Type of Credit: Required
Credit(s)
Number of Students
The class focuses on the close study of a number of major works from the Classical to the pre-Medieval period, including the Bible, Greek mythology and literature, and Roman literature. This course aims to guide students to examine critical classical and pre-medieval cultures and legends by focusing on various canonical works. Students are expected to understand important ideas in classical and pre-medieval literature and cultures, analyze important themes and motives in the literary works, and become acquainted with Greek, Roman, and pre-Medieval traditions. At the end of the course, students will be able to understand further the significant religious, historical, social, artistic works or events that have influenced and shaped Western society and literature.
能力項目說明
This is a survey course of Western literature designed to give students a better understanding of the Western cultural tradition and Western literature. This course aims to introduce an overview of the development of literature in Western civilization. This course first introduces Greek mythologies and the epic to explore the cosmology of ancient Greece. After discussing The Epic of Gilgamesh and Homer's The Iliad and The Odyssey, we move onto the world of Greek philosophy by reading Plato's Symposium, Aristotle’s Poetics, and Sappho's poetry.
The second part of this course focuses on Greek theater, Roman Literature and the Bible. We will first read Aeschylus, Agamemnon, Sophocles's Oedipus the King, Euripides's Medea, and Aristophanes's Lysistrata. The course will then discuss Ovid’s Metamorphoses to see how the Romans reshaped Greek mythology. The Old and New Testament will be read in both the first and the second section to form a basis of comparison. Each of these works will be explored closely, analyzed carefully, and discussed with its cultural and historical context. The course will proceed mainly in three forms: lectures, small group discussions, and online forums. Every week, students need to finish reading materials, post responses on the course website’s forum, and watch videos before or after class, if necessary. At the beginning of each class, we will have a 10-minute quiz. Students are also required to do a 15-minute group presentation in class.
Studnets are expected to develop the ability to express oneself, discuss and communicate in correct and fluent English, and to read and comprehend long English texts and to appreciate their cultural contexts. The course will also cultivate students' ability to think independently, make inquiries, hold discussions, and solve problems, and develop their professional and cultural knowledge through extensive reading. Finally, the students are expected to gain the ability to undertake life-long, self-directed learning, and to think creatively and develop a second specialty.
1 Introduction
Introduction to the course;
Ancient Mediterranean and Near Eastern Literature pp. 3-21 (& Others pp. 23-51);
The Epic of Gilgamesh pp. 54-65; 102-110
Outside reading I: The Story Bible Volume I: The Old Testament
2 Cosmogony
God The Hebrew Bible, pp. 117-29, 150-51, 152-77, 178-80
(Genesis: 1-25, Exodus 19-20, Job 1-42, Psalm 23, 104, 137)
Outside Reading Test One on The Story Bible Volume I
Outside reading II: Mythology
3 Greek Mythology and Epic
Hero Homer, The Iliad, BKs 1, 6, 18, 22, 24, pp. 181-215, 243-258,
264-268, 283
4 Hero Homer, The Iliad, BKs 1, 6, 18, 22, 24, pp. 181-215, 243-258,
264-268, 283
5 Greek Epic
Hero Homer, The Odyssey, BKs 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, pp. 291-301,
344-377, 385-410, 421-422
6 Greek Epic
Hero Homer, The Odyssey, BKs 1, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, pp. 291-301,
344-377, 385-410, 421-422
Outside Reading Test Two on Mythology
7 Greek Fables
Poetry Greek Fables, pp. 582-94; Sappho of Lesbos, pp. 594-602;
Plato, Symposium, pp. 821-48; supplementary materials on Aristotle
8 Mid-term Exam
Outside Readings: The Story Bible Volume II: The New Testament
9 Greek Tragedy & EARN Lecture on European Romanticism by Prof Bode
Aeschylus, Agamemnon, pp. 603-60
10 Greek Tragedy
Sophocles, Oedipus the King, pp. 661-706
11 Greek Tragedy
Euripides, Medea, pp. 742-81
12 Greek Comedy
Aristophanes, Lysistrata, pp. 782-820
13 Roman Epic
Hero Virgil, The Aeneid Bks 1, 2, 4, pp. 981-991, 993-999, 1002-03,
1022-23, 1025-44
14 Christianity
God The New Testament, pp. 1135-65
Outside Reading Test Three on The New Testament
15 Roman Mythology
God Ovid, Metamorphoses BKs 1, 2, 5, 10, pp. 1090-1117, 1121-1133
16 Final Examination
A. Grading Criteria
Items of Evaluation
1. Students should come to the class before 9:10 am with their required reading materials (on the Moodle platform), and they are expected to preview the assigned text materials before coming to the class. Readings before class MUST be done in time.
2. A quiz will be given to students before an assigned reading is taught in class. No late assignments and no make-up quizzes and exams.
3. They should bring a notebook or loose pages to the class and should keep a journal in class. They are supposed to keep their preview and review thoughts in the journal. Creative writings related to the class materials are encouraged. Journals will be collected twice a semester, at the mid-term exam and final exam weeks for grading.
4. Three tests will be also given on outside readings according to the weekly syllabus.
5. Students will be divided into small groups to do a 15-minute oral presentation related to weekly reading topics. They should prepare printed copy of the oral report for the instructor. The cover page of the printed copy should include their photos, names, and the title of the presentation topic. They should email their ppt file to the instructor or the teaching assistant.
6. Students must view 10-minute video clips on Moodle corresponding to the weekly reading assignment before coming to the class and write down in the journal the answer to the question in the video.
7. Students may download and print out the Study Questions file on Moodle and bring it to the class for class discussion.
8. Participation in Group Discussions is absolutely required. Please attend each class and discuss issues with your classmates.
B. Grading Percentage
Quizzes 20%
Journals & Online Forums 15%
Oral Presentation and Class Discussion 15%
Mid-term and Final Exams 50%
C. Effects of Learning
1. Students will have a better understanding of the Western cultural tradition from the ancient times to the Renaissance.
2. Students will have a better understanding of Western literary classics from the ancient times to the Renaissance.
3. Students will have their vocabulary and reading comprehension improved by reading rigorously literary materials.
A. Required Texts:
Buck, Pearl S. The Story Bible Volume 1: The Old Testament. Taipei: Bookman, 1995.
---. The Story Bible Volume II: The New Testament. Taipei: Bookman, 1995.
Hamilton, Edith. Mythology. New York: Warner Books, 1964.
Lawall, Sarah. Ed. The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. W. W. Norton &
Company, 1999.
Perry, Marvin. et al. Sources of the Western Tradition: From Ancient Times
to the Enlightenment. Houghton Mifflin, 1995.
B. Recommended Texts:
Abrams, M. H. and Geoffrey Galt Harpham. A Glossary of Literary Terms. 11th
Edition. Australia: Wadsworth, 2012.
Fulghum, Walter B. Jr. A Dictionary of Biblical Allusions in English Literature.
Taipei: Bookman, 1965.
Horton, Rod W. and Vincent F. Hopper. Backgrounds of European Literature. Taipei:
Bookman, nd.
呂健忠、李奭學編譯。《新編西洋文學概論：上古迄文藝復興》。台北：書林，1988。
吳松江譯。《文學術語手冊》。M. H. Abrams, Geoffrey Galt Harpham原著。台北：
書林，2012。
張錯。《西洋文學術語》。台北：書林，2005。
C. Outside Readings:
The Story Bible Volume I: The Old Testament
The Creation of the World
The Barren of Eden
Cain and Abel: The First Murder
Noah and the Flood
The Tower of Babel
The Fate of Sodom
The Sacrifice of Isaac
Moses in the Bulrushes
The Burning Bush
The Ten Commandments
Land of Milk and Honey
Samson and Delilah
The Story of Ruth
David and Goliath
The Triumph and The Tragedy of David
The Wisdom of Solomon
Mythology
Part One:
The Titans and the Twelve Great Olympians
The Two Great Gods of Earth
How the World and Mankind Were Created
The Earliest Heroes
Part Two:
Cupid and Psyche
The Quest of the Golden Fleece
Four Great Adventures
Part Three:
Hercules
Part Four:
The Heroes of the Trojan War
Part Five:
The House of Atreus
The Royal house of Thebes
The Story Bible Volume I: The New Testament
The Angel Gabriel
The Birth of Jesus
John the Baptist
Jesus in the Wilderness
The Beginning of the Mission
Jesus in Galilee
The Feeding of the Multitude
Disputes in the Temple
The Way of the Cross
Last Hours in the Temple
The Last Supper
The Betrayal
The Trial
The Crucifixion
He Is Risen!
1. Open Textbook Library: https://open.umn.edu/opentextbooks/textbooks/world-literature-i-beginnings-to-1650 2. World History Encyclopedia: https://www.worldhistory.org 3. The Norton anthology of western literature. Volume 1: https://archive.org/details/thenortonantholo0000unse/mode/1up 4. The Norton anthology of world masterpieces : the Western tradition: https://archive.org/details/nortonanthologyo0001unse_z9t3