need something in writing. Be prepared to explain a) What do you wish to write about? b) Why is the
topic worth doing? c) What are the sources?
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Copyright © Michael Ward 1999 - 2007