1. Students build a solid foundation for their study of British, American, and other Western Literatures, languages, and cultural media in required and elective courses in the English Majors program. Included as part of this agenda, students will examine major historical figures and periods which figure prominently in many literature and culture courses in the FLLD (e.g. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Martin Luther, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, etc.) and also familiarize themselves with key cultural concepts (e.g. artifact, taboo, mainstream culture, marginal culture, rhetoric, ideology, stoicism, hedonism, cultural relativism, urban vs. rural culture, globalization, etc.) The course will thus promote students’ understanding of the Western tradition in intellectualism, art, literature, and other aspects, while contributing to their conceptual and linguistic enrichment. Students will demonstrate competency of these areas on quizzes, tests, and in essays.
2. Study the process whereby different aspects of Western Civilization, (e.g. Greek political ideals, the Roman legal tradition, Christianity, the medieval concept of chivalry, the industrial revolution, European colonialism, etc.) have become important influences on world history. The reverse of this process, viz. the ways in which Western civilization has been influenced by other world civilizations, will also be examined. While exploring this issue, the benefits and problems of intercultural and intercivilizational encounters and outcomes will also be investigated. Students will demonstrate competency of these areas on quizzes, tests, and in essays.

1. Students build a solid foundation for their study of British, American, and other Western Literatures, languages, and cultural media in required and elective courses in the English Majors program. Included as part of this agenda, students will examine major historical figures and periods which figure prominently in many literature and culture courses in the FLLD (e.g. Alexander the Great, Julius Caesar, Martin Luther, the Renaissance, the Enlightenment, etc.) and also familiarize themselves with key cultural concepts (e.g. artifact, taboo, mainstream culture, marginal culture, rhetoric, ideaology, stoicism, hedonism, cultural relativism, urban vs. rural culture, globalization, etc.) The course will thus promote students’ understanding of the Western tradition in intellectualism, art, literature, and other aspects, while contributing to their conceptual and linguistic enrichment. Students will demonstrate competency of these areas on quizzes, tests, and in essays.
2. Study the process whereby different aspects of Western Civilization, (e.g. Greek political ideals, the Roman legal tradition, Christianity, the medieval concept of chivalry, the industrial revolution, European colonialism, etc.) have become important influences on world history. The reverse of this process, viz. the ways in which Western civilization has been influenced by other world civilizations, will also be examined. While exploring this issue, the benefits and problems of intercultural and intercivilization encounters and outcomes will also be investigated. Students will demonstrate competency of these areas on quizzes, tests, and in essays.

The course introduces the History of Western Civilization from its origins in the Ancient Near East and the Greek and Roman world to approximately the age of the Industrial Revolution. The course will emphasize a pedagogical approach that is best suited to Chinese students of Western languages and literatures: The Hebrew tradition; the development of the Greek and Roman cultures; Christianity; the evolution of the Indo-European languages; European contacts with the East; Western concepts of self, other, home, identity, family, nation, state, and justice, divinity, etc. The Spring semester takes up with the early Middle Ages, and continues to the Industrial Revolution and the modern world.

The course introduces the History of Western Civilization from its origins in the Ancient Near East and the Greek and Roman world to approximately the age of the Industrial Revolution. The course will emphasize a pedagogical approach that is best suited to Chinese students of Western languages ​​and literatures: The Hebrew tradition; the development of the Greek and Roman cultures; Christianity; the evolution of the Indo-European languages; European contacts with the East; Western concepts of self, other, home, identity, family, nation, state, and justice, divinity, etc. The Spring semister takes up with the early Middle Ages, and continues to the Industrial Revolution and the modern world.

Western CivilizationsTheir History & Their Culture
Vol 1. Joshua Cole, Carol Symes New York: WW Norton & Company, 2013

Western CivilizationsTheir History & Their Culture
Vol 1. Joshua Cole, Carol Symes New York: WW Norton & Company, 2013