An introductory level exploration of the study of literature and history. Examining the literature and historical events of a chosen period (ancient, medieval, renaissance and early modern, modern, contemporary), we will engage in readings of literature, art, and critical texts in order better to understand the imaginative and real worlds of other times and places. Readings and topics to vary from semester to semester.

From antiquity to the present, writers and artists have addressed the question of how to lead a good life, as well as addressing those obstacles—fate, the gods, our own divided psyches—that have made it difficult for us to do so. They have also presented conflicting notions of what the good life is, and what its relationship is to happiness and happenstance. In this course, we will explore a range of ancient and modern takes on these questions. We will read texts by Homer, Sophocles, Dante, Petrarch, Shakespeare, Montaigne, Molière, Frederick Douglass, Harriet, Jacobs, Virginia Woolf, and Kazuo Ishiguro. We will also spend some time talking about how to become better writers: how to develop a writing style that combines creativity, originality, and analytical power.

Repeat Rules

Course is not repeatable for credit.

Requirements class fulfills