Course Description
A selection of the most influential literary works produced around the world from antiquity to the early modern period (Renaissance). The relevance of these texts, however old, to contemporary society around the world and the complex transactions between literary and socio-political discourse. The ability of prominent literary works to challenge the social status quo and propose new models for ethical and social transformation, thereby remaining highly relevant to the present global circumstance and our daily lives.
Athena Title
Western Lit Ancient to Modern
Equivalent Courses
Not open to students with credit in CMLT 2250H
Semester Course Offered
Offered fall and spring
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
- to introduce students to major works of world literature written up to the 17th century, with an emphasis on the relevance of these texts, however old, 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; - 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.
Topical Outline
The typical course consists of a series of readings in Western world literature up to the 17th century, with special emphasis on the relevance of these texts to contemporary society around the world. The topics considered are generated by the specific work under analysis. (The question of the Roman assimilation of Greek culture, for example, is germane to the study of the Aeneid.) The works treated will vary with the instructor. The following is a sample syllabus of readings for a single semester: Homer. The Odyssey Virgil. The Aeneid Augustine. The Confessions Chaucer. The Canterbury Tales (selections) Dante. The Inferno Petrarch. Selected sonnets Rabelais. Gargantua and Pantagruel (selections) Montaigne. Essays (selections) Cervantes. Don Quijote (selections) Calderon. Life Is a Dream Shakespeare. Hamlet
General Education Core
CORE IV: Humanities and the ArtsSyllabus