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Begin taking notes and recording information about similarities presented throughout the course. Do any recurring themes, stories, or archetypes appear across the stories in varying cultures? How does Joseph Campbell's notion of the hero apply to any or all of these stories? What impact do the monsters have in these stories?

Students will begin composing an original research paper. This assignment will be graded using essay rubric.

This paper should include multiple in-text citations for the stories read in the course, as well as any outside sources used. Use MLA formatting throughout. The paper should be between 600 and 800 words, typed and double-spaced. Remember correct headers, as well as writing a thorough introduction and conclusion.

Students should begin working on this paper now. A rough draft will be due in the next unit, followed by a final draft due before the final exam.

Mythology Paper Essay Topic Assignment

Simply submit a Word document explaining which topic/thesis has been chosen. Students should create an original research topic. Be sure the research topic is approved before starting research.

Here are some topics, which could be formulated into a thesis:

Compare/contrast creation stories in different cultures
Does _____ fit into Campbell's archetype myth?
How do cultures different in the way they value mythology?
Choose one character and do an in-depth character analysis.

* Other ideas are permissible, but also require approval.

Edith Hamilton’s Mythology Essay Topic Choices

Choose one of the research topics below and submit the chosen topic to the appropriate dropbox.

These choices are provided by Sparknotes and can also be found on the Sparknotes website: http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/mythology/study.html

Suggested Essay Topics

1. In terms of the myths as a whole, what is unusual about Hercules’ character? How does he maintain his heroic stature after committing so many crimes?

2. Discuss the role of women in these myths. Do these stories offer one cohesive vision of the role of women in Greek society?

3. Neither Oedipus, nor Orestes, nor Antigone goes on any long adventure full of monsters and vicious gods, yet all three are considered “heroes” of Greek myth. What defines these three unusual characters as heroic?

4. Compare and contrast the stories of Orestes and Medea. Both are about vengeance, but why is one character celebrated and the other demonized?

5. Prometheus is an unusual character—among other reasons, for defying both his fellow Titans and, later, Zeus. What do you make of his actions? As what kind of symbol might he have functioned for the classical authors?

6. The myths are full of instances of the cruelty of the gods. Giving multiple examples, discuss the reasons for the gods’ cruelty. Is it always justified? What does the cruelty of the gods say about the Greeks’ view of the universe?