I.  The Modern Hero / Modern Myth

1.  Have we left 'mythology' behind in favor of 'hard science' or religion?

2.  What do modern American myths / how do modern heroes function to 'tell the story of who we are?'

    a. Johnny Appleseed, George Washington, Paul Revere, Betsy Ross, Typhoid Mary, etc.

    b.  What are some common elements in these stories, and what do they say about our fears, anxieties, etc.
 
    c.  Are women mythologized in American myths differently than men?

    d.  Are our myths more like the Greeks', or more like the Romans'--and why?

    e.  What myths 'as Americans' do we tell about verious races, ethnicities, sexes, genders, and orientations?  Why?

II.  Urban legends

1.  The FOAF "Friend of a Friend"

2.  Themes: check out the snopes.com page:  War, Automobiles, Luck, Crime, Travel, Toxins, Technology, Fast Food...