Mythscapes

An experimental seminar that will combine classroom discussion with visits to field sites within walking distance of the Brown campus. The aim will be to acquaint students with some fundamentals of symbolic analysis and to apply these fundamentals to interpreting the moral and historical messages suffused in the landscapes around us. Readings will include sources on the anthropological interpretation of myth combined with historical sources on Brown and its neighboring communities and institutions. Students will acquire a deeper sense of the mythic qualities of this place and some analytical tools for understanding mythscapes elsewhere. Enrollment limited to 19 first year students.