- to introduce students to major works of Western world
literature written from the 17th century to the present, with
special emphasis on the relevance of these texts, 
whether old or new, to contemporary society around the world; 
- to help students situate those works within larger historical
and cultural contexts; 
- to provide students with an understanding of the conventions of
literary composition and reception that inform their creation,
such as conventions of genre, metrics, style, etc.; 
- to improve students' communication skills through oral
presentations in class and expository writing assignments,
including in-class and out-of-class essays. 

Students' performances will be evaluated through a variety of
means, including assessment of oral presentations, objective
tests, essays, and the final examination.

The typical course consists of a series of readings in Western
world literature from the Early Modern Period to the present, 
with special emphasis on the relevance of these texts, whether 
old or new, to contemporary society around the world. The topics 
considered are generated by the specific work under analysis.
(The question of utilitarianism and utopianism, for example, will
be of concern in an analysis of Notes from Underground.) 
The works treated will vary with the instructor. The following is
a sample syllabus of readings for a single semester:
 
Moliere.  Tartuffe
Swift.  Gulliver's Travels, Book IV
Voltaire.  Candide
Rousseau.  Confessions (selections)
Wordsworth.  Selected poetry
Lermentov.  A Hero of our Times
Melville.  Billy Budd
Chekhov.  The Cherry Orchard
Pirandello.  Six Characters in Search of an Author
Eliot.  The Wasteland
Sartre.  No Exit
Silko.  Yellow Woman

Students are requied to abide by the University of Georgia academic honesty policy.