Syllabus for Mythology Main Lesson Block, Fall 2011

Instructor: Angelo Sphere asphere9@aol.com (919) 688-4592


Course Objectives: This main lesson is about the fundamental building blocks that create the story. In considering these, we go back to the source of all stories, the myths. The archetypes of hero, monster and treasure, the call to adventure and the journey to the underworld, give us a prism of symbolism that allows us to see the world in all its fullness and depth.

Academically, students will acquaint themselves with significant themes of world myths, and learn the theories of mythic structuralism introduced by Joseph Campbell. Mythology forms the framework from which the imagination can be educated and fulfilled within the student. As the student continues to work with the concepts of myth, she will better understand the connection between imagination and will activity.


Schedule: We will meet every day for approximately three weeks. Class sessions will be a combination of physical activity, lecture, discussion and artistic activity. In general, the three weeks’ themes will be as follows:


Week 1: Heroes, Monsters and Gods, the dynamics of Myth

Week 2: The Hero’s Journey; Pilgrimage, Death and Rebirth

Week 3: The Mythic Progression, Ancient to Modern

Detailed guides to the week and MLB assignments will be given at class time.

Coursework and Grading: I will be using a new system of evaluation that clarifies the grading mechanic and better integrates the pedagogical indications for a balanced, multifaceted curriculum in Waldorf education. There will be five general categories of study that students will practice to improve and be evaluated on.

These five categories will be evaluated on a letter (A-F) scale, and will be given a percentage value (detailed below) of the overall course evaluation.
The five general categories are as follows:

Main Lesson Book Creation (40%)- This creative project is one that uses the broadest range of a student’s intellectual and artistic faculties. While primarily a will activity, all writing must pass through the head and heart before striking the page. Students will be working on drafting and refining multiple pages of text and art, with draft portions due weekly, and the finished book due in the last week of class (9/22). Students will need to take thorough notes and consult closely with the teacher in order to create this project successfully.

Recitation (20%)- Student and teacher will work together to select an appropriate portion of a hero tale for the student to recite. Recitations will be performed on the last day of class, and may be attended by parents and faculty. Students will be evaluated on their presence, clarity of expression, and the understanding of tone of the given work they perform.

The memorization of a classic text or poem helps establish both inner resolve, and a bridge between the student and the Mythic world. Recitation is a heart exercise, improving, breathing, sleep patterns, and emotional balance.

Classroom skills (20%)- This is a group of skills representing a student’s ability to best make use of his or her time in each class session. There are many individual skills to this end that a student may work to improve or maintain: punctuality and preparedness, initiative in discussion, congeniality and helpfulness to one’s peers, and initiative in seeking help from the teacher. This will be evaluated daily.

These skills represent a metabolic function, necessary to keep the class session running smoothly.
Note taking (10%)- While the taking of notes is an in-class activity, note taking is such an important skill for the retention of memory and the development of good judgment that I find it worth evaluating separately as a skill set. In note taking, the student is tasked with improving his or her written organization, clarity, and the ability to balance thoroughness with determining the main points of a given lesson. At the beginning of every week, the teacher will check students’ notes for evaluation, and to tutor students in how to improve these skills.

This faculty is similar to that of the tongue and taste buds- the better one can refine and organize one’s sense of taste, the better tastes will be retained in the memory and new tastes may be discerned.

Test taking (10%)- While by no means the only measure of acquired knowledge, an exam exercises a set of academic skills worth developing for further Humanities study. These skills are the retention of memory, analytical reading, time management, focus of concentration and writing for clarity and brevity. There will be one test given on the last week of class, (9/22).

Test taking is head activity, meaning it is an expression of knowledge and reason, rather than its creative application. While it is a limited activity, its exercise can give structure and form to our thinking, as much as weightlifting adds muscle and tone to the body.


Expectations regarding materials and assignments:

Students are expected to bring pens, sharpened pencils, adequate note paper, assigned reading materials, art materials and working drafts of ongoing writing and art projects to every class session, without exception.

Both the textual and artistic content of main lesson books are expected to be the original work of the student.

Main lesson books do need to be bound, but the binding method is left to the student’s discretion, with the exception of duo tangs, which may not be used.

Writing assignments not received by the due date may be turned in until the following Tuesday for ½ credit, after which time credit will not be given.

Recitation assignments that cannot be performed at the scheduled time may be performed the following Friday for ½ credit, with no further exemptions. Exceptions made for serious illness only, after consultation with the student’s parents.

In all cases it is the student’s responsibility to meet due dates for assignments, and to turn in assigned work ahead of time if he knows he will not be present on the due date.


Some significant dates in the Main Lesson Block:

Sept. 12 Mon. - First MLB check-in; notes check-in

Sept. 19 Mon. - Second MLB check-in; notes check-in

Sept. 22 Thurs.- Main Lesson Book Due; Final Test

Sept. 23 Fri. - Recitations to be performed; notes check-in