Classical Mythology Online

This course provides a systematic study of the myths and epic cycles of the Greeks and Romans in both literature and art, and investigates their survival and metamorphosis in the literature and visual arts of Western Europe. In addition, this course provides several methodological frameworks with which to analyze types of tales, and their relation to history, religions and art.

The course will provide the student with a general knowledge of the major deities and heroes of the Greeks and Romans. Comparisons with the myths of ancient Egypt, Israel, Mesopotamia, and India will frequently be made in order to demonstrate the broad cultural complex of Greco-Roman mythology. Reading assignments will emphasize the versions of myths by Homer, Hesiod, the Greek tragedians and Ovid. Lectures will stress the ancient and modern versions of the myths, their relation to folktales, history, religion, rituals and art, and their continued importance for contemporary culture (with special emphasis on art, literature and psychology).

The class will consist of lectures and discussions about the many meanings and interpretations which can be generated from this material. We will examine the diverse forms which myth can take by looking at the ancient sources themselves: epic and lyric poetry, tragedy and comedy, the Homeric Hymns, Hellenistic novels, and philosophy.

More importantly, however, the student should come to an understanding of how the myths of the past still affect our contemporary world. Although we live in what might be called a "scientific age," we still create, and live by, myths. A systematic study of the form and meaning of myth should help the student gain a greater understanding of him/herself and the importance and continued relevance (or irrelevance) of mythico-religious thought.

Although this is an online course, it will require considerable effort on the part of the student, perhaps more so than a traditional class. The course will be paced on a MTWR class schedule and will require a similar amount of time per week: 3 contact hours plus 2-3 hours per credit hour for a total of 9-12 hours per week online.

The student will be expected to keep up with the reading assignments as per the course calendar, and the online discussions. And although this is a distance-learning class with no on-campus meetings, the student will need to attend area museums for Extra Credit. For those students living outside the Kansas City Metro area, you can substitute parallel museums in your area for the Nelson-Atkins Museum and the Spencer Museum.

You should have already received information in the mail regarding these orientations.

If you are unable to attend the Distance Learning Orientation, orientation materials are available online at http://students.jccc.edu/dlorientation.

Students MUST respond to the discussion question within 5 days of the posting date (for example, the student must reply by 11:59 p.m. on Saturday to a discussion question posted the previous Monday). Failure to meet this requirement will be the loss of one-half (.5) point. Also, students who post all their replies on the same day will be penalized one-half (.5) point. Lastly, students who post all their replies within the last two days of the two-week period will be penalized one (1) point, and thus will receive no credit for that discussion question. To help manage the total number of posts per topic, students should post no more than 5 replies per question.

Responses MUST address directly the content of the course and the comments of the respondent in order to receive credit. Short responses such as "I agree" or "Good post" will not count toward your three post minimum requirement. The discussions are editable to allow students to write additional material to short posts. Postings not relevant to the discussion question will be moved to the "Student Lounge" area.

It is important that students read through all the posts even though there is only a three-post requirement for each question. The discussions create the environment where we learn the course content, where questions are answered, and misinformation corrected. I monitor the 'discussions read' rate for each student and compare it to the class average. At the end of the semester students whose 'discussions read' rate falls below 20% of the class average will be assessed a five (5) point penalty from their overall Discussions grade.

FINAL GRADES. This breakdown provides a final accumulated total of four hundred (400) possible points for the class. The student's total will be divided by the total possible points to establish final grade percentages. Final grades will be assigned as follows:

Students who are on the borderline between grades (79% for example) will receive the higher grade if the student's participation is above 80%.

Note: Students must fulfill the following requirements of the course to receive a passing grade of "C": take 5 exams, turn in the virtual museum writing assignment, participation not less than 60 points. Should you begin to have problems during the semester, either academic or personal, that might prevent you from completing the course requirements, please come see me as soon as possible. Do not wait until the last week of class.
 

1. No exam may be repeated and are available only during the dates and time ranges listed. If you are unable to take the exam within the scheduled dates and time due to illness or some other legitimate reason you must contact me by Blackboard email or leave an explanatory message on my voice mail at ext. 4191 within 24 hours after the initial scheduled time of the exam. The student must make arrangements with me to reschedule the exam on a specific date and time.
   
   Those failing to contact me within 24 hours of missing an exam, but who still wish to take the exam, may do so by special arrangement with me. The student will receive a grade penalty for the late exam. Those failing to make-up the exam will receive a "0" for that exam (and an "F" for the course, as a result).
    
2. Those who wish to make an appointment with me and who are not free during my office hours, contact me either by phone or Blackboard mail to arrange an appointment, or schedule an online chat.
    
3. An "I" (Incomplete) will be given only if special circumstances prevent the student from completing the class. Arrangements must be made before semester grades are submitted, and students must sign a contract with me agreeing to complete the class requirements by the end of the following 16-week semester (refer to the JCCC College Catalog for details).
    
4. No grade of "W" will be given unless the student has officially withdrawn from the class by completing a drop form in the Admissions and Records Office. If you simply stop attending class and do not fill out a drop form you are not officially dropped. You will receive an "F" in the course as a result. You may withdraw from the class anytime after the 20th day of class and before the twelfth week of class--April 15 or November 15 (refer to the JCCC College Catalog for details).
    
5. Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Any violation of the College Honor Code will result in being denied access to Blackboard, an automatic "F" for the course, and referred to the academic dean for disciplinary action. Because this is an online course, there is a greater temptation to cheat. Just remember, Blackboard is Big-Brother. Every move you make while logged-in to the system is recorded and made available to the professor.
   
   Note to couples, room mates, and siblings: you can study together, but you must submit your own, independent work. You cannot share a computer for submitting exams or assignments, nor can you use computers in close proximity in a lab. The only exception to this are computers in the Testing Center. Blackboard registers the IP of the machine of each user. To avoid any suspicion of cheating, my advice is for one of you to enroll in another section.
    
6. Privacy and Blackboard Access: Access to Blackboard is extended to you for the duration of your enrollment in the course, providing that you comply with class and school policies. You may not share that access with another person who is not enrolled in the course. Students who do so violate the privacy of other students as well as the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Acts (FERPA). The act may lead to the violator being denied access to the Blackboard shell.
   
   On occasion, I permit others to enter the course, to critique my work, to view the operations of the course, or to work on a technical problem. For the entire term, my technical consultant has access to the course to provide continuity for you should the unexpected happen to me.
    
7. Students adding a class after the start of the semester are responsible for material covered and assignments missed. Always consult the Calendar to obtain missed assignments or to catch up with the rest of the class if you fall behind.
    
8. If you are a student with a disability, and if you will be requesting accommodations, it is your responsibility to contact Access Services (202 Student Center) at 469-8500 ext. 3521(ext. 3885 TDD). The Center will recommend any appropriate accommodations to me and/or the Assistant Dean. I and/or the Assistant Dean will identify for you which accommodations will be arranged.