What's Scheduled for this Week:

COMPLETE THE FOLLOWING TASKS:

• First, listen to my short weekly audio lecture. You can listen to the lecture in either Real Audio format or you can listen to the lecture in Windows Media format.
• Next, explore the following links:
  • Did I really see an An Angel on TV? What do you think causes people to believe in such phenomena?
  • Interesting article on Rumors of Satanic Ritual Abuse. We have even had a rumor scare about Satan in Siskiyou County.
  • This Bigfoot site has lots of information and links, and you can also read my short observations on the origin of the local legend and its possible function. If you doubt the existence of Bigfoot, remember that basketball player Will Perdue wears a size 21.5 shoe (15.4 inches long); Robert Wadlow, who was over 8' tall, wore a size 37 shoe (18.5 inches long)--now that's a big foot! Actually, I have read that most of the famous stories about Bigfoot, like the stories about crop circles, have been discovered to be hoaxed. I do have good evidence that the 1976 sighting on Mt Shasta was a hoax. As a young kid growing up in Long Beach, I even created a couple great UFO sightings using lots of candles, large plastic bags from the dry cleaners, and some aluminum foil (let's keep that a secret).  Still, you ought to visit the Cryptoozoo Archives--it has lots of articles and news reports of supposed Bigfoot sightings. For a reasoned and skeptical look at Bigfoot, visit the Skeptic's Dictionary page on Bigfoot.
  • Watch out! The Lemurians are here, and you can read my observations on the origin and interesting history of this very popular local legend.
  • Another popular local legend involves the "Ascended Masters," and you can read my short historical summary of the Ascended Masters.
  • Find out more than you likely ever wanted to know about the infamous Chupacabra legend
  • Read an essay titled  White Cong--Black Clap on the legend/folklore of the Vietnam War
  • Campus folklore is quite common, and you will likely recognize a couple campus legends if you do a search for "campus" at this legend site.  Read a folklorist's analysis of what I would call the wicked Batman urban legend at Columbia (note the author also offers an interesting look into definition of legend--and yes, folklorists are not in agreement on a number of terms).
  • Here are a few Earhart Legends. Note that the page refers to the legends as "myths." Be sure you know why we call these legends rather than myths. Personal legends about such people as Mark Twain, Harriet Tubman, Babe Ruth, and TV personalities are also popular.
  • Turn out the lights and visit a site on Ghost Stories that has links to other paranormal pages. Get the answers to those frequently asked questions about ghosts at the Alt.folklore ghost stories site. Of course, we have our own local ghost legends as well. I have even been told that the COS theater is haunted by the ghost of a deceased professor. After visiting so many ghost lore sites, you might also find it valuable to visit a scientific site that questions the existence of ghosts.
• Review the Homefun on Legends    (this is not a graded homefun option. Still, you might want to take a brief look at the student Homefun example
• Second Collection Sheet is due by end of week. Review collection sheet examples before doing the assignment.
• Although you should have read the entire Legends and Anecdotes chapter, I have broken the topic down into two weeks. This first week will mostly cover Religious Legend, Supernatural Legends, Personal Legends, and Local Legends. The second week will mainly cover Urban Legends.
• Make your weekly post to the discussion board