Junior/Senior Seminars

NEW SEM430  Mythology and Monstrosity

major elective | grades: 11, 12

Why are myths over 3,000 years old still so alive today? Myths explore what it means to be humans, both as individuals and in a collective society. Monsters lurk not only outside, but lie even more dangerous within if we lose our sense of humanity. How true are myths and what is their relationship to facts? As Madeleine L’Engle once said, “Truth is what is true, and it’s not necessarily factual.” This course will delve into such questions, centering on ancient Greece and Rome, but will also examine other cultures’ traditions (e.g. Egyptian, Chinese, Norse, etc.). We will explore ancient myths and their influence down through the ages to modern times. We will examine them not just through the lens of narrative, but also anthropology, art, history, psychology, and drama (theatre and film), and include ancient works such as Homer’s epics, the plays of Sophocles, Euripides, and stories of Ovid among others as well as modern pieces, such as Bruegel and Bearden’s visual artworks, poems by Auden and William Carlos Williams, a novel by Shamsie, and film by Cocteau.

NEW SEM420  Media Studies

major elective | grades: 11, 12

The study of media can tell us a lot about the world in which we live, especially in regards to race and class. Looking at billboards, political propaganda, memes, and examples of high culture, low culture, and the subcultures in between will give students the chance to examine the textured ways humans communicate with each other. With an understanding of rhetoric and visual analysis, students will learn to decode and alter the terabytes of information and media surrounding them. The objective of this course is to unflatten students’ perspectives about media as it exists today, in the past, throughout the world, and into the future. This content-rich interdisciplinary seminar will have regular readings, graded discussions, presentations, research reports, and group/individual projects. In the first quarter, students will explore the relations between media, culture, and society and learn about the paradigm shifts from oral to visual to digital formats. Topics during the first semester include stereotypes and media bias as well as how to critically assess news and branding. During the second semester, students will study media from a global perspective, exploring its relationship to intellectual property, public domain, and the public trust. Students will learn how to look at any artifact, like a piece of furniture, and discern the cultural and socioeconomic factors that produced it. The course will culminate with a research project on the implications of media transforming into clouds of data. Media Studies is open to students interested in stretching their analytical skills and leveling up their verbal and visual communication skills.