WEEK 6: MYTH & MATERIAL CULTURE DISCUSSION

Part A: Scavenger Hunt – Material Culture & Symbols

Identify an item of material culture or a symbol that you can specifically relate to a myth from any culture that is appropriate for a general audience. Embed a picture of the item with a citation for the image. Write a one-sentence caption for the image that names the related myth and links to a version of the myth you can find in our Required Learning Materials, UMGC library, or on the internet.

Part B: Discussion Question

Choose one of the following options.

Option #1 – Research

FIRST – identify an artifact, symbol or form of iconography by conducting research in reliable, scholarly resources from the UMGC library. Include a picture of your choice embedded in your post, if possible.

SECONDLY – explain the relationship of this artifact, symbol or form of iconography to

1. 1. the culture that it belongs to and
   2. a specific myth (origin, historical, folktale, from that culture
   3. the specific element(s) of nonmaterial culture you think it represents

Make sure to consider its creation, use and/or location, as well as how this item has evolved or appeared in other cultures in various forms to talk about its significance. Also, be sure to explain how you came to your conclusions.

FINALLY – briefly note something specific from the Required Learning Resources from this week that you think can relate to this piece of material culture and explain how it relates.

For example, in America, Southern Baptist culture uses the purity ring as a symbol of chastity before marriage. This value is derived from Christian beliefs about pre-marital sex that are justified largely through the writings of Paul of Tarsus, as well as other Old Testament passages. This could then be related to some discussions about fertility in the readings on the tree symbol.

Note: Please try to find something unique that has not been mentioned in class yet. Items like the Christian crucifix and Jewish Star of David fit this assignment, but please try to find something less common.

Option #2 – Built Environment

FIRST – identify an artifact, symbol or form of iconography in your local built environment related to a specific culture or group of people. The built environment is the human-made structures, features, and facilities included in the environment where people live and work. Be sure to include a photograph of your choice.

Some examples could be:

• • A shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in a park
  • A red cross on a building
  • A Masonic symbol on a gravestone

SECONDLY – conduct some research about your choice in local history in reliable, scholarly resources from the UMGC library if possible and explain the relationship of this artifact, symbol or form of iconography to:

1. 1. the culture or group to which it belongs
   2. the history and/or stories from that culture or group
   3. the specific element(s) of nonmaterial culture you think it represents for that culture or group

FINALLY – briefly note something specific from the Required Learning Resources from this week that you think can relate to this piece of material culture and explain how it relates.

Be sure to consider its creation, use and/or location, as well as how it might appear in other localities in your discussion. Also, be sure to explain how you came to your conclusions.

WEEK 7: RITUAL, SACRED PLACE & MYTH DISCUSSIONS

Part A: Scavenger Hunt – U.S. Culture

Identify a secular or sacred place, holiday, or ritual in U.S. culture. Provide a link to the place’s website or a link to a description of the holiday or ritual. In a few sentences, identify the cultural story (or stories if there is more than one group associated with it) connected with this place or ritual.

Part B: Discussion Question

Choose one of the following options.

Option #1 – Sacred Place

FIRST – identify and briefly describe a sacred place in a world culture or religion. Use a reliable and credible source from the Required Learning Materials for this week or from the UMGC library. Embed a picture of this place in your post using these instructions.

SECONDLY – for this sacred place, please do the following:

1. 1. Use at least one specific concepts or theoretical method from the Required Learning Materials for studying sacred place, describe how you think this sacred place developed and what function it serves in its culture.
   2. Explain if it has a strong connection to specific myths from the culture or not.
   3. Discuss if this place has different meanings to different groups and/or if the meanings of this place have evolved over time.
   4. Identify any relevant material culture at the site and its relationship to nonmaterial culture, if appropriate.

Option #2 – Ritual

FIRST – Identify and briefly describe a specific ritual in a world culture or religion. Use a reliable and credible source from the Required Learning Materials for this week or from the UMGC library. Include a picture of this ritual in your post.

SECONDLY – for this ritual, please do the following:

1. 1. Use at least one specific concepts and methods from the Required Learning Materials for studying ritual and describe how you think this sacred place developed and what function it serves in its culture.
   2. Explain if it has a strong connection to specific myths from the culture or not.
   3. Discuss if this ritual has different meanings to different people who are involved in the ritual, and if the meanings of this ritual have changed over time.
   4. Identify any relevant material culture or symbolic actions that are used in the ritual and their relationship to nonmaterial culture, if appropriate.

Week 8: Myth & Culture Discussions

Review the Discussion Requirements.

Make at least three required posts to each discussion each week.

• Post 1: An answer to the initial questions which includes both Part A and Part B (the Scavenger Hunt and the Discussion Question chosen). Part B of this post should be at least 250 words long and include two quotes or specific references to vocabulary or concepts in the Learning Materials with citations in MLA format.
• Post 2: A question for a classmate about Part B of their first post that refers to Learning Materials and is at least 50 words long.
• Post 3: An answer to one of the questions that a classmate or the professor has asked you OR if no one has asked you a question, a follow-up question for yourself and your answer. This post should be at least 150 words long and include at least one quote or specific reference to a concept or vocabulary from the Learning Materials with a citation in MLA format.

Please keep in mind UMGC’s Code of Civility for all communications in this course.

Posts 1 and 2 are due Saturday of each week by 11:59 PM eastern time, and Post 3 is due Tuesday by 11:59 PM eastern time. You will not see any other postings until you post your own.

Part A: Scavenger Hunt – Historical Myth

Identify a foundational myth or important cultural myth from the history of a country other than the United States, provide a citation with a link to the story, and list three national values you think the story is conveying.

Part B: Discussion Question

Choose one of the following options.

Option #1 – National Values

FIRST – summarize a cultural story or describe a common historical or cultural character from the United States that you think conveys specific national values.

SECONDLY – identify three specific values and point to specific parts of elements of the story or character that help reinforce those values.

FINALLY – explain something specific that might be lost in history by the story’s mythologization process or character you chose.

Option #2 – What You Learned

FIRST – choose one of the myths we have covered this semester from a culture that is not your own and that you did not already talk about in any other assignments and briefly summarize it.

SECONDLY – explain two things you think you learned about that culture from this myth. These can be things like societal structures, attitudes towards different genders, the relationship between the human and the divine, moral values, what is considered humor, etc.

FINALLY – compare and contrast what you have learned about that culture from the myth to your own culture. Identify some similarities and differences and explain how you drew these conclusions.

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