Mythology 101
Examining the lies that make America
Welcome class to a new semester where this course, Mythology 101, will test your knowledge of what’s fact and what’s fiction.
We’ll have discussions that galvanize and create friction, depending on the subject. But, this course will test your currently held belief of truth and myths while researching the rest.
As you look upon the syllabus, you may be wondering where’s Achilles? Where’s Hercules? And, where’s Damocles and other warring figures? Instead, you see familiar tropes, not characters, because myths — past and present — are remembered for their scope and resonant messaging. The characters are interchangeable vessels who drive the message to action. Think about this fact as assignments come due.
The topics we will cover are:
Week 1: American Independence: Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness
Week 2: Infallible Founding Fathers, Manifest Destiny, & American Exceptionalism
Week 3: (White) Immigrants Made This Country
Week 4: The Civil War: The North Was a Safe Haven & It Wasn’t Only About Slavery
Week 5: Nothing Really Happened Between the Civil War & World War I
