Thursday, August 30

Today is Thursday of Week 2. Here is a link to the Week 2 assignments. For many of you, this will be a day of storytelling: have fun as you choose one of the stories from the Anthology to retell in your own way! It might give you a creative boost to browse and explore the stories so far, so take a look if you are curious: Myth-Folklore stories and Indian Epics stories.

Class Procedures and Reminders

Blog post formatting. This is a reminder to everybody about using link text when you create links, and also to use the upload method for inserting images; if you are copying-and-pasting the images, you might end up with broken or missing images.

Introductions. I've left comments on all the Indian Epics Introductions, and I'll be reading and replying to the Myth-Folklore Introductions today and tomorrow; I'll try to reply to as many as I can this week, and I'll finish up on Monday. You'll also be reading and commenting on Introductions this week too!

The following items are for fun and exploration:

Blog Stream. While reading Arti's Introduction post, I learned about a program she is involved with, and I wanted to share that here: Catalyst for a Better Future. You can find out more about the project at their website, and if any of you have programs or events you'd like me to share here in the Announcements, let me know!

Featured Storybook. This project from Indian Epics shows how you can bring different storytelling traditions in a single project: Tales from the Love Gods: Cupid and Kamadeva. The two love gods — Cupid from ancient Greece and Rome, and Kamadeva from ancient India — get together and share stories.

India Video. And don't get these two Sanskrit words mixed up: Kama means "desire" (and so Kamadeva is the God of Love), but Karma means (re)action. You can learn more about Karma in this video: Karma - Action and Reaction.

Myth Video. Here's another Crash Course video, this time on Mythology in Language.

Myth Item. And I know there are a lot of science majors in this class, so here's a fun one from Tom Gauld, a genius cartoonist who explores the interface of myth and science: Mythical Scientific Creatures.

Writing. As you think about retelling a story, you can always write in a distinctive voice to make a new version of a story. For example, Yoda Style, with Yoda as your storyteller.

And here's another science-fiction thought, this time from Doctor Who: Every book is a TARDIS.

Growth Mindset Cats. Today's cat is ready to learn something new: Stretch yourself.

This video has some fun writing advice: watch out for the man-eating chicken! Grammar Lessons with Food:

Event on Campus. Check out the Chickasaw art show at the Fred Jones Museum tonight, meet the artists, enjoy some free pizza, and rock out with Sicangu Lakota rapper Frank Waln from 7PM to 9PM (details).

Find out more about this and other events at the Campus Calendar online.

August 30: Jacques-Louis David. Today marks the birthday of the great French painter Jacques-Louis David in the year 1748; you can find out more about his life and career at Wikipedia. David is famous for his paintings on Greek and Roman themes, and one of my favorites is the Intervention of the Sabine Women when the women stand between their Roman husbands on the one side and their Sabine fathers and brothers on the other, insisting that they make peace:

Check out the Twitter stream for information and fun stuff during the day, or click here for past announcements.