Myth-Folklore Course Overview

For this assignment, I'd like you to read about the Myth-Folklore UnTextbook, which is where you will choose your readings this semester. Then, I'd like you to write a blog post where you choose your reading for Week 2 while also looking ahead to some readings you are really excited about for later in the semester.

STEP ONE. UnTextbook Overview. You can begin by learning about what the UnTextbook is and how it works: The Myth-Folklore UnTextbook.

STEP TWO. Week 2 Reading Choices. Now that you have a general idea of how the UnTextbook works, you can start zooming in, starting with the options for Week 2. You can change your mind, of course, but the idea is to have at least one good option ready to go! If you look at the weekly tabs across the top of the UnTextbook pages, you will see that the semester is organized into two-week modules, and for Week 2 and Week 3, it is the Classical-Biblical module. If you click on the Weeks 2-3 tab, you will find information about the Classical units (there are 8 options) and the Biblical units (also 8 options). As you can see, there are already lots of options for Weeks 2 and 3: you can choose to do something Classical one week or Biblical one week, or if you have a preference, you can do Classical units for both weeks or Biblical for both weeks. Each unit has an index page, along with individual pages for the stories (usually one story per page, but sometimes multiple short stories on one page or sometimes a long story spread out on multiple pages). So, for example, here is the index page for the Jewish Fairy Tales, which contains 11 stories total, divided into two parts, Part A and Part B. Ideally you will choose a unit and read both parts each week (Part A and Part B), but if you are short on time and read only one part, that's okay too. There are different kinds of reading there in different formats, so take a few minutes to explore, see which units grab your attention, and try to choose one Classical or Biblical unit that you will read in Week 2. 

 Speaking for myself, I am a big fan of all the reading units in the UnTextbook, and I am very curious which units will get your attention. So, as the semester begins, I would like you to explore the UnTextbook and let me know if you see some reading units that you are really curious about and eager to read. There are several different ways you can browse through the different reading units at the UnTextbook site:

• browsing with the sidebar links to each unit (you will see all one hundred units)
• browsing with the week-by-week tabs across the top of the blog
• browsing at random by using the "Crystal Balls" in the week-by-week listings 
• browsing with the Diigo links in the week-by-week listings

You can change your mind later, of course, but for now, if you could let me know at least four or five reading units that grab your attention, that will be great — and if you want to do a tentative plan for the whole semester, feel free to do so!

STEP THREE: Find an Image. In addition to picking out four or five reading units that intrigue you, I'd also like for you to find some image that grabs your attention. Each reading unit has an image on its table of contents page, and most of the stories also have images of their own too. So, as you are browsing, keep an eye out for some intriguing image and include that in your blog post also.

STEP FOUR:  Write the Blog Post. When you are done exploring, write up a post with at least four or five choices and a couple of sentences about each one, along with any general questions or suggestions that you have. As you write your post, don't summarize the contents of the unit; instead, let me know what YOU find intriguing about the unit, whether it is something new to you or something familiar, what connections you can make between that unit and other books/movies/art, etc.

Then make sure you include at least one image also (with Image Information), along with a sentence or two about why you chose that image. Use the word "UnTextbook" somewhere in the title of the post, and make sure you use "Week 1" as the post label.

As an experiment, I wrote up a sample post myself, pretending that I was choosing what units to read this semester. You can see my sample post here: Exploring the UnTextbook. Here's a link to the other students' posts for this semester: Overview of the UnTextbook.

Gradebook Declaration. Don't forget to do the Gradebook Declaration when you are done.