Telling stories is a key activity in many religions and cultures.  Stories can reveal perspectives on the nature of the cosmos, offer emotionally engaging ethical debates, and anchor people into a particular tradition.  Moreover, myth and storytelling have wider implications for the ways in which people can construct individual and group identities.  Myths can be used to justify inequalities on the basis of gender, sexuality, class, and race, and reinforce hierarchies in societies. Conversely, stories can be a tool of liberation, helping people to imagine new social worlds and to work through the traumatic repercussions of oppressive regimes.    

In this module you will have the opportunity to critically engage with narrative through the lens of religious studies.  Encountering gods, monsters, and heroines, you will be given the tools to analyse critical debates about the structures of myths, their relationships with rituals, and the range of mediums through which they are told, such as oral, literary and screen narratives.    

LO1: Exhibit a detailed understanding of key scholarly debates about myth and apply them to a range of case studies.   

LO2: Identify and apply appropriate scholarly approaches such as feminist, historical, textualist, anthropological, and psychological studies of myth.   

LO3: Evaluate and analyse primary sources (in English translation) such as epic literature, ancient drama, biblical passages, or indigenous films in relation to their style, structure, and political, religious, and social contexts.   

LO4: Exercise significant judgement to identify key elements and problems in analysing a case study related to myth and storytelling traditions.  

The module will be delivered through a blend of synchronous and asynchronous teaching. Synchronous sessions will take the form of seminars and lectures. All classes will include opportunities for active and participatory learning activity. Students will be asked to engage with reading lists and prepare to contribute to seminars through a range of activities, including reading, watching films, and preparing questions. 

Academic  

Take part in classroom verbal discussions and demonstrate mutual respect in the way they are conducted.  

Critically assess and evaluate a range of arguments.  

Apply theoretical concepts to particular cases.  

Make effective use of primary sources and scholarly literature.  

Communicate complex information, ideas and concepts in written and oral form.  

Produce work that is clearly written, and which develops evidence-based arguments within a given time.  

To construct a coherent argument that includes full references expressed in a clear and appropriate scholarly style.  

Subject-specific  

Engage with written and visual primary sources.  

Utilize module materials such as the handbook and library facilities to find and read relevant scholarly sources.  

Plan a research process in order to answer a question in an evidence-based fashion.  

Analyse processes of change in relation to religion and society.  

Judge the ethical impact of religious dialogues in historic and contemporary societies.  

Consider different orientations to the world and conceptual frameworks different to one’s own, including different understandings of personhood and the cosmos.  

Being open to the perspective of others and explore how this may challenge, revise, or enhance scholarly approaches to myth and story.  

Transferable  

Learn to consider different points of view.  

Learn to interact with those of a different view with respect.  

Learn to reach/revise views based on evidence.  

Learn to use feedback constructively.  

Learn to use initiative and take personal responsibility for the work produced.  

Learn to make decisions in complex and new contexts.  

Learn to work independently and effectively.  

Extend computer skills in writing, editing, and research.  

The module will be assessed through two pieces of coursework:   

A 2000-word critical essay will focus on knowledge and analysis of key themes and questions.  Students will be provided with a set of questions. [Learning Outcomes met: LO 2, LO3, LO4].  

A 1500-word source analysis will focus on selection and analysis of primary sources. Students will be given a choice of conventional and/or non-conventional materials such as a section of sacred literature, transcriptions of oral storytelling, artifacts, images, or film. [Learning Outcomes met: LO1, LO3, LO4].  

OPPORTUNITIES FOR RE-ASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE:  

Reassessment will take the form of a reassessment of the failed component(s) unless further specified.  

THE OPPORTUNITY FOR REASSESSMENT IN THIS MODULE: 

Opportunities for re-assessment is only permitted provided you have not failed more credit than in the resit rule adopted by your programme.  If the amount of credit you have failed is more than permitted by the relevant resit rule, you may be permitted to repeat study if you are within the threshold set for the Repeat rule adopted by your programme.  You will be notified of your eligibility to resit/repeat any modules after the Examining Board in the Summer period. 

All resit assessments will be held in the Resit Examination period, prior to the start of the following academic session. 

Content will vary according to staff availability, but key themes will be:  

Creation stories  

Gods, goddesses, monsters and heroes/heroines  

Myth and ritual  

Gender  

The person and the cosmos  

Sacred stories and language  

Re-telling and re-inventing sacred stories