MYTHIC DIMENSIONS OF MODERN LIFE. Course Syllabus Lafayette Library, Spring 2018 Tuesdays, 10 am to 12 pm April 3 May 8

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1 MYTHIC DIMENSIONS OF MODERN LIFE Course Syllabus Lafayette Library, Spring 2018 Tuesdays, 10 am to 12 pm April 3 May 8 Edwin Bernbaum, Ph.D. edwin@peakparadigms.com Beliefs and assumptions, both true and false, provide the foundations on which we stand - the givens that allow us to live and act in the world. Many of them, some so deep that we are not aware of their existence, function for people in modern societies as myths do for people in traditional cultures. For example, the universe began with a bang, the mind processes information like a computer, success is the key to happiness, work defines who we are. Elaborated in the form of stories, theories, and ideas, these and many other contemporary equivalents of myth shape the ways in which we think, feel, and experience the world and ourselves. Drawing on research from a number of fields, ranging from anthropology and comparative religion to psychology and the history of science, the course explores various different functions of myth and ritual in traditional cultures to see what insights they can give us into similar mythic roles that influential stories, ideas, assumptions, and practices play in contemporary life. From how the scientific theory of evolution structures much of our thinking today to how the idea of progress drives business activity and influences government policy, this thought-provoking exploration focuses on recognizing and understanding the modern-day equivalents of myth at work in our lives and finding ways to awaken their power to inspire a renewed sense of personal meaning and fulfillment. By becoming aware, in particular, of the spiritual impulse that has 1

2 historically given rise to the present-day preoccupation with economic growth, we can redirect our attention to the inner dimensions of ideas of progress and the American Dream neglected in much of modern life. From chasing after material wealth and power, we turn to uncovering the treasures hidden within. We come to realize that instead of having to grow bigger or die, we can choose to grow deeper and live. The course covers the following topics in a combination of lectures, discussions, and exercises: Week 1, April 3: The Reality and Power of Myth The need for myths and the functions they and their equivalents perform in traditional and modern cultures. Week 2, April 10: The Scientist and the Priest How scientific theories and technological innovations capture the imagination and function as equivalents of myth in modern thought and society. Week 3, April 17: The Work and Rule of Myth Beliefs and rituals that fuel the business economy and give legitimacy to institutions of law and government. Week 4, April 24: Myth and Creativity Creative uses and destructive abuses of mythic themes in the arts, advertising, and the media, including film. Week 5, April 31: The Healing Power of Myth How deeply held beliefs and attitudes can be used in medicine and psychotherapy to promote health and wellbeing. Week 6, May 8: The Mythic Quest The role of myths in awakening the spiritual impulse and recovering the sense of meaning and deeper reality lost in the complexities of modern life. 2

3 A few short readings will be posted online to stimulate discussion in class. The following are suggested supplementary readings for those who would like to learn more about various approaches to myth in accordance with their particular interests. Supplementary Readings (For further exploration, not required reading) Armstrong, Karen. A Short History of Myth (Myths series). Edinburgh: Canongate Books, Barbour, Ian G. Myths, Models and Paradigms: The Nature of Scientific and Religious Language. London: SCM Press, Bellah, Robert N. Beyond Belief: Essays on Religion in a Post- Traditionalist World. Berkeley: University of California Press, Bernbaum, Edwin. Sacred Mountains of the World. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, Bernbaum, Edwin. The Way to Shambhala. Boston & London: Shambhala Publications, Campbell, Joseph. The Hero with a Thousand Faces. 2nd ed. Princeton: Princeton/Bollingen, Campbell, Joseph. Myths to Live By. New York: Viking Press, 1972 Cousineau, Phil. Once and Future Myths. Berkeley: Conari Press, 2001 Csapo, Eric. Theories of Mythology. Malden, MA, Oxford: Blackwell Pub., 2005 Doty, William G.. Myth: A Handbook. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 3

4 2004 Dundes, Alan, ed. Sacred Narrative: Readings in the Theory of Myth. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, Eliade, Mircea. Myth and Reality. New York and Evanston: Harper Torchbooks, Feinstein, David and Krippner, Stanley. Personal Mythology: The Psychology of Your Evolving Self. Los Angeles: Jeremy P. Tarcher, Frye, Northrop. Myth and Metaphor: Selected Essays, Edited by Robert D. Denham. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, Johnson, Mark, ed. Philosophical Perspectives on Metaphor. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press, Jung, Carl C. et al., ed. Man and his Symbols. Garden City, NY: Doubleday & Co., Keen, Sam and Fox, Anne Valley. Your Mythic Journey. Los Angeles: Tarcher Books, Kirk, G. S. Myth: Its Meaning and Functions in Ancient and Other Cultures. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, Kuhn, Thomas S. The Structure of Scientific Revolutions. Chicago & London: University of Chicago Press, Levi-Strauss, Claude. Myth and Meaning. New York: Schocken Books, May, Rollo. The Cry for Myth. New York & London: W. W. Norton, Malinowski, Bronisław. Magic, Science and Religion and Other Essays. 4

5 Boston, Beacon Press, Murray, Henry Alexander, ed. Myth and Mythmaking. New York: G. Braziller, Panikkar, Raimundo. Myth, Faith, and Hermeneutics. New York: Paulist Press, Patai, Raphael. Myth and Modern Man. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice- Hall, Segal, Robert A. Myth: A Very Short Introduction, 2 nd edition. New York: Oxford University Press, Zimmer, Heinrich. Myths and Symbols in Indian Art and Civilization, ed. J. Campbell. Princeton, N.J.: Princeton University Press,