Analyze an existing myth option
Based on your research, what are the key elements needed for your mythic adaptation to be recognizable?
Use your primary and secondary source research to determine the required elements you believe are
foundational to that particular myth and use those elements as the foundation for your modern adaptation.
Before you begin creating in earnest, think about the myth’s elements that you determined were required for
your myth and decide which of those elements you wish to incorporate and why. The most important thing is for
your creation to adapt with intention: for example, since you are modernizing the myth, what are you reflecting
in your adaptation about our time period, your beliefs, cultures etc.? What is the message or morale you are
trying to impart through your adaptation? Is there an interpretation of your myth or mythic figure that you are
trying to impart?
The form of your adaptation is flexible, but it should have a clear narrative. Adaptations options include, but are
not limited to: poems, short stories, plays, short films, screenplays, video games, paintings, sculptures, graphic
novels, songs (with lyrics) and so on.
In addition to creating your adaptation, you will also write a 2-page explanation that explains how you have
synthesized your research on the myths by outlining:
HU 321: Mythology Dr. Taylor pp. 2
1) A brief summary of the required elements of your myth as your introduction (based on the 2 primary sources
& two secondary sources). End with the “thesis” of your project (your intent).
2) How you used and adapted your primary and secondary research on the myth and incorporated your
findings of the requirements into your adaptation and why you made the choices you made.
3) What you wish your adaptation to get across to the audience (message about your/our culture, point about
the current historical moment, argument about the nature of your source myth or myth more broadly itself, the
morale or message of your adaptation, and or the ways and reasons you included or excluded certain
elements/details from the original myth).
4) Conclude with what your adaptation reveals about either our culture or the source myth.
Analyze an Existing Mythic Adaptation Option
Select a contemporary mythic adaptation and conduct research on that myth and the adaptation. Acceptable
adaptations include poems, novels, short stories, plays, video games, film, paintings, and so on. You may
select Storm Runner or Gods of Jade and Shadow as the mythic adaptation or you may select an adaptation
we did not cover in class. You must compare the adaptation to at least 2 primary source versions of the same
myth. Your analysis of the adaptation should be informed by at least 2 secondary research sources.
Write a 5-page research paper analyzing the adaptation in which you compare and contrast the original myth
with the adaptation. Consider the similarities and differences between the myth and the adaptation. A good
brainstorming start is to identify the key elements that define that myth/mythic figure and assess if and how the
adaptations uses those elements, but you want to go further than that in this paper to focus on the intent. What
do you think the artist/writer/creator intended to do through the adaptation? What does the adaptation suggest
about the society/culture/time period it was produced versus the originals? What do the differences suggest
about each cultures’ beliefs? What do the similarities suggest about the universality of myth and the human
experience?
Your main thesis should indicate a “so what?” that summarizes your interpretation of the adaptation and the
takeaway of comparing the adaptation to the original myths. As with the Elements of Myth Paper, your thesis
should appear at the end of your introduction.
Your paper should also include at least 2 secondary research sources to support your analysis. Secondary
sources can focus on analyzing the myth, the archetype, and/or the mythic adaptation. The star of the paper
should be your analysis of the adaptation with the 2 primary source versions of the myth and the 2 secondary
sources serving as additional evidence to support your analysis of evidence from the adaptation.
Planning
3 weeks of the semester (12-14) are devoted exclusively to you working on the project. The quality of your
paper/project and presentation should reflect this. You are welcome to meet with me as often as you need to
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plan and discuss your project. You will also submit a formal proposal for the project and several scaffolding
assignments so I can guide you towards success. In Week
HU 321: Mythology Dr. Taylor pp. 3
14, I will hold optional planning conferences during which you can meet with me for feedback. For your
planning conference, you should bring some of your work (ideally a paper draft or project+explanation draft).
Submission Instructions
Upload your mythic adaptation to Canvas by the deadline (project+explanation or paper). All mythic
adaptations should be submitted digitally; projects that are not easily digitized (e.g. sculptures) can be
submitted as photographs or a video. You will upload your recorded presentation to the Canvas Discussion
board. See the Technical Support button on our Canvas site if you have issues submitting.
Your mythic adaptation should:
• include at least 2 primary sources on the myth you are focusing on
• include at least 2 secondary sources that analyze the myth (or the adaptation for the paper
option)
• identify the main elements of the myth you are adapting/analyzing
• show awareness of the contexts that influence the myths and the adaptation
• show audience awareness
• follow MLA format for document design, quotations, & the works cited page.
• be revised, edited, and proofread.
The Presentation
You will share your prerecorded 4-6 min presentation via Discussions in Canvas. You should include a
PowerPoint or Poster with your presentation. Please also reply to your presentation post with a file of or link to
your full mythic adaptation (project+explanation or paper), so interested classmates your whole mythic
adaptation.
For the Create Your Own Mythic Adaptation Option, your presentation should largely highlight details from your
explanation. If you wrote a short story or something we will not be able to view in full in the presentation, you
may wish to open with a quick (2-3 sentence) summary of your creative piece.
For the Analyze an Existing Myth Option, your presentation should highlight the key points of your research
paper. If you select an adaptation we did not cover in class, open with a quick (2-3 sentence) summary of the
mythic adaptation you selected.
Sample Solution
