Course Description
A representative selection of literary work from around the world, from the early modern period to the present. Special emphasis will be placed on the relevance of these texts, however old, to contemporary society around the world.
Athena Title
World Lit Mod to Present Hon
Prerequisite
Permission of Honors
Grading System
A - F (Traditional)
Course Objectives
- to introduce students to major works of world literature written 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; - 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.
Topical Outline
The typical course consists of a series of readings in 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 the relationship between philosophy and literature arises in the study of Candide, for instance.) The works treated will vary with the instructor. The following is a sample syllabus of readings for a single semester: Racine. Phaedra Basho. The Narrow Road of the Interior Akinari. Bewitched Voltaire. Candide Goethe. Faust (selections) Douglass. Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass Ibsen. Hedda Gabler Tagore. "Punishment" Premchand. "The Road to Salvation" Lu Xun. "Diary of a Madman" Borges. "The Garden of Forking Paths" Achebe. Things Fall Apart
General Education Core
CORE IV: Humanities and the ArtsSyllabus