Classical and Biblical Backgrounds to Modern Literature

Overview

Course Description

This course introduces students to selected classical and biblical literary texts, examining them in their own right and as sources for subsequent works of literature in the English and/or European tradition. Students will also examine some modern literature reflecting these classical and biblical sources. This course does not view the Bible from a theological perspective.

Course Content

All first-year English literature courses share the following features:

Students are instructed in the writing of critical essays on literary subjects.
Students are taught to recognize and understand a variety of literary devices and textual elements, such as metaphor, symbolism, distinctions between author and narrator/narrating persona, and issues of language and of structure, as appropriate to the genres and texts studied.
Readings and topics vary among sections of the same course, according to each instructor’s selection; however, all course materials are consistent with the objectives of the course.

In English 1107, students will

examine selected classical and biblical literary texts, both in their own right and as sources for subsequent works of literature in the later English and/or European traditions; and
examine some modern works of literature that reflect these classical and/or biblical sources.

Learning Activities

Some or all of the following methods will be used:

Lecture/discussion
Group work
Peer editing
Instructor feedback on students’ work
Individual consultation

Means of Assessment

A minimum of two formal academic essays, with a combined value of at least 40% of the course grade, and a minimum of two other evaluations.
A minimum of 80% of the course grade will be based on writing assignments (essays, essay-based exams, journals, paragraphs); a maximum of 20% of the course grade may be based on informal writing (quizzes, short answer tests); oral reports/presentations; participation/preparation grades; and/or other non writing-intensive assignments.
A minimum of 15% of the course grade will be based on in-class writing (essay or exam).

Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of any first-year English literature course, the successful student should be able to

read receptively and reflectively, with sensitivity to the subtleties of language;
recognize and understand literary devices;
practice writing as a process involving pre-writing, drafting, revising and editing;
write an essay of literary analysis that develops an interpretive thesis supported by appropriate and correctly cited evidence; and
give and receive constructive criticism on written work.

Upon complete of English 1107, the successful student should also be able to understand

the traditional literary forms, such as epic, psalm, parable and apocalypse; and
the ways in which traditional stories, themes, and motifs inform subsequent literature.

Textbook Materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students

Sample Reading List:

The Epic of Gilgamesh
Fitzgerald (trans.), The Odyssey
Frazier, Cold Mountain
The Holy Bible, Oxford King James Authorized Version (Old and New Testament selections)
Coursepack, containing selections from the following:
Dante, Inferno
Homer, Iliad
Milton, Paradise Lost
Virgil, Aeneid
Selected 20^th and 21^st century poems

Requisites

Prerequisites

A minimum score on the Douglas College writing assessment, or equivalent, as per the College calendar.

Corequisites

No corequisite courses.

Equivalencies

No equivalent courses.

Course Guidelines

Course Guidelines for previous years are viewable by selecting the version desired. If you took this course and do not see a listing for the starting semester / year of the course, consider the previous version as the applicable version.

January 2010 (Current)