Cinderella Tales: 10 International Versions of the Famous Tale
Enchanting Readers With Revisionist Fairy Tales
Heroic Journey PPT
The Hebrew Bible As Mythology (1)
Myth: How Our Stories Connect Us All
Overview
This resource is a lesson plan intended to introduce minoritized freshman and sophomore college students to the study of mythology and to its universal importance as the foundation of our common cultural heritage. The module may also be modified to accomodate high school level language arts courses. This resource will represent approximately three weeks of a typical 10 to 15 week World Literature survey course.
Course Overview
This module represents three units (or approximately three weeks) of a 10-15 week course. It is designed for literature and language arts instructors who may be teaching World Literature courses at the freshman to sophomore college level at HBCU or other minoritized serving institutions. The module will examine the application of mythology to cultural values and the relevance of mythical stories to our lives. Through this course, students will gain a basic knowledge of myth, its purpose, some of its most common stories, tropes, and archetypes, but most importantly, its relevancy to their own lives. The course will ask students to reexamine such commonly held beliefs as that "myths are stories that are not true," "myths are lies," or that mythology is "just a bunch of old stories from long ago that mean nothing for me." Through the course, students will gain insight into how mythology continues to form the very basic foundation of our culture, our popular entertainment, and our lives and communities. For minoritized students, in particular, it is important that students are exposed to the myths of their own cultures, but also, that they understand how to recognize the commonalities that their own myths have with much of the Western, or Greco-Roman myths that are most commonly studied in literature and language arts courses. This will help them to better understand what mythologist Joseph Campbell referred to as the universal pattern of all world mythology, and what Carl Jung referred to as the "collective memory."
Audience:
The audience for this module will be primarily instructors of undergraduate freshman and/or sophomore level HBCU students.
Length of Course:
This resource will cover three weeks of what may typically be a 10-15 week course in World Literature.
Student Learning Outcomes
Unit 1: Defining Myth: What It Is, What It Is Not, and Why It Matters
Objective 1: Students will develop a working knowledge of what myth is and how it helps us connect with a culture's values.
Objective 2: Students will be able to identify some of the most common misconceptions, or "myths" about myth.
Objective 3: Students will have a basic mastery of the most common mythological tropes: The Heroic Journey, The Epic, and The Fairy Tale. Students will be able to connect these common tropes to their own cultural experiences.
Unit Two: The Heroic Journey
Objective 1: Students will read and gain basic mastery of at least three core texts that will exemplify these tropes.
Objective 2: Students will learn to identify the stages of The Heroic Journey
Objective 3: Students will utilize critical thinking skills to understand the differences between the "classic hero" and what we normally associate with the term.
Objective 4: Students will learn how to apply Joseph Campbell's theories of The Heroic Journey to modern examples in cinema, television, and other forms of popular entertainment.
Objective 5: Students will demonstrate the ability to apply the concepts of The Heroic Journey to real world applications within their own culture and communities.
Unit Three: "Beware The Big, Bad Wolf! The Dark Underbelly of Fairy Tales:
Objective 1: Students will be able to successfully identify the origins of fairy tales and the psychological role they play in human mythology.
Objective 2: By analyzing both traditional stories and modern renditions and "re-workings" students will gain demonstrable understanding of fairy tale tropes and their implied or explicit meanings.
Objective 3: Students will demonstrate basic understanding of the major differences between the original stories and often "sanitized" versions (Disney, etc).
Objective 4: Students will demonstrate effective synthesis of these ideas by completing a creative project which will have them incorporate a classic fairy tale, a modern example of their own choice, and/or an original story they will create based on themselves. By mastering SLO #4, students will gain a better understanding of how fairy tales represent "collective memory."
Technology
In order to adequately teach the course, instructors will need a text or reader with an adequate selection of classic mythology, world literature, and folklore. A projector, computer, and Internet access and/or access to streaming will be necessary for the audio-visual component. Students will need computer and internet access (unless the course is taught in a traditional face-to-face classroom with built-in computer and audio-visual technology). However, students may still need internet and computer access for reviewing materials.
Unit 1: What is the Role and Purpose of Myth?
Content
Recorded Lecture: Welcome To The Wondrous World of Myths & Stories!
View Powerpoint Presentation: What is Myth?
View Episode 1 of Myths and Monsters: Heroes and Villains:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xFhVxyO-2TM&list=PL0naAFWFozzuN9QjXCLwQxwGFuF_IBFPU
View Episode 2 of Myths and Monsters: The Wild Unknown
View Carl Jung: What Are the Archetypes? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wywUQc-4Opk
Read selections from The Hebrew Bible (Genesis 1-25)
View Powerpoint Presentation: The Hebrew Bible as Mythology
Activities
Class Discusson: What Does Myth Mean To You?
The focus of this discussion should be an informal introduction to the topic of myth. Allow students to discuss whatever beliefs they have held about mythology prior to the course.
Game: Which Wilderness Scenario Do You Fear the Most?
Understanding humanity's relationship with nature and the environment is essential for not only gaining a basic knowledge of the origins of mythology, but for understanding where many of our subconscious fears and societal taboos arise. In this twist on the "Would You Rather...?" game, students are given a choice of four natural or wilderness environments-a deep, dark forest, a desert, an ocean, or a mountain range-and asked to consider such questions as which they would most fear to be stranded in, and which would they prefer IF it came down to a choice (and why).
Where Would You Rather Be Stranded?
The Forest?
The Ocean?
The Desert?
The Mountains?
Assignments/Assessments
Students may choose between the following two assignments:
Choice #1: Compare a Biblical story to a story from classical Greek, Roman,or Norse mythology. This assignment may be a written reflective paper, or presented as an acted skit or video. Students should focus on comparing how the Judeo-Christian God (which most students will universally recognize as "our god") compares in behavior, temperament, and image to the gods of other cultures and mythic traditions, or they may choose to focus on the common themes/archetypes of the stories.
Choice #2: Using the stories of Acteon and Artemis, the Celtic fairy myths, and other tales as models, students will conduct a study of their own neighborhood or environment as a microcosm of "The Wild Unknown." In doing so, students should be asked to consider how, for example, certain locations may be deemed as "taboo" or that may present special fears, risks, or challenges. Students may either complete the task as a written paper or as a group presentation (the latter option may be a preferable way to encourage class or group discussion).
Unit 2: The Heroic Journey: Everyone is On It
Content
View Joseph Campbell's Hero's Journey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxrEdH1Evik
View Joseph Campbell: Initiation Through Trials: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzhIQqVL6Vc&list=PLR62HwYfMq9rYwI6AV9zW1C5m0i774lB0
View Hero's Journey: Step By Step: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8uV_sqcbyIw&t=373s
View Nietchez and Jung: Myth and the Age of the Hero: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DPWIhyreUdU
View "Heroic Journey" Powerpoint
Reading Material: The Hero's Journey: Is There a Hero in Me? OER Commons Resource (authors Molly Berger, Susan Smith, Lynn Olmos, Vance Jennings). https://www.oercommons.org/courseware/lesson/57718/overview
View "The Hero's Journey-Joseph Campbell" https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNPcefZKmZ0&t=50s
View "PNTV: The Hero With a Thousand Faces by Joseph Campbell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Et_BHgP3M7E&t=323s
Read Sundjata, available in various online pdf versions.
View The Lion King (rental streaming available online) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zsrtPvKey-U
View clip from The Walking Dead: Season 1 Episode 1 ("Rick Leaves the Hospital"). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RdjHJ4JC7sk
Activities
Class Discussion: Analyze and compare Sundjata and The Lion King
Journey Map: Using Joseph Campbell's stages of The Heroic Journey, students will map out which stages we see the character Rick Grimes undertake in the first episode of The Walking Dead.
Reflective Analysis: Using Activity 2 and 3 from The Hero's Journey: Is There a Hero in Me? as a model, students will consider what qualities make someone a hero based on their own experience and conception of the term, then will compare to the qualities of Gilgamesh, Sundjata, Simba, and Rick Grimes. Which of their qualities seem to align with the conventional perception of a hero? Which qualities seem most at odds with the idea of heroism as we more typically define it?
Assessments
Student Hero Project: Students will choose from ONE of the below three projects:
Choice #1: My Heroic Journey: In this assessment, students will create a "life map" which details a major event/crisis of their life and how they managed to get through it. They should be able to relate each stage to the stages of The Heroic Journey as outlined by Campbell.
Choice #2: Students will interview someone from their own community who they consider to be a hero. They must be able to summarize their findings and conclusions in a detailed written report that compares and contrasts their subject with either a classic or contemporary mythic hero from popular culture.
Choice #3: Using the examples discussed in class as models, students will put together an oral presentation that analyzes a contemporary "hero" from popular culture in terms of the classic "Heroic Journey" trope.
Regardless of which of the above projects students choose, successful completion of this assessment must demonstrate an understanding of classic heroism, the stages of The Heroic Journey, the purpose of the journey's undertaking, and how the journey can serve as a metaphor for our lives.
Unit 3: Beware The Big Bad Wolf: Fairy Tales and The Collective Psyche
Content
Read selections from Fairy Tales: A New History by Ruth B. Bottigheimer, State University of New York Press, available as a PDF download from Academia.edu. https://www.academia.edu/37767098/Fairy_Tales_A_NEW_HISTORY_a_Fairy_Tales_A_NEW_HISTORY_a
View Ancient Origins of Fairy Tales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flJQxNqUWS0
View FAIRY TALES explained by Hans Wilhelm https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yTR-LUV8VM
View Transforming Our Understanding of Fairy Tales https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jit32hKZ-BM
Read OER resource Enchanting Readers With Revisionist Fairy Tales by James Bucky Carter (this lesson plan can be modified for adult and young adult students). https://www.oercommons.org/courses/enchanting-readers-with-revisionist-fairy-tales
Read OER resource Behind the Scenes With Cinderella by Carol L. Butterfield (may be modified for freshman or sophomore level students). https://www.readwritethink.org/classroom-resources/lesson-plans/behind-scenes-cinderella
View Disney's The Princess and The Frog, 2009. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H22ui1JYvDM
Activities
The study of fairy tales will make clear at least two prevailing motifs: The manner in which fairy tales represent our collective, subconscious fears and impulses, and their importance to understanding cultural perceptions of gender (especially in regard to female roles). Class discussions should focus on these topics as students read, view, and consider the content sources above.
Revisioning The Stories: On their own, students will research and find another cultural version of a familiar fairy tale. Websites such as this one linked to in "Section 4 Resources," Cinderella Tales: 10 International Versions of the Famous Tale, may be an excellent place to start. After completing their initial research, students will break out in small discussion groups to compare their findings. The activity should encourage students to consider how different cultural norms and expectations influence each version of the story (but also should note those common motifs' that appear to be universal).
Disney vs. Grimm: Ask students to compare a Disney film to the original story. They may start with The Princess and the Frog but can also incorporate other choices. It is important, however, to guide students in their choices to ensure they are actually choosing true fairy tales (Pocohantas, for example, should not be used as it is not a fairy tale). However, this still leaves a vast library from which students may choose-Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, Cinderella, Sleeping Beauty, The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, etc). In a reflective paper, ask them to discuss their comparison in light of what they have learned from the content covered.