Mythology and Education: History and Practice

Greco-Roman mythology is used widely and imaginatively in teaching and outreach activities, in both secondary and higher education. Nonetheless, there have been few opportunities to analyse the pedagogical benefits and pitfalls of teaching mythology, or to share and explore effective practices and innovation in the field. We propose to address this gap in pedagogy by holding a one-day workshop for academics, teachers, and students at the Faculty of Education, University of Cambridge, on Friday 27 October 2017.

Topics to be addressed include:
• How and why mythology is used in education.
• The impact of teaching mythology and/or related topics in the classroom.
• How cultural products aimed at young people represent antiquity.
• The use of mythology to introduce topics within English, History, Digital Humanities and other subjects.

The workshop has two main aims: first, to stimulate new research and enable collaborations amongst academics working in different institutions and second, to give teachers and students an opportunity to brainstorm ideas about mythology’s pedagogical value. The workshop will run from 10am to 4pm, with a combination of 20-minute presentations and round table discussions aiming to bring together the different strands of research. A full programme will be published by 22nd September.

Confirmed speakers: Sonya Nevin (Roehampton), Rachel Bryant Davies (Durham), Katarzyna Marciniak (Warsaw).

There is no charge for attendance, but we ask that attendees register in advance for catering purposes.