Objectives
In this class we will read a range of ancient and medieval texts to get acquainted with some of the genres, myths, themes, and characters that influenced Chaucer, Shakespeare, Milton and a host of other authors from the Middle Ages to the present day. The course will address the social, historical, religious, and technological issues that are crucial for understanding the various roles writing, reading, and (mis)interpretation have played in the development of literature and the scholarly discipline of literary studies. The reading assignments will include The Epic of Gilgamesh (one of the earliest works of imaginative literature on record), selections from the Hebrew Bible and the Gospels, Homer’s
Odyssey, Sophocles’ Oedipus the King, Euripides’s Medea, selections from Virgil’s Aeneid; selections from Ovid’s Metamorphoses; poetry by Archilochus, Sappho, Catullus, and Horace; and selections from Augustine’s Confessions. We will wrap up with an exploration of the sources of the Medieval romance and the King Arthur legend, reading Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
Throughout the semester we will examine the many ways these early stories have been adapted in visual art, films, comix, computer games, and other forms of cultural production. The course will also give you a basic introduction to some central problems in literary research: establishing the text, relating the text to its historical context, dealing with translations, and discerning the strengths and limitations of our interpretive methodologies.
This course carries the Oral Communication Focus designation. Half of your assignments will involve oral presentations of various kinds. You will receive training in oral communication skills relevant to these assignments and detailed feedback on your performance.
Assignments
Lightning-Round Statement 10%
Formal Conference-Style Presentation 20%
Collaborative Video Presentation 20%
Quizzes 10%
Midterm and Final Exam 20% each