1. Help 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 those authors and periods which figure prominently in many literature and culture courses in the FLLD. Students will acquire knowledge of key literary and cultural concepts (e.g. epic, eidetic realm, the gods, tragedy, ritual, festival, pantheon, taboo, rhetoric, ideology, stoicism, hedonism, the heroic tradition, urban vs. rural culture, etc.) The course thus promotes students’ understanding of the Western literary tradition while contributing to their conceptual and linguistic enrichment.
2. Students will examine and understand the process whereby different aspects of Continental literature, (e.g. Greek drama, history, philosophy and political ideals, the Roman traditions of epic, poetry, satire, etc.) have become important influences on world civilization.
3. Examine critically evaluate several course themes, regarding power relations and social structure, the freedom of the individual vs. societal conformity, the formation of national identities, gender roles and relations, and the concept of voice in literary studies.
4.Students will synthesize perspectives derived from Continental literature that will encourage an understanding of all human culture as a construct and thus foster critical thought regarding many aspects of the human experience such as, e.g., governmental systems; religion, myth and ritual; gender roles; notions of social class and caste; race and ethnicity; etc.

1. Help 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 those authors and periods which figure prominently in many literature and culture courses in the FLLD. Students will acquire knowledge of key literature and cultural concepts (e.g. epic, eidetic realm, the gods, tragedy, ritual, festival, pantheon, taboo, rhetoric, ideaology, stoicism, hedonism, the heroic tradition, urban vs. rural culture, etc.) The course thus promotes students’ understanding of the Western literature tradition while contributing to their conceptual and linguistic enrichment.
2. Students will examine and understand the process whereby different aspects of Continental literature, (e.g. Greek drama, history, philosophy and political ideals, the Roman traditions of epic, poetry, satire, etc.) have become important influences on world civilization.
3. Examine critically evaluate several course themes, regarding power relations and social structure, the freedom of the individual vs. social conformity, the formation of national identities, gender roles and relationships, and the concept of voice in literature studies.
4.Students will synthesize perspectives derived from Continental literature that will encourage an understanding of all human culture as a construct and thus foster critical thought regarding many aspects of the human experience such as, e.g., governmental systems; religion, myth and ritual; gender roles; notions of social class and caste; race and ethnicity; etc.

This course introduces the Literature of Continental Europe, starting with its origins in the ancient Near East, and extending through the Classical Greek and Roman periods up to the early European Middle Ages. The course will emphasize a pedagogical approach that is best suited to Chinese students of Western languages and literatures. Featured will be the Near Eastern religious traditions; the development of Greek and Roman cultures; the evolution of the Indo-European languages; Western concepts of self, other, home, identity, family, nation, state, and justice, divinity, mythology, etc.
Students will read, interpret, discuss and respond to important selections from The Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Vol 1. The course emphasizes the language, customs and foundations of culture in the ancient Near East, and relates the important features of ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations transmitted through myths, legends, drama, poetic, epic and philosophical traditions. The movement from the ancient mythic past to the Christian world is traced through the readings from the Bible and St. Augustine.

This course introduces the Literature of Continental Europe, starting with its origins in the ancient Near East, and extending through the Classical Greek and Roman periods up to the early European Middle Ages. The course will emphasize a pedagogical approach that is best suited to Chinese students of Western languages ​​and literatures. Featured will be the Near Eastern religious traditions; the development of Greek and Roman cultures; the evolution of the Indo-European languages; Western concepts of self, other, home, identity, family, nation, state, and justice, divinity, mythology, etc.
Students will read, interpret, discuss and respond to important selections from The Norton Anthology of Western Literature, Vol 1. The course emphasizes the language, customs and foundations of culture in the ancient Near East, and related the important features of ancient Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek and Roman civilizations transmitted through myths, legends, drama, poetic, epic and philosophical traditions. The movement from the ancient mythic past to the Christian world is traced through the readings from the Bible and St. Augustine.

The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall, et. al. Vol 1. 8th Ed. New York:
W.W. Norton and Company, 2006.

The Norton Anthology of Western Literature. Ed. Sarah Lawall, et. al. Vol 1. 8th Ed. New York:
W.W. Norton and Company, 2006.