ENGL 272: Introduction to World Literature: 1600's through Twentieth Century

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 272 is the study of world literature in translation from the early modern period to the twentieth century. 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

  • Assess works of literary merit in terms of structure and content.
  • Explain the relationship between a work of literature and the era in which it was created.
  • Recognize and define thematic concepts that transcend time and place, that partake of universals common to the human condition.
  • Trace the cultural, philosophic and thematic development of modern literature from the Renaissance to the present.
  • Differentiate between prominent literary forms of the periods: epic, lyric poetry, tragedy, comedy, memoir, sacred text, satire, tale, essay, novel.
  • Write essays that support a clear thesis with substantial textual support in nearly error-free writing.

Major Course Content

  1. The Mid 1600’s through the 19th Century – cultural perspectives and characteristics of the literature
    1. The influence of the Renaissance in Europe
    2. The European Enlightenment
      1. Drama  -- Moliere, Racine
      2. Fiction -- Voltaire
    3. Chinese Epic – Journey to the West
    4. Japanese Fiction
  2. The Nineteenth Century -- cultural perspectives and characteristics of the literature
    1. Continental Romanticism
      1. Goethe
      2. Novalis
      3. Heine
      4. Hugo
    2. Realism, Naturalism, and Symbolism
      1. Drama --  Ibsen,  Chekhov
      2. Fiction -- Flaubert, or Tolstoy, or others
      3. Poetry – Beaudelaire, others
    3. Indian Lyric Poetry
  3. The Twentieth Century -- cultural perspectives and characteristics of the literature
    1. Drama – Pirandello, Beckett, Al-Hakim
    2. Fiction – Mann, Garcia Marquez, Achebe, Yasunari
    3. Poetry – Rilke, Lorca, Neruda

Examples of Required Writing Assignments

Essay example: Three to five page literary analysis of the selected 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 addressed during the 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 the student's original work.

Examples of Outside Assignments

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

Instruction Type(s)

Lecture, Online Education Lecture

IGETC Area 3: Arts and Humanities

3B. Humanities