Course Description:
This course presents a global approach to literature by introducing a variety of narrative, lyric, and dramatic forms representative of different cultures and historical periods, from the seventeenth century to the present. Some questions we will consider over the course of the semester include: What makes literature “great”? How do we read literature? What topics or themes have been most central to writing and writers over the past three centuries? How are human relationships understood or interpreted in relation to each other within works of literature? How do we understand nature? Family? Love? Power? Politics? History? Please come to class prepared to engage in lively discussions involving both close readings of the texts, as well as comparisons of the various values and ideas at stake within the texts. You should also be prepared to engage in a variety of communication-intensive activities, so please be prepared to write frequently, respond to work by your peers, share your own writing, and participate in oral presentations and small group work.