ENGL 271: Introduction to World Literature: Ancient - Early Modern

Citrus College Course Outline of Record

Citrus College Course Outline of Record
Heading Value
Effective Term: Fall 2022
Credits: 3
Total Contact Hours: 54
Lecture Hours : 54
Lab Hours: 0
Hours Arranged: 0
Outside of Class Hours: 108
Strongly Recommended: ENGL 101.
District General Education: C2. Humanities
Transferable to CSU: Yes
Transferable to UC: Yes - Approved
Grading Method: Standard Letter

Catalog Course Description

English 271 is the study of world literature in translation from the ancient world through the early modern period. This course emphasizes the development of literary expression and explores literature within the context of the culture and time in which works were written. This course examines the relationship between historical events and literary works and the impact of works on their age and ensuing eras. 54 lecture hours.

Course Objectives

  • To attain the learning outcomes for this course, students will:
  • Identify and differentiate between literary forms of the periods: epic, lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, tale, satire, essay.
  • Explain relationship between a work of literature and the culture and time in which it was created.
  • Explain the impact of works studied on modern thought.
  • Assess works of literary merit in terms of structure and content.
  • Construct a timeline of dates and occurrences in literary history with parallels to social, political, cultural events, and trends from the ancient through the early Renaissance periods.
  • Recognize and define thematic concepts that transcend time and place, that demonstrate universals common to the human condition.

Major Course Content

  1. The Ancient World and Early Literature
    1. The Epic of Gilgamesh
    2. The Old Testament
    3. Greek Literature
      1. The epics of Homer
      2. Greek lyric poetry
      3. Greek drama from among works of Aeschylus, Sophocles, and Euripedes
    4. Roman Literature - selections from among:
      1. The epic, Virgil
      2. Roman lyric poetry
      3. Roman comedy and satire
    5. Chinese Poetry including the Classic of Poetry
    6. Early Indian Literature such as selections from The Bhagavad-Gita
  2. The Middle Period
    1. India’s classical age
    2. China’s early and middle periods
    3. Early Islam including selections from the Koran and The Thousand and One Nights
    4. The Golden Age of Japan including selections from The Tale of Genji
    5. African epic, The Epic of Son-Jara
    6. European Medieval Literature
      1. Dante
      2. Medieval lyric poetry
      3. Boccaccio
  3. The Early Modern Period
    1. Early European Renaissance
      1. Petrarch
      2. Machiavelli and Montaigne
    2. Early literature of the Americas including selections from Popol Vu
    3. The Middle East including selections from the Book of Travels

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Essay example: Three to five page literary analysis of the work that expresses the work’s thematic positions. The essay addresses the significance of the work in relation to issues, themes, structures, and topics the class has considered this semester. Essay provides a brief overview of the work, its historical and cultural context, and its significance in the history of literature. The greater part of the essay is an analysis of the work’s literary content with textual support in the form of quotations to support and illustrate interpretations. The content of the essay must be original work. MLA style guidelines. Submitted to turnitin.com.

Examples of Outside Assignments

Read and analyze at least two major works from outside the western canon.

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 3: Arts and Humanities

3B. Humanities