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Antoinette Brazouski
Northern Illinois University
Course
Classical Mythology: Honors FLCL 271H 3 semester hours
The honors component of Classical Mythology is intended to give students a deeper
understanding of the subject and its relationship to other academic areas such as art,
music, and psychology. Each student must complete a project that involves reading one or
more pieces of Ancient Greek and/or Roman literature in translation.
Description
Ever since ancient times, myths have been associated with celestial phenomena. This module
encourages students not only to learn about celestial bodies and the Ancient Greek and Roman
myths associated with them but also to collect and save information about them. The students
use their photocopying skills to reproduce material in books and periodicals. They practice
finding, judging, and printing information on the World Wide Web.
Because of the many Ancient Greek and Roman myths that are associated with celestial bodies,
toward the end of the semester it is advisable to devote an entire class session to myths of
this type. Showing appropriate illustrations with a document camera, LCD projector, and a
screen or by means of a PowerPoint presentation, the teacher could lead a discussion of
each sign of the zodiac (having the students indicate which sign they are always adds interest).
Then, minor astronomically connected myths, such as that of the Milky Way, that were not
covered during the semester could be introduced-with illustrations, if possible. Finally,
if time permits, the teacher could mention characters about whose transformation into
constellations the students have studied and ask the students to recall their stories.
For students interested in astronomy and the myths associated with heavenly bodies as well
as for students who anticipate teaching about astronomical matters, creating a mythology source
notebook (or file) is very helpful since it allows quick access to material and can be updated
continually.
View the attached "Project".
Transferability
This module could be used in an astronomy class or in any class studying material that
contains allusions to celestial bodies.
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