HUM 108 Exam
Please respond in short essay form to the following prompts, paying attention to the minimum word count if you want to earn full points. Please label your responses Prompt 1, 2 ,3. This exam is based on the myths and concepts we have read about, and also asks you to be creative and examine the relevance of mythology to our times. Please submit these as a pdf.
Question 1: Myth and Scientific Observation (250 words minimum for up to 25 points)
Read the articles below and respond to these questions:
What field of study that we have learned about in class do the following articles represent? (A Hint is here and it begins with G)
To what degree do these examples fit within the disciplines of both art and science?
In what way does applying these multiple perspectives illuminate your understanding of our collective human history?
China / Great Flood:
https://theconversation.com/geomythology-can-geologists-relate-ancient-stories-of-great-floods-to-real-events-63434
https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/ancient-chinese-megaflood-may-be-fact-not-fiction/
Hawaii / Epic Volcanic Eruption
https://www.livescience.com/40149-myth-or-magma-hawaiian-stories-reveal-geologic-past.html
https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidbressan/2017/02/07/hawaiian-myths-tell-a-story-about-volcanic-activity-at-kilauea/?sh=78045da926ca
Question 2: Myth and Cultural Values (250 words minimum for up to 25 points)
Please read the Vietnamese myths included on this site and respond to the prompt below:
Historically, myths and legends have always served as entertainment, from the earliest communal campfires to current day festivals that mark our ancestral roots and rituals. But stories also serve other purposes, namely as vehicles of socialization that convey cultural norms, beliefs, values, and expectations. Vietnam is a region renowned for a rich tapestry of myths and folklore that permeate everyday life and convey cultural values. Animal appearances, weather patterns, topographical characteristics are some of the topics that imbue these ancient stories and connect modern life to older beliefs and rituals.
Writing Prompt: Many of the stories here are focused individuals who are in what today we might call dysfunctional or challenging relationships, and the impacts of their choices have lasting effects. What might be some of the lasting cultural lessons embedded in these stories? What cultural values do you think they might convey about gender, sexuality, love, infidelity, and human relationships? Transcribe and explain THREE details or plot points in THREE different myths that seem didactic, which means designed to teach some cultural belief or life lesson.
Question 3: Myth and Climate Change: What would the ancients say? (500 words minimum for up to 50 points)
As we have read, Etiological Myths are stories that attempt to explain the how and why of the natural world. Many are ancient stories that offered pre-scientific and pre-literate explanations for observed natural phenomena. Today, we observe and experience unprecedented changes in the natural world, and we know the cause: climate change. More specifically, science shows us that these drastic changes in the global climate are caused directly by human activity and have or will have detrimental impacts on all of us.
Knowing that human activity is largely responsible for these changes does not make these epic shifts less shocking to witness, and many people are taking steps to reduce their impact on the planet by changing some of their activities. While there are varying degrees of hopefulness about the possibility of changing the course of our environmental future, a recent report by the United Nations delivered some hard truths about the future potential to impact our current trajectory, even with international commitment and cooperation.
What would our human ancestors have thought about the natural disasters that we are witnessing today? How might they have explained these events? Who or what would they have credited with the changes that seemed beyond their control?
Writing Task: Using the Etiological Myths we have read as models, write a myth that attempts to explain one of the observable events below. In your story, try to incorporate some of the storytelling elements you have noted to explain the cause of these unprecedented events. While some cultures might have attributed these events to bad behavior and punishing gods, other peoples might have explained them as stemming from the whims of capricious deities or clever animal tricksters. You decide, based on the stories that have resonated most with you.
Rising Sea Levels
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/understanding-climate/climate-change-global-sea-level
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/cant-imagine-rising-seas-destroying-the-santa-monica-pier-or-st-petersburgs-hermitage-this-photo-and-video-gallery-will-take-you-there-11634062659
Water Stress/Drinking Water
Unprecedented Wildfires
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148908/whats-behind-californias-surge-of-large-fires
https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/images/148650/fires-rage-in-turkey
Record High Temperatures (specifically in the PNW)
https://www.climate.gov/news-features/event-tracker/astounding-heat-obliterates-all-time-records-across-pacific-northwest
https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2021/06/27/heat-records-pacific-northwest/
Mass Animal Extinctions
https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2020/02/14/climate-change-study-plant-animal-extinction/4760646002/
Melting Permafrost
https://abcnews.go.com/International/siberias-permafrost-melt-causing-swamps-lakes-making-land/story?id=80789255