GUIDELINES ON CONTENT

Choose one of the topics given in the on the List of Topics for Project 2

You are not expected to report on bibliography concerning the topic you choose, but to collect primary materials (texts and images from antiquity which you find on the web or in books) and then briefly express your own conclusions drawn from the examination of those materials.

SUGGESTIONS ON STEPS TO FOLLOW

1) COLLECT YOUR MATERIALS. Even though you may read, of course, Morford and Lenardon, or reliable sources on the web, your materials must be ancient, be they stories or graphic representations such as vases,  etc.

2) CLASSIFY TOGETHER monsters that have something in common (if you choose Topic I) , or deities and myths relative to death in the Greek and the Egyptian culture (if you choose Topic II) then refine the comparison and contrast. For guidance, look up the Example of Comparison and Contrast, yet do not submit a chart as the one given on that page.  That is preparatory work.

3) DRAW CONCLUSIONS, on the basis of these observations, on these issues or any other pertinent idea:

a) Point out the similarities and differences between the myths or mythic characters you have compared.
b) Draw some personal conclusions on the construction of these myths and the impulses that generate them.  Point out the themes of myths or mythic characters.  What is the cultural function of the stories, gods, on which you have collected information?

RESOURCES FOR THE SEARCH

The main resource is Perseus. If you have difficulties using Perseus, click here to find a tutorial.

There are many more excellent resources on the web, but it is not a very good idea to start navigating globally if you have limited experience in the field and a deadline for your paper... You will find a selection of sources clicking on this link:
WEB RESOURCES FOR ANCIENT RELIGION.

A HYPERTEXTUAL PAPER, ANYONE?  Students proficient in webpage-making or who want to try their hand at it (with the current programs it is extremely simple) may submit a hypertextual paper, i.e. a paper on the web.

?  Please, no plastic covers!  Number the pages and staple them together.

?  On a cover page, type the title (as listed) your name, the course number, and section number.

? LENGTH: approximately 1,000-1,500 words. FOUR pages, double-spaced and in Times 12 or comparable, will normally cover the minimum length.  Please do not exceed the maximum of 1,500.  (If you have a Word-Count utility in your word processor, give a total.)

? No quotations, except very brief ones.

? The translations obtained from Perseus are those of the Loeb edition, in old-fashioned, often pompous style.  Please do not imagine that you have to express yourself in the same manner when you refer to those passages!

? Since you are not expected to consult bibliography, references to other sources should be minimal.

For an ancient text, indicate in parentheses author, title, and section, just as you find them in the links or in Perseus, e.g. Hom. Iliad 4.127-182.

For a modern book include a footnote or endnote, and cite as follows or according to another generally accepted convention:

Doniger O' Flaherty, W. Other Peoples' Myths : The Cave of Echoes, Chicago 1995.

?  Titles of books must be either italicized or underscored, not enclosed in quotation marks.

?  You are not expected to include further footnotes or endnotes or a bibliography.

?  Use complete sentences and correct spelling.  Compose short sentences unless you are an accomplished writer and know that your longer paragraphs are clear.

?  Avoid the stereotype of student papers, such as an introductory paragraph that states vague generalities, and a final paragraph that repeats it.  Start simply saying that you will examine an X number of texts and/or paintings, and explain what you are trying to understand.  In the final paragraph do give your personal conclusion, but remember to qualify it saying that it is based only on the materials you have at hand.