BHUM 12A08 - Myths, Stories and Beliefs Along the Silk Road

The reading conferences are part of the syllabus on the Silk Road. The purpose is to read, analyze and explain texts, from travel logs, letters, to treaties, novels, and poetry, written by travelers during their peregrinations East and West or about places and people along the Silk Road. These documents will enable us to capture the spirit of traders, warriors, pilgrims, adventurers and to figure out the reality and myths that developed about the fabulous Silk Road countries. Focus on creative writing and storytelling … … and on magic with the amulet project. The early focus will be on metamorphosis in Western and Easter Cultures.

Sophie ROCHEFORT GUILLOUET

Séminaire

English

Spring 2024-2025

The seminar assessment will include written exercises and class participation (50%) and a research paper supervised in seminar, 2000 to 3500 words (50% of the final grade) Calendar : specific and imperative deadlines provided in class Requirement : all resource papers should be mailed to an urkund email address to the professor in charge sophie.rochefortguillouet.scpo@analyse.urkund.com

We will study the different ways stories traveled far and how myths were created and then spread. In that perspective, we will work on characters and places, study rites and rituals, look at images and listen to music. Choosing Sinbad, Ulysses, or Scheherazade, werewolves and foxes turned into women, a few ghosts too for guides, we will analyze how oriental and western myths led to a cross pollination of ideas and creeds. We might even find a treasure island on the way.