"The Greatest Stories Ever Told": US Classical Mythology Courses in the New Millennium

Emily Gunter and Dan Curley carried out a survey of the 3,000 or so myth courses run by colleges in the United States, contacting them and subsequently receiving 589 syllabi in response. From this information, they created a database, examining which departments offer myth courses; the structures of the courses themselves; which Graeco-Roman gods, heroes, and myths are taught; and what themes and motifs are addressed. Analysing this information, they were then able to discuss some current and emerging trends, such as the use of screen media and gaming, as well as the increasing utilization of trigger warnings with regard to gender, sexuality, and violence. Such elements appear to define, or have the potential to define, the twenty-first-century mythology classroom in the United States.

The complete volume "Our Mythical Education: The Reception of Classical Myth Worldwide in Formal Education, 1900–2020",   edited by Lisa Maurice, focuses on school education including a wide geographical and chronological range. The volume covers Eastern and Western Europe, Asia, Africa, the Americas (including Canada, the USA, and South America), Australia and New Zealand.

Published in the series “Our Mythical Childhood”, edited by Prof. Katarzyna Marciniak, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, University of Warsaw, Poland.

Gold Open Access of the whole volume is available at https://www.wuw.pl/product-eng-14887-Our-Mythical-Education-The-Reception-of-Classical-Myth-Worldwide-in-Formal-Education-1900-2020-PDF.html