Mythology

Upper-School Mythology introduces students to fascinating tales of other worldly creatures, gods, goddesses, monsters, and warriors and invites them to explore life’s ultimate questions, like “Who am I?”, “Why am I here?” and “How can I live a virtuous life?”. Through an exploration of literature, history, philosophy, geography, and culture – all in one engaging course – students read mythological tales from a variety of geographical locations and historical time periods, reflecting on the customs, beliefs and cultural perspectives of a survey of ancient civilizations, with a central focus on ancient Greece and Rome.

Using Dr. Louis Marko’s book, The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes as the central text for the course, students are introduced to tales as expressions of the human condition, in both its virtue and its depravity, through a myriad of mythological personas and narratives. Markos invites students to view the myths as eloquent and poignant reflections of the limitations of man, who, despite his best creative and intellectual efforts, sees the world as the Apostle Paul described it, “through a glass darkly.” Similar to Paul walking along the marble streets before the temple of Artemis presenting Christ as the answer to the emptiness and longings of paganism, Markos walks students through ancient mythological stories illuminating the state of man as one of readiness for and anticipation of a Redeemer and a Savior.

Required Materials:
Books and supplies are not included in the purchase of the course.

The Myth Made Fact: Reading Greek and Roman Mythology through Christian Eyes by Dr. Louis Markos (may be purchased from Classical Academic Press
- ISBN 9781600513954)
Till We Have Faces: Walking to Wisdom Literature Guide (Student Edition) (may be purchased from Classical Academic Press
- ISBN: 9781600512469

Weslea Bell holds a MA in English from Mississippi State University and has taught Language Arts courses, including Literature, Composition, Mythology, and Logic, for almost thirty years. She has written for various publications and venues and homeschooled her own children from kindergarten through twelfth grade. She enjoys gardening, coffee dates with friends, training her horse, playing piano, and – most of all – spending time with her husband and two daughters. [email protected]

Quarter 1

Rhetorical Situations: Audience, Purpose, MLA Style
Essay Writing: Comparison-Contrast and Literary Analysis
Platonic Myths: The Allegory of the Cave, Soul Mates, The Myth of the Winged Soul
Prometheus: Aeschylus’ Prometheus Bound, Percy Bysshe Shelley’s Prometheus Unbound
Epic Poetry: the Gods of Homer (Athena, Poseidon, Calypso, Circe, Ino, Hermes, Zeus, Heracles, Aeolus)

Quarter 2

Rhetorical Situation: Genre, Allegory, Drama
Essay Writing: Personal Narrative, Comparison-Contrast, Expository
Ovid’s _Metamorphoses: _Pygmalion
George Bernard Shaw’s _Pygmalion _(Victorians vs. Modernists)
Greek and Roman Mythology in the Arts: My Fair Lady, Iphigenia in Tauris
_Til We Have Faces: a Myth Retold _by C. S. Lewis

Quarter 3

Rhetorical Situation: Design, Media, APA Style
Essay Writing: Journal Writing, Personal Narrative, Cause-Effect
Gods of Ancient Egypt: Mythology and Warfare
Gods of the Babylonian Kingdom: Exploring Origin Stories
_Epic of Gilgamesh _and Genesis
Gods of Assyria: Religion or Myth?
Media, Talos, and Artificial Intelligence: Modern Applications of Ancient Philosophies

Quarter 4

Rhetorical Situation: Style and Tone
Essay Writing: Literary Analysis
Mesoamerican Mythology (Mayans, Incas, Aztecs)
Epic Poetry: the gods of Virgil
The Aeneid
Nathanial Hawthorne’s _Wonder Book _and Scarlet Letter
Mythology in Literature, Film, Art, and Marketing
Final Project and Exam

Computer: You will need a stable, reliable computer, running with a processor with a speed of 1 GHz or better on one of the following operating systems: Mac OS X with Mac OS 10.7 or later; Windows 8, 7, Vista (with SP1 or later), or XP (with SP3 or later). We do not recommend using an iPad or other tablet for joining classes. An inexpensive laptop or netbook would be much better solutions, as they enable you to plug an Ethernet cable directly into your computer. Please note that Chromebooks are allowed but not preferred, as they do not support certain features of the Zoom video conference software such as breakout sessions and annotation, which may be used by our teachers for class activities.

High-Speed Internet Connection: You will also need access to high-speed Internet, preferably accessible via Ethernet cable right into your computer. Using Wi-Fi may work, but will not guarantee you the optimal use of your bandwidth. The faster your Internet, the better. We recommend using a connection with a download/upload speed of 5/1 Mbps or better. You can test your Internet connection here.

Webcam: You may use an external webcam or one that is built in to the computer. Webcam Recommendations: Good (PC only) | Best (Mac and PC)

Headset: We recommend using a headset rather than a built-in microphone and speakers. Using a headset reduces the level of background noise heard by the entire class. Headset Recommendations: USB | 3.5mm

Zoom: We use a web conferencing software called Zoom for our classes, which enables students and teachers to gather from around the globe face to face in real time. Zoom is free to download and easy to use. To download Zoom:

Visit zoom.us/download.
Click to download the first option listed, Zoom Client for Meetings.
Open and run the installer on your computer.
In August, students will be provided with instructions and a link for joining their particular class.

Scanner: In this class, students frequently submit homework assignments by scanning pages from their workbooks. Students and/or their parents should have easy access to a scanner and the ability to use it.

Z

Step 1

Z

Step 2

Z

Step 3

Z

Step 4

Explore our courses!

First, read the available course descriptions, noting prerequisites, target grades, and course objectives. If you think your student is prepared for the course, go ahead and register. After registration, a placement assessment may be provided to students, depending on the course and the student’s previous enrollment with Scholé Academy. Registration is finalized when the student’s placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.

All Courses | By Subject | By Grade

Read the Student-Parent Handbook.

Please take careful note of our teaching philosophy, our technology requirements, our school policies, the parent agreement, and the distinctions between our grade levels.

Double-check the course section dates and times.

Make sure they don't conflict with other activities in your schedule or other courses you are purchasing. Our system will not catch double-bookings!

You're ready to add course selections to your cart!

Our Assistant to the Principal will be in touch with you after your enrollment to help you with next steps, including any placement evaluations that may be required for your course selections.

This registration will be finalized when the student's placement assessment has been returned by the course instructor with placement confirmation.