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SYLLABUS
THE CLASSIC WORLD LITERATURE (ENGL. 300)
Dr. Ronald
Terranella
Goal:
The goal of this course is to inspire appreciation
for the great literature of the western world by exploring a
range of readings from the ancient past to the Renaissance.
The approach is threefold:
- To define and describe the character of each epoch in
order to make clear the rationales behind literary
expression.
- To explain the technical means and conventions
whereby authors derive their effects.
- To relate the thematic concerns of authors to the
student's own experience.
Text:
The Norton Anthology of World
Masterpieces, vol. I, seventh edition.
Works:
- Genesis, ch. 1-3 ("Creation" and "Fall")
- The Book of Job
- Homer: The Odyssey ("The Princess at the
River")
- Homer: The Illiad
- Aeschylus: Agamemnon
- Sophocles: Oedipus the King
- Euripedes: Medea
- Aristophanes: Lysistrata
- Plato: "The Apology of Socrates"
- Catullus: Selected Poems
- Virgil: The Aeneid ("The Abandonment of
Dido")
- St. Augustine: Confessions
- Dante: The Divine Comedy ("The Inferno")
- Boccaccio: selections from The Decameron
- Chaucer: selections from The Canterbury
Tales
- Shakespeare: Othello
Exams:
Two major exams-the quarterly and the final-normally are
taken on days assigned by the university calendar. The
quarterly, however, is sometimes postponed if there has been
some delay in covering the Greek authors, Homer in
particular. If this is the case, students will be given at
least two weeks advance notice of the change. These exams
will constitute 50% of the student's grade and will have an
objective component and an essay component. A lecture on the
structure of each exam, what works will be covered, and how
to prepare for each will be given prior to the examination
date. Unexcused absence from either exam will result in
failure for the course.
Quizzes:
Following each reading assignment, the student will be
tested by means of an objective reading quiz. Quizzes
comprise 50% of the student's grade. Unexcused absence from
the quiz results in failure for the quiz. All reading
quizzes must be made up by the submission of a formal term
paper, demonstrating research on the work which was the
subject of the quiz. The paper must be at least five pages
in length, excluding endnotes and bibliography.
Attendance:
Good attendance is mandatory. Each evening sessions is the
equivalent of three daytime sessions. Cutting more than two
evening classes, therefore, is tantamount to cutting six
daytime classes. Such overcutting will result in the
lowering of a student's grade or failure, depending on the
number of overcuts and the particular circumstances.
Students, moreover, are expected to remain for the duration
of each session.
Consultation:
I am available for consultation after each evening session
or by appointment.
EACH SYLLABUS SUBJECT TO CHANGE.
Contact us at: 570-348-6219. E-mail:
English@marywood.edu.
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