Philosophy, as both Plato and Aristotle remind us, begins in wondering. The ability to pose questions and to pursue answers thoughtfully is also a hallmark of creative people (like Leonardo da Vinci, to cite an obvious example), because it involves research that frequently leads to innovation. Thinking philosophically about myth provides a way of engaging the study of myth (mythology) in a way that can lead the thinker into a broader understanding of the processes that myth involves: memory, cultural history, psychology, story-telling, and creativity.

If you choose this option over keeping a workbook, you will be required to follow these guidelines.

Questions will help me assess how well you understood or interpreted material on a particular topic, so that the essential element of a good question is that it has the potential to generate discussion. Single-answer, right-or-wrong, agree-or-disagree, yes-or-no questions stifle conversation and must be avoided. So must "essay" or "short-answer" questions of the type that are found at the ends of chapters in textbooks ("what are the three most important factors . . ."). "How" or "why" questions that involve interpretation of the material and that make connections as we move through different topics produce the best results.

Try to establish a context for your questions. Instead of simply asking something like, "why did human beings develop x technology?" show where the question comes from: "Since the people of the middle ages in Europe believed that they each occupied a particular station in life, how is it that anything new got invented? If they were essentially told what to believe rather than being encouraged to question their beliefs, why would they sculpt ornaments on a cathedral, for instance, that weren't simply the same old representations of the same old saints, doing the same old thing? How could a seemingly static society generate innovation?"

Avoid questions that ask your respondents to merely do research either in the book you've been reading or outside the text. Questions that can be answered through this kind of research are better left to research papers, and do not really foster discussions. The purpose of this exercise is not to test your or your classmates' grasp of particular facts, but rather to help you and your classmates understand as much as possible about why artists or designers responded to a particular cultural stimulus or problem the way they did, and what implication this material has for a philosophical understanding of the development of modern design.

If your question leads to a single answer, especially one that can easily be located by a simple internet search or in a single assigned reading, you're on the wrong track.

Answers to each question should show me that you have understood the readings, lectures, and discussions to have an idea of where to look for ways in which to answer it. Really good questions suggest multiple avenues for research, thought, discussion, and re-thinking; they're open-ended enough to suggest more than one possible solution. If your questions enable you to take more than one position in order to answer it, you're on the right track.

Focus each set of questions on the readings, lectures and discussions from the weeks listed below, but feel free to take into account what we have discussed in class previously. For example, we consider the nature of myth throughout the course, but view it from various perspectives: psychological and cognitive, anthropological, archaeological, literary, visual. How do the readings and other materials contribute to our understanding of the nature of myth in an one or more of these categories? How might using one or more perspectives enhance our understanding of a particular mythical tradition?

Topic Schedule:

First set (due week 3): Material from weeks one and two: the nature and character of myth

Second set (due week 8): Material from weeks one through seven, with questions anchored in material from weeks five through seven: the practice of mythography

Questions will be graded as follows:

5 points: questions are contextually grounded, well-considered, and touch on important implications of a particular text. They are grammatically and syntactically flawless, elegantly conceived, and beautifully presented. Answers are cogently argued and offer multiple possible solutions.

4 points: questions are contextually grounded, well-considered, and touch on important implications of a particular text. Their articulation could be better, with more attention to their grammatical and/or syntactical construction, but they represent fundamentally appropriate responses to the material. Answers are cogently argued, but may lack potential for alternative positions (they lean toward a single answer).

3 points: questions are potentially interesting, but lack a clear context or are not clearly enough articulated to earn 4 or 5 points. If I have to ask you too many questions of my own in order to get at the "meat" of your question, but if I sense that you are on to something important, the question will earn 3 points. Answers to 3-point questions lack much potential for either multiple answers or worthwhile further research.

2 points: questions may have some redeeming value hidden within them, but they lack the coherence and focus that can be evident even in 3-point questions. Warning: any questions which indicate an attempt to "snow" the instructor with your erudition and expertise and which are designed to make either her or your classmates look like comparative idiots (i.e., "BS" or "heifer dung" questions) will be summarily dismissed with a grade of 2 and will not be eligible for rewriting. Answers to 2-point questions fail to generate discussion or misinterpret material.

1 point: any questions clearly slapped together at the last minute and submitted simply to meet the deadline will be counted, but only barely. They will not be eligible for rewrites, and will inflict significant damage to a student's final grade.

Rewrites: any questions with potential for a higher grade may be rewritten once. I will comment on the merits of each question you submit, and if you choose to rewrite a given question, you must respond to any deficits I point out and any questions I raise. Rewrites must be submitted no later than one class meeting following their return to you--I do not want a plethora of rewrites trickling in long after we've covered a particular topic. If you miss class on the day sets are returned, you forfeit rewrite privileges.

If you submit more than two questions in a set, I will grade all of them and record the two highest grades. You may not, however, submit more than three questions per set. A detailed evaluation sheet will be attached to each set when it is returned.

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04.07.10