Synthesis Essay. A synthesis is a written discussion that draws on one or more sources. In an academic synthesis, you make explicit the relationships that you have inferred among separate sources, make judgments, draw conclusions and critique individual sources to determine the relationship among them. You should refer to supporting material and examples from class readings, discussions, and research, with proper citations. The essay should not be a summary of the readings but examination of their meanings in systems of belief and reason. You should analyze the claims of authors and their implications. You should also develop an argument, or thesis, based on the synthesis of class readings.

Making your own Myth-to be posted on your Tumblr blog

The purpose of this collaborative writing exercise is to create an origin myth story of your own imagination. Using the examples from the origin myths in the DBR 200 iBook-create your own origin myth! What was there before the beginning of time? Of space? What does the universe look like in your imagination? Is there a "Creator" in your story? Or multiple "entities" that act like creators or instigators or accidents of nature? What do these "beings" or entities look like? How do they act? Are you telling the story from the perspective of ancient, primitive imaginations? Or is this story a translation or recital of the "original story" told by the "creators" or "first beings or entities?" What about the origins of humankind? How will you describe those events? What sort of relationship do those creatures have with the world or universe?

Step One-Try to address some of the issues I've raised above in your group discussions. Begin to sketch in some of the details you might like to include as a kind of framework or outline to your story.

Step Two-Continue to try to collect images or sounds that might be included in a multimedia representation of the story. You should immediately consider the restrictions/limitations to the kind of media that you can post on Tumblr. That will affect your choice of materials and how they are presented.

Step Three-Create the First draft version of the myth and use it to expand/contract depending on how the group wants the version to be received or understood/listened or viewed by your readers. You might even post it up and ask for feedback from "followers" on your Tumblr blogs.

Step Four-Post your final version on Tumblr. Each student in the group should post the same/group's version of the origin story. I will reblog the final versions to everyone. The final version should have a short section at the bottom of the work acknowledging sources, such as the origin myths included in the iBook, in the form of footnotes that detail how a particular figure from one of the origin myths inspired your version, etc.