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Education has lost its promise. Many university graduates have discovered that university curricula have not prepared them adequately for life. This article poses the question whether curricula have not become one dimensional, reducing human existence to the pursuit of material wealth. The question is addressed by investigating the role of myths and narratives in human development. It does so by a textual study of a text by Karen Armstrong on the history of myth and synthesising it with the work of Paul Ricoeur. Using Ricoeur's narrative theory an attempt is made to show how narratives such as myths can contribute to making sense in a contingent world. The curriculum as narrative should enable us to imagine new possibilities for meaningful living and creating new myths to make life on earth not only bearable but worthwhile.
KEYWORDS Curriculum, myths, narratives, Ricoeur's narrative theory
Educational Research in South Africa: Practices and Perspectives 268