Course Overview

This course firstly introduces the Hebrew Bible to explore the ancient Hebrew culture and the relationship between man and God. Then we enter the world of the Greek Mythology by reading Homer’s epics: Iliad and Odyssey. Following the Trojan legend, we read Virgil’s Aeneid to explore how the Romans created their national epic based on the story of Troy. Each of these works will be read closely, analyzed carefully, and discussed with its own cultural and historical context. We will proceed mainly in two forms: lectures and small group discussions. Every week, students are expected to finish reading materials and post response on the forum in the class website. In the beginning of each class, we will have a 5-minute quiz. Finally, students are required to make a short oral group presentation (10 minutes) in class.

Learning Achievement

This course is designed as a survey course which encompasses major prose and poetry of western writers from the Hebrew Bible to Virgil’s Aeneid. By focusing on these canonical works, this course aims to lead students to explore the beginning of human civilization, ancient cultures, and important classical legends. At the end of the course, students will be able to:
1. Understand important ideas in ancient, classical, and medieval literatures and cultures.
2. Analyze important themes and motives in these literary works.
3. Get familiar with the Hebrew, Greek, and Roman traditions.

Competence

Course prerequisites

*Majors-only (including minor and double major students).

Grading Philosophy

Course schedule

Course type

Online Course Requirement

Instructor

Michael Mcglynn

Other information

Department of Foreign Languages and Literatures

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