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Antoinette Brazouski
Northern Illinois University
Course
Classical Mythology: Honors FLCL 271H 3 semester hours
The honors component of Classical Mythology is intended to give students a deeper understanding
of the subject and its relationship to other academic areas such as art, music, and psychology.
Each student must complete a project that involves reading one or more pieces of Ancient Greek
and/or Roman literature in translation.
Description
This module focuses on the geography of the Ancient Greek and Roman world. The module encourages
students to search the World Wide Web to find maps and geographical information. It affords them
the opportunity to explore two interactive atlases that are currently being developed. For their
group project, some students may choose to use a document camera and LCD projector; others may
choose to create a PowerPoint presentation (which could be displayed with an LCD projector).
In preparing handouts for the class, some students may decide to use the column-making or outline
functions of Word or Word Perfect.
If the mythology class is held in a "smart" classroom with an LCD projector, the teacher,
using a pointer-possibly a laser one-can show the class places on a map that are pertinent to
the lecture/discussion. He or she can also integrate or, if he or she does not possess the
requisite skills, have the technology department integrate maps into PowerPoint
presentations or have them put on floppy discs. Slides of maps can be digitized.
A comprehensive new resource book that has an accompanying CD-ROM is Talbert, Richard J. A. (Ed.).
(2000). Barrington atlas of the Greek and Roman world. Princeton: Princeton University Press.
Because of its high cost and its newness, this atlas is not yet in the holdings of many libraries.
In order to expand their knowledge of the geography of the ancient world, the students need to
focus on certain sites. Divide the students into groups. Assign each group to study all of the places
associated with a specific set of myths‹the Trojan Cycle, the Theban Saga, the adventures of Heracles,
etc.
Many diverse places play important roles in the mythology of Ancient Greece and Rome.
Familiarity with the geographical setting of a myth increases understanding of the myth.
Some aetiological myths reveal the origins of place names. For example, the Aegean Sea is named
after Aegeus, the king of Athens who drowned himself in that body of water when he wrongly concluded
that his son, Theseus, was dead.
In addition to searching books for maps and geographical information, the students can visit the
following websites:
Require the students to report the results of their research in a presentation to the class. Each group should be
allowed to decide the type of technology, if any, to be employed in the presentation. Some groups may wish to use a
document camera, an LCD projector, and a screen; others may choose to create a PowerPoint presentation.
(PowerPoint presentations to a class require an LCD projector and a screen.)
Have each group prepare a handout that indicates the names of the places studied, gives a brief description of
each place, and lists the mythological events that occurred in each location. A map or series of maps showing
the places mentioned should be attached. If a hero's journey is involved, the route should be indicated on the map.
In preparing the handouts, some students may use the column-making or outline-making functions of WordPerfect
or Word.
To create a map in Microsoft PowerPoint, use the following procedure:
- Find the map on the Web.
- Copy the map and paste it into Microsoft PowerPoint.
- In Word, click on AutoShapes/Lines and select the squiggly line.
- Holding the left mouse button down, draw a route on top of the map.
- Click on the route and change the line color or width using the drawing tools.
Transferability
The computer skills learned in this module can be used in any course involving the study of maps. Knowledge
about places in antiquity broadens the student¹s understanding of ancient history, literature, and art.
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