Smell a rat?

Something fishy?

Not add up?

Got myths?

analyzing Linguistic aspects

Forms? Functions? Origins ? Problems?

Mystify Mystification Mythologize Add “de-” –what do

you get?

Magical storytelling…

And critical reading as myth-busting

Once upon a time…

Well, let’s take a closer look…

“Simple” empirical Errorsdeliberate Dishonesty

Polemics & PropagandaPreconceived notions

Close-mindedSelf-deceptions

Author & texts’ LIMITS

Self-interestSubconscious

Limits of knowledgeIdeology

AffectPrior knowledge

(some) Sources of mystifications

Some things to pay attention toabout Authors’ choices

Careful reading vsCritical reading strategies

•Words choices:

•Emphasis/deemphasize•Dismissed•—fluff-filler

•unmentioned

•Using passive voice –hides agency:

•Vague/missing Explanation of causes/results:

All-good/all-bad ‘one-sided’ sources One-sided use of sources No one else gets the story “right” No

further inquiry/analysis needed Title word choices: “The”?

Cracks in the BIG Picture

Britain's American colonies broke with the mother country in 1776 and were recognized as the new nation of the United States of America following the Treaty of Paris in 1783. During the 19th and 20th centuries, 37 new states were added to the original 13 as the nation expanded across the North American continent and acquired a number of overseas possessions. The two most traumatic experiences in the nation's history were the Civil War (1861-65), in which a northern Union of states defeated a secessionist Confederacy of 11 southern slave states, and the Great Depression of the 1930s, an economic downturn during which about a quarter of the labor force lost its jobs. Buoyed by victories in World Wars I and II and the end of the Cold War in 1991, the US remains the world's most powerful nation state. The economy is marked by steady growth, low unemployment and inflation, and rapid advances in technology.[4.30.09 updated]

demystifying juxtaposing with prior knowledge, within the text and new inquiry

Social creatures exposed to pre-existing myths= part of our PK

Can pass on to othersPoor, inaccessible corrective information

Gratifies/serves our sense of self interest

Keeping Myths alive

The BEGINNING…