LIT 202 - Literary Roots of Western Culture

Institution:

Thomas Edison State University

Subject:

Literature

Description:

The literature of the Western Hemisphere has influenced and shaped its culture, from history and art to philosophy and religion. Literary Roots of Western Culture introduces and explores those literary works that have arguably had the greatest influence. From the ""In the beginning. . ."" of the Bible's Book of Genesis to Franz Kafka's 20-century hallucinatory story of a dung beetle, Western literature has grappled with serious questions about our identity as human beings, about how we determine what is right and wrong, about how we can know or approach God, about how we can distinguish reality from illusion, about how we can know true beauty as well as other questions we grapple with in our lives. This course explores the answers that the West's best writers and thinkers have provided as well as the issues and questions they have raised. Names such as Homer, Sophocles, William Shakespeare, and Leo Tolstoy are familiar to most people, yet relatively few have experienced these works personally. Students will be introduced to a selection of the ""great books"" of Western literature and encouraged to enter into a dialogue with them through use of a personal journal.

Credits:

3.00

Credit Hours:

Prerequisites:

Corequisites:

Exclusions:

Level:

Instructional Type:

Lecture

Notes:

Additional Information:

Historical Version(s):

Institution Website:

www.tesu.edu

Phone Number:

(609) 984-1100

Regional Accreditation:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools

Calendar System:

Semester

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