Southern Utah University

Course Syllabus

Southern Utah University
Southern Utah University
Spring Semester 2026

Mythology (Face-to-Face)

ENGL 2230-01

Course: ENGL 2230-01
Credits: 3
Term: Spring Semester 2026
Department: ENGL
CRN: 12121

Course Description

An introduction to the nature and function of myth through the reading of Greek, Native American, Hebrew, Christian, and other world mythologies. Emphasis on comparative mythology and the structure of myth. (Spring) [Graded (Standard Letter)] Registration Restriction(s): Intensive English Program majors may not enroll General Education Category: Humanities

Required Texts

Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton ISBN: 978-0-446-57475-4
Native American Myths and Legends ISBN: 978-1-78950-661-7

Learning Outcomes

Identify, describe, and compare the features of a variety of genres across different historical periods and cultures.
Apply a range of literary theories and/or critical perspectives through close reading and analysis.
Articulate interpretations and critical positions through presentations and academic essays.
Conduct scholarly research.

Course Requirements

Participation Notebooks: (200 points/ 100 points each)
Students will complete in class participation activities and keep class notes in a composition notebook (no spirals, please). These will be submitted for grading at midterm and before final exams. See Canvas for more specific guidelines and the rubric. 
 
Meet the Greeks – Small Group Presentation (100)
Students will work as partners or in small groups to complete an introductory slide deck for a member of the Greek pantheon. Students will post the slide deck for the class and present it in class (8-10 minutes). Students should be prepared to answer questions from the class. See Canvas for more specific guidelines and the rubric. 
 
Midterm Exam (200 points)
Students will complete an exam covering the Greek Mythology section of the class. Be prepared for multiple choice and short answer questions over the material. There are no notes, textbooks, phones or devices allowed out during the exam. The exam will take place in the classroom. 
 
Native American Myth Reflections (150 points/ 50 points each)
For each week of the Native American Mythology section, students will complete a short (no more than one page) in-class reflection responding to questions about the readings. See Canvas for more specific guidelines and the rubric.
 
Non-Western Mythology Seminars (150 points)
Working in small groups, students will choose from a selection of myths for their assigned day and topic. They will then develop a list of 15-20 potential discussion questions based on the myth and its connections to course content. They will lead class discussion for 30-40 minutes. See Canvas for more specific guidelines and the rubric.
 
Final Project: Mythology Infographic and Gallery Walk (200) 
Students will choose a myth or mythological figure that has not been discussed in class. They will research this myth or figure and present their findings as an infographic that will be printed and shared with the class during final exams. Students should be prepared to answer questions about their infographic from faculty and students attending the gallery presentation. Attendance is required. See Canvas for more specific guidelines and the rubric.

Course Outline

 | Date | Class Focus | Class Activity and Before Class Reading
| Week 1
| Jan 7 | What is mythology?  | Assign Meet the Greeks Activity Sign-up online
| Jan 9 | Who were the Greeks?  | Brief introduction to Greek Culture Group work for Presentations Read: Hamilton, pg. 1-16
| Week 2
| Jan 12 | Meet the Greeks: Zeus, Poseidon and Hades | Student Presentations Read: Hamilton, pg. 17-34
| Jan 14 | Meet the Greeks: Hera, Apollo, and Athena | Student Presentations  Listen to Podcasts: Greeking Out Podcast: Apollo is Grounded (S10Ep1 Apr 26, 2024)  Live from Mount Olympus Podcast: Mythlet: “I Belong to No Man!” (Dec 13, 2021)
| Jan 16 | Meet the Greeks: Artemis, Aphrodite, and Demeter | Student Presentations Read: Hamilton, pg. 51-62
| Week 3
| Jan 19 | MLK Day  | No Classes
| Jan 21 | Meet the Greeks: Hermes, Ares, and Hephaestus | Student Presentations Read: Hamilton, pg. 34-46
| Jan 23 | Meet the Greeks: Dionysus, The Graces, and The Muses | Student Presentations Read: Hamilton, pg. 62-75
| Week 4
| Jan 26 | Greek Heroes: Perseus | Read: Hamilton, pg. 196-208
| Jan. 28 | Greek Heroes: Heracles | Read: Hamilton, pg. 224-245
| Jan 30 | Greek Heroes: Theseus and Atalanta | Read: Hamilton, pg. 208-224, and 245-252
| Week 5
| Feb 2 | Major Myths: Daedalus | Read: Hamilton, pg. 193-195 Additional Reading: TBA
| Feb 4 | Major Myths: Cupid and Psyche | Read: Hamilton, pg.121-134
| Feb 6 | Major Myths: The Golden Fleece | Read: Hamilton, pg. 160-181
| Week 6
| Feb 9 | Major Myths: The Trojan War | Read: Hamilton, pg. 253-291
| Feb 11 | Greeks and Natural Phenomena: Fire | Read: Hamilton, pg. 95-100
| Feb 13 | Greeks and Natural Phenomena: Flower Myths | Read: Hamilton, pg.111-121
| Week 7
| Feb 16 | President’s Day  | No Classes
| Feb 18 | Midterm Exam (no notes, no texts, no phones or devices) | Midterm Exam
| Feb 20 | Midterm Transition | Assign Seminars Assign Final Projects Participation Notebooks Due (Midterm)
| Week 8
| Feb 23 | Introduction to Native American Mythology |  
 | Feb 25 | Native American Heroes: Wek-wek | Read NAML: pg. 205-220
 | Feb 27 | Native American Heroes: Nenubuc | Read NAML: pg. 258-266 Hero Reflection Due
 | Week 9
| Mar 2 | Native American Tricksters: Raven | Read NAML: pg. 152-178 
| Mar 4 | Native American Tricksters: Coyote | Read NAML: pg. 180-197 
| Mar 6 | Native American Tricksters: Wiske-djak | Read NAML: pg. 198-205 Trickster Reflection Due
| Spring Break March 9-13 No Classes
| Week 10
| Mar 16 | Native American Creation Stories | Read NAML: pg. 25-53 
| Mar 18 | Native American Creation Stories | Read NAML: pg. 76-112 
| Mar 20 | Native American Creation Stories | Read NAML: pg. 118-151 Creation Story Reflection Due
| Week 11
| Mar 23 | African Mythology: Heroes | Seminar
| Mar 25 | African Mythology: Tricksters/Monsters | Seminar
| Mar 27 | African Mythology: Natural Phenomena | Seminar
| Week 12
| Mar 30 | Asian Mythology: Heroes | Seminar
| Apr 1 | Asian Mythology: Tricksters/Monsters | Seminar
| Apr 3 | Asian Mythology: Natural Phenomena | Seminar
| Week 13
| Apr 6 | Latin Mythology: Heroes | Seminar
| Apr 8 | Latin Mythology: Tricksters/Monsters | Seminar
| Apr 10 | Latin Mythology: Natural Phenomena | Seminar Participation Notebooks Due (Final)
| Week 14
| Apr 13 | Final Project Check-In | First Draft Due
| Apr 15 | Final Project Work Day | Content and Organization
| Apr 17 | Final Project Work Day  | Citation and Source Check
| Final Exams:  Date and Time TBA: Final Project Due

Instructor's policies on late assignments and/or makeup work

No late daily grades will be accepted. If you will not be able to submit a major assignment on time, you may request a 48-hour extension as long as the request is placed at least 24 hours before the due date and time. You will need to provide a reason for requesting the extension.

Work is due at the beginning of class for hard copies and the Canvas due date/time for Canvas assignments. Make sure that you submit your work to Canvas by the scheduled time.  Even if you are not present in class, your work should be.

It is the student’s responsibility to make sure all Canvas assignment submissions go through. You may set the program to send you a notification.  Computer error is not a legitimate excuse for late work, so submit earlier and double-check submissions.

No late work or extra credit will be accepted during finals week. 

Attendance Policy

SUU defines excused absences as university-sanctioned travel per policy 6.3 with formal documentation given to the instructor before the travel takes place. Note, however, that all other absences—including illness, family emergency, etc.—are not covered by the official SUU absence policy. Therefore, you should communicate with me about your absences as much as possible. 
 
Generally, your grade will benefit from frequent and engaged attendance. You have up to two weeks of discretionary absences. These absences are discretionary, but please use them responsibly and be mindful that absence from class is not an excuse for missed work. Please be aware of any required class readings and deadlines during your absence. 
 
If you are missing class because of an excused absence or disability accommodation, you should email the professor before class if possible, but no later than midnight on the day you miss class to clarify the status of the absence. If you do not notify the professor that an accommodation is being used, the absence will be counted against the discretionary absences allotted for the class. 
 
If you miss more than the  two weeks of class due to unexcused absences, a letter grade will be deducted from your final grade. For each additional week of class that is missed, an additional letter grade will be deducted.  

ADA Statement

Students with medical, psychological, learning, or other disabilities desiring academic adjustments, accommodations, or auxiliary aids will need to contact the Disability Resource Center, located in Room 206F of the Sharwan Smith Center or by phone at (435) 865-8042. The Disability Resource Center determines eligibility for and authorizes the provision of services.

If your instructor requires attendance, you may need to seek an ADA accommodation to request an exception to this attendance policy. Please contact the Disability Resource Center to determine what, if any, ADA accommodations are reasonable and appropriate.

Academic Credit

According to the federal definition of a Carnegie credit hour: A credit hour of work is the equivalent of approximately 60 minutes of class time or independent study work. A minimum of 45 hours of work by each student is required for each unit of credit. Credit is earned only when course requirements are met. One (1) credit hour is equivalent to 15 contact hours of lecture, discussion, testing, evaluation, or seminar, as well as 30 hours of student homework. An equivalent amount of work is expected for laboratory work, internships, practica, studio, and other academic work leading to the awarding of credit hours. Credit granted for individual courses, labs, or studio classes ranges from 0.5 to 15 credit hours per semester.

Academic Freedom

SUU is operated for the common good of the greater community it serves. The common good depends upon the free search for truth and its free exposition. Academic Freedom is the right of faculty to study, discuss, investigate, teach, and publish. Academic Freedom is essential to these purposes and applies to both teaching and research.

Academic Freedom in the realm of teaching is fundamental for the protection of the rights of the faculty member and of you, the student, with respect to the free pursuit of learning and discovery. Faculty members possess the right to full freedom in the classroom in discussing their subjects. They may present any controversial material relevant to their courses and their intended learning outcomes, but they shall take care not to introduce into their teaching controversial materials which have no relation to the subject being taught or the intended learning outcomes for the course.

As such, students enrolled in any course at SUU may encounter topics, perspectives, and ideas that are unfamiliar or controversial, with the educational intent of providing a meaningful learning environment that fosters your growth and development. These parameters related to Academic Freedom are included in SUU Policy 6.6.

Academic Misconduct

Scholastic honesty is expected of all students. Dishonesty will not be tolerated and will be prosecuted to the fullest extent (see SUU Policy 6.33). You are expected to have read and understood the current SUU student conduct code (SUU Policy 11.2) regarding student responsibilities and rights, the intellectual property policy (SUU Policy 5.52), information about procedures, and what constitutes acceptable behavior.

Please Note: The use of websites or services that sell essays is a violation of these policies; likewise, the use of websites or services that provide answers to assignments, quizzes, or tests is also a violation of these policies. Regarding the use of Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI), you should check with your individual course instructor.

Emergency Management Statement

In case of an emergency, the University's Emergency Notification System (ENS) will be activated. Students are encouraged to maintain updated contact information using the link on the homepage of the mySUU portal. In addition, students are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the Emergency Response Protocols posted in each classroom. Detailed information about the University's emergency management plan can be found at https://www.suu.edu/emergency.

HEOA Compliance Statement

For a full set of Higher Education Opportunity Act (HEOA) compliance statements, please visit https://www.suu.edu/heoa. The sharing of copyrighted material through peer-to-peer (P2P) file sharing, except as provided under U.S. copyright law, is prohibited by law; additional information can be found at https://my.suu.edu/help/article/1096/heoa-compliance-plan.

You are also expected to comply with policies regarding intellectual property (SUU Policy 5.52) and copyright (SUU Policy 5.54).

Mandatory Reporting

University policy (SUU Policy 5.60) requires instructors to report disclosures received from students that indicate they have been subjected to sexual misconduct/harassment. The University defines sexual harassment consistent with Federal Regulations (34 C.F.R. Part 106, Subpart D) to include quid pro quo, hostile environment harassment, sexual assault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking. When students communicate this information to an instructor in-person, by email, or within writing assignments, the instructor will report that to the Title IX Coordinator to ensure students receive support from the Title IX Office. A reporting form is available at https://cm.maxient.com/reportingform.php?SouthernUtahUniv

Non-Discrimination Statement

SUU is committed to fostering an inclusive community of lifelong learners and believes our university's encompassing of different views, beliefs, and identities makes us stronger, more innovative, and better prepared for the global society.

SUU does not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, sex (including sex discrimination and sexual harassment), sexual orientation, gender identity, age, ancestry, disability status, pregnancy, pregnancy-related conditions, genetic information, military status, veteran status, or other bases protected by applicable law in employment, treatment, admission, access to educational programs and activities, or other University benefits or services.

SUU strives to cultivate a campus environment that encourages freedom of expression from diverse viewpoints. We encourage all to dialogue within a spirit of respect, civility, and decency.

For additional information on non-discrimination, please see SUU Policy 5.27 and/or visit https://www.suu.edu/nondiscrimination.

Pregnancy

Students who are or become pregnant during this course may receive reasonable modifications to facilitate continued access and participation in the course. Pregnancy and related conditions are broadly defined to include pregnancy, childbirth, termination of pregnancy, lactation, related medical conditions, and recovery. To obtain reasonable modifications, please make a request to title9@suu.edu. To learn more visit: https://www.suu.edu/titleix/pregnancy.html.

Disclaimer Statement

Information contained in this syllabus, other than the grading, late assignments, makeup work, and attendance policies, may be subject to change with advance notice, as deemed appropriate by the instructor.