Mythologies: A Creative and Critical Workshop [Durham, NC]

from $25.00

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $225 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.

Join us for a three-week exploration of mythologies, old and new. In this course, you'll learn to deconstruct the cultural stories we tell and create your own.

Ancient Greek mythology explained the seasons as a result of Demeter’s grief, and human suffering as an effect of Pandora’s box. Today, many believe that “purity” can be found in waters bottled in plastics or the right cleaning products. We tell stories of titans of industry who might manufacture technological cures for climate collapse. These ancient and modern myths are forms of cultural storytelling that explain phenomena—from sexual difference to climate change—by turning natural events into social creations and vice versa.

What myths do we tell ourselves today, and how can we re-write them? Together, we’ll read and discuss classical myths from around the world alongside Roland Barthes’ landmark deconstruction of modern myths in the essay collection, Mythologies. We’ll also look at self-consciously created cosmologies, like the Afrofuturist origin stories of Drexciya and RAMMELLZEE and the Cremaster cycles of Matthew Barney. We’ll use these guides as tools to examine and critique contemporary cultural objects and write new possible futures.

Over the course of three weeks, we’ll work individually and in small groups to select cultural objects and phenomena, brainstorm analyses, and develop new myths. Participants will create one short work that may be either a critical analysis or a new personal or cultural myth. Our projects may take the form of a traditional story or essay, or they may be experimental and multi-media. In the third session, we’ll share our creations with each other—as well as with friends and family if you’d like to invite them!

—

The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.

Sliding-Scale Tuition:

**This course is in-person only. There is no virtual component. Participants must be age 21+

Full Tuition: $225 — Sliding-scale tuition options are available in the drop-down enrollment menu for you to self-select. To pay in installments, choose PayPal or Klarna at check out.

Join us for a three-week exploration of mythologies, old and new. In this course, you'll learn to deconstruct the cultural stories we tell and create your own.

Ancient Greek mythology explained the seasons as a result of Demeter’s grief, and human suffering as an effect of Pandora’s box. Today, many believe that “purity” can be found in waters bottled in plastics or the right cleaning products. We tell stories of titans of industry who might manufacture technological cures for climate collapse. These ancient and modern myths are forms of cultural storytelling that explain phenomena—from sexual difference to climate change—by turning natural events into social creations and vice versa.

What myths do we tell ourselves today, and how can we re-write them? Together, we’ll read and discuss classical myths from around the world alongside Roland Barthes’ landmark deconstruction of modern myths in the essay collection, Mythologies. We’ll also look at self-consciously created cosmologies, like the Afrofuturist origin stories of Drexciya and RAMMELLZEE and the Cremaster cycles of Matthew Barney. We’ll use these guides as tools to examine and critique contemporary cultural objects and write new possible futures.

Over the course of three weeks, we’ll work individually and in small groups to select cultural objects and phenomena, brainstorm analyses, and develop new myths. Participants will create one short work that may be either a critical analysis or a new personal or cultural myth. Our projects may take the form of a traditional story or essay, or they may be experimental and multi-media. In the third session, we’ll share our creations with each other—as well as with friends and family if you’d like to invite them!

—

The Fine Print:

Gift certificates may only be redeemed at the full tuition tier.

SLIDING SCALE TUITION

Full tuition is the cost per-student of running the class. If you choose a tier below full tuition, you are receiving a discount. If you choose to make a donation in addition to full tuition, you are helping to cover the cost for students who are not able to pay the full amount.

The mid-level tier is a discounted rate for people whose household income is at or above living wage but who have limited discretionary income.

The low-level tier and the full-scholarship tier are for people whose household income is below living wage or who need extra assistance to meet their needs.

SCHOLARSHIPS

Through our fundraising efforts, we are able to offer three full scholarships per class. The full-scholarship tier is a nonrefundable offering. Each student may only take one full-scholarship class at a time. Because our scholarship funding is limited, if a student selects multiple overlapping classes at the full-scholarship level, they will be disenrolled from all classes.

All sliding-scale and scholarship needs are self-assessed, and we will never request or require proof of need.

Please see our FAQ for more information, including installment plans, refund policy, and sick and inclement weather policy.