World Literature: Foundations

This course may function as an independent semester credit or as the first half of a yearlong World Literature sequence. In World Literature: Foundations, students explore a wide range of classic and contemporary literature from around the world, analyze cultural influence on authors, and develop appreciation of stories, values and themes from a wide range of cultures and countries. Students will identify and develop a working knowledge of literary terms, definitions, and elements of a narrative; apply these concepts to the stories and novels in the course; build understanding of how culture and standpoint influence both the author’s and the reader’s experience of a text; and synthesize understanding into a creative final project that demonstrates the analysis of a short story. Texts examined may include The Burial at Thebes by Sophocles and Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. World Literature: Foundations complements subjects and themes encountered in World History.