Native American Myths, Legends, and Literatures

Catalog description

Myths, legends, and literatures of Native American cultures. CMLIT 109 Native American Myths, Legends, and Literatures (3) (GH;GI)(BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. CMLIT 109 , Native American Myths, Legends, and Literatures, will allow you to read many traditional tales and selected works of modern literature representing a variety of American indigenous peoples. We will be examining the ways in which the myths, legends, and literary works reflect the cultural values and religious beliefs of the tribal nations from which they derive. You will learn how to read critically, analyzing symbols, archetypes, and motifs through the comparison of selected tales to others from the same and from different cultures, allowing you to recognize the rich diversity and unique oral traditions of Native American culture. You will also examine various geographical, historical, political, and social conditions which contribute to myth-making. Through the application of various theories of myth analysis, you will also synthesize the information learned about various Native American traditions with a view toward understanding the distinctive identities of Native American cultures, including where applicable their position as minority cultures, and also seeing their participation in universal human beliefs and concerns. CMLIT 109 can serve as a foundation for other courses dealing with the literatures of the Americas or for other courses dealing with minority literatures and cultures. CMLIT 109 is not required for the CMLIT major but may be selected to fulfill one of the course requirements for the major or form part of a student's choices for the World Literature minor.