Part A: Scavenger Hunt – Material Culture & Symbols
Identify an item of material culture or a symbol that you can specifically relate to a myth from any culture that is appropriate for a general audience. Embed a picture of the item with a citation for the image. Write a one-sentence caption for the image that names the related myth and links to a version of the myth you can find in our Required Learning Materials, UMGC library, or on the internet.
Part B: Discussion Question
Choose one of the following options.
Option #1 – Research
FIRST – identify an artifact, symbol or form of iconography by conducting research in reliable, scholarly resources from the UMGC library. Include a picture of your choice embedded in your post, if possible.
SECONDLY – explain the relationship of this artifact, symbol or form of iconography to
the culture that it belongs to and
a specific myth (origin, historical, folktale, from that culture
the specific element(s) of nonmaterial culture you think it represents
Make sure to consider its creation, use and/or location, as well as how this item has evolved or appeared in other cultures in various forms to talk about its significance. Also, be sure to explain how you came to your conclusions.
FINALLY – briefly note something specific from the Required Learning Resources from this week that you think can relate to this piece of material culture and explain how it relates.
For example, in America, Southern Baptist culture uses the purity ring as a symbol of chastity before marriage. This value is derived from Christian beliefs about pre-marital sex that are justified largely through the writings of Paul of Tarsus, as well as other Old Testament passages. This could then be related to some discussions about fertility in the readings on the tree symbol.
Note: Please try to find something unique that has not been mentioned in class yet. Items like the Christian crucifix and Jewish Star of David fit this assignment, but please try to find something less common.
