HUMANITIES IN WORLD LITERATURE

Learning Objectives and Fulfillments:

This course aims to introduce students to a selection of classical and modern literary
works from various parts of the world. One of the goals of the class is to analyze and
discuss the works in their respective socio-historical contexts, with a special focus on the
theme of encounter, be it textual or cultural. The impact of various factors (class, race,
gender, generation, religion, and so forth) will be taken into consideration in our
discussions. The students critical engagement with the assigned works of literature will
be further enhanced by the historical and literary background provided by lectures and
secondary sources.
No prior knowledge of or familiarity with the pertinent languages is required. All reading
materials will be provided in English translation.

We will take both a transcultural and a transdisciplinary approach to the subject matter,
so as to (among these approaches other benefits) meet the departmental learning goals,
which are:
- to demonstrate familiarity with a variety of world literatures as well as methods of
studying literature and culture across national and linguistic boundaries and evaluate the
nature, function and value of literature from a global perspective.
- to demonstrate critical reasoning and research skills; to design and to conduct research
in an individual field of concentration;
- to analyze a specific body of research and to write a clear and well developed paper or
project about a topic related to more than one literary and cultural tradition.

This course fulfills Core Learning Goal AHp (analyzing arts and/or literatures in
themselves and in relation to specific histories, values, languages, cultures, and
technologies).

Class Policy:
Class participation will constitute a significant portion of your grade. This means that you
are expected to attend lectures, keep up with the readings, and participate actively in class
discussions (asking relevant questions also counts as participation!).
You will have several reading quizzes and there will be no make-ups for them. In
addition to the quizzes, you are expected to submit one term paper (2-4 pages) for the
midterm and a longer one (6-10 pages) for the final exam on one of the given topics. For
ALL the papers, I will definitely be looking for originality, good writing, solid
arguments, and analytical reasoning.
Academic honesty is expected, that is, plagiarism will not be tolerated; if caught there is
an automatic F on the assigned paper.

As for the absence policy, after two missed classes, additional absences without any
legitimate excuse, such as illness or religious observance, will negatively impact your
class participation grade. You will receive a straight F if you miss more than 25% of
classes.

Cell phones must be turned off (silent mode if important call or message is expected) for
the duration of class.

You are expected to bring to class whichever reading we are discussing on that day and
make sure that you have thoroughly understand it.

Grading System (value):
Attendance/Behavior % 10
Recitation % 20
Quizzes % 20
Unit Test % 25
Reflections % 25


Schedule of lectures:

I. Introduction to Humanities
a. Nature of man
b. Existence of man
c. Branches of humanities
II. Introduction to Literature
a. Genres
b. Elements
III. Books of Religious worth
a. The Bible
b. The Quran
c. The Vedas
IV. gods and goddesses of Greek, Roman and Hindu and God of Christians
V. Classical Literature
a. Ancient Greece (background: people and culture)
b. The Philosophers: Socrates, Plato and Aristotle
c. Iliad by Homer
d. Ode to Aphrodite by Sappho
Required Reading: The Poetics by Aristotle term paper

VI. European Literature
a. Europe (background: people and culture)
b. William Shakespeare
c. Shakespearean sonnets
d. The necklace by Guy de Maupassant
Required Reading: Shakespeares a midsummer nights dream


VII. North American Literature
a. North America (background: people and culture)
b. The road not taken by Robert Frost
c. I know why the caged bird sings by Maya Angelou
d. The cask of amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe
VIII. Latin American Literature
a. Latin America (background: people and culture)
b. Saddest Poem by Pablo Neruda
c. One of these days by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Required Reading: TBA

IX. African Literature
a. Africa (background: people and culture)
b. Great African Men and Women
c. Sympathy by Paul Laurence dunbar
d. Telephone Convesation by Wole Soyinka
e. A handful of dates by El Tayeb Saleh
X. Asian Literature
a. Asia (background: people and culture)
b. Haiku
c. Chitra by Rabindranath Tagore
XI. Philippine Literature
a. Sa Poetry by Rolando Tinio
b. Dead Stars by paz marquez-benitez