Chapter 4

Reading Assignment: Chapter 4, Religious Myths and Symbols

As you read, consider the following questions and/or ideas:

What do religious taboos reveal about the values of a society and how do taboos reinforce social stability?
Is religion merely society's worship of itself?
The structural analysis of myths--classic examples
The structural analysis of myths--contemporary examples

Video Lectures

	Introduction to Religious Myths and Symbols (WMV) (MOV)
	Symbolism in the Christian Baptism (WMV) (MOV)
	Aztec Symbolism (WMV) (MOV)
	Cosmology (WMV) (MOV)
		Yanomamo Creation Story (WMV) (MOV)
		Gnostic Godhead (WMV) (MOV)
	Common Elements: Basic Human Concerns and Conflicts (WMV) (MOV)
	Shoshone Animals (WMV) (MOV)
	Fertility Deities (WMV) (MOV)
	Mythology (WMV) (MOV)
		Myths, Symbols and Star Trek (WMV) (MOV)
		Structural Meaning and Star Trek(WMV) (MOV)
		Structural Meaning and Cinderella (WMV) (MOV)
		Opposites Symbols among the Pueblos and Aztecs (WMV) (MOV)
	Legends (WMV) (MOV)
	Limits of Variability (WMV) (MOV)
		Hierarchical Societies and the Belief in a Supreme Being (WMV) (MOV)
		Ancestral Spirits (WMV) (MOV)
		Reincarnation (WMV) (MOV)
		Personal Soul vs. Great Spirit (WMV) (MOV)
		Gods Who Sanction Morality (WMV) (MOV)
		Sorcery and Witchcraft (WMV) (MOV)
	Artifacts Symbols (WMV) (MOV)
	Conclusion to Chapter 4 (WMV) (MOV)

Lecture Notes

Chapter 4 lecture notes (PDF)

Quiz

Chapter 4 quiz (HTML)

Images

Chapter 4 images (HTML)

Additional Resources

Myths - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Religion#Religion_and_myth
Nezahualcoyotl's Poems - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nezahualcoyotl
Religious Cosmology - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cosmology#Religious_cosmology

Citation: admin. (2005, August 02). Chapter 4. Retrieved November 24, 2009, from Free Online Course Materials — USU OpenCourseWare Web site: http://ocw.usu.edu/Anthropology/Anthropology_of_Religion/topic4.htm.