The Myth and Legend of the Mothman

In this class, we will explore the mythological creature of the Mothman of Point Pleasant, West Virginia, and its impact on the historical aspects of mass delusion, divine retribution, and the possible connection to one of the United States' most devastating infrastructural failures. We will look into the origins of the Mothman, debate its importance in the lore of mythical creatures, instruct students on the relevance that storytelling holds in generational information, and gauge interest in further explorations of this relatively unknown myth. We will explore first-hand accounts of the destruction of the Silver Bridge tragedy on Dec. 15th, 1967 which killed 46 people in a collapse during rush hour. We will analyze the reasons for the tragedy, including a rushed construction, poor design flaws, and lack of integral inspections. We will inform the students of this catastrophic event and its impact on the national concern about the safety of bridges across the United States. We will break down, in detail, the Congressional hearings that resulted in mandates requiring the US Department of Transportation to develop and implement National Bridge Inspection Standards. In December 1970, landmark legislation was enacted that established national requirements for bridge inspection and evaluation. 
 

This class will be taught through recorded lectures and may also include supplemental videos (Youtube), readings, worksheets, and activities (recipes, movies, dioramas, experiments, etc.). Please see the syllabus below for a layout of the lessons included in this course. 


This class is presented in an asynchronous format. If you are taking this class through the Class Subscriptions, there will be no communication between learner and myself. If you are taking this class through the Self-Paced format, you will have 1 year to complete the lessons. If you choose to submit homework or communicate (questions on the classroom page), I will respond within 24 hours (excluding Sundays).