The aim of this course is to introduce students to world mythologies in a comprehensive manner and to enable them to understand the cultural, historical, and artistic contexts of mythological stories, characters, and themes. The course examines the impact of mythology on human history, the similarities and differences among mythological narratives across different cultures, and the ways in which mythology continues to be reflected in contemporary culture. It also aims to develop students’ critical thinking, analytical, and interpretive skills by helping them understand how mythological narratives are used in various fields such as art, literature, and psychology.

This course covers fundamental mythological concepts such as myth, mythos, logos, epos, archetype, symbol, ritual, heroism, creation, journey, descent into the underworld, apocalypse, and transformation. Selected narratives from Greek, Roman, Mesopotamian, Egyptian, Norse, Turkish, Indian, and Japanese mythologies are examined within their cultural and historical contexts. In the following weeks of the course, the ways in which mythological motifs are reproduced in cinema, television, digital games, advertising, animation, and popular culture texts are evaluated in relation to representation, ideology, identity, gender, and visual narrative.