課程介紹
This course gives first-year NCHU English majors the opportunity to explore some of the most enduring works of Western Literature from the Gilgamesh epic to the books of the Hebrew Bible to the Iliad. Participants are not expected to read these texts in their entirety but selectively and critically. It is designed to introduce the major concerns and conventions of western literary canon whilst encouraging students to think about what makes a literary text ‘classic’ and how it is still relevant to modern readers.
 
Course Objectives
At the end of the course, students will be able to:
(1) become familiar with some of the major authors and issues of Western Literature 
(2) understand both Greco-Roman and Judeo-Christian traditions and literary genres 
(3) enhance their reading skills and critical thinking through complex literary texts. 
(4) develop an understanding of the formal, stylistic, and aesthetic qualities of literary texts.
 
Grades
20% class participation 
5 % Group Presentation 
10% attendance 
65% exams (quizzes 15%, 25% Midterm, 25% Final)

Bonus Written Assignment (0-5 points added to your final grade) 
You have to print out and hand in a reflective essay (250-400 words) by the end of the semester. The topic of your essay is up to you. You can write up your oral report, trace your journey of learning in this course, analyze a short literary passage that interests you or simply find out more about the life of author or a topic. 
 
教科書:
Textbook: The Norton Anthology of Western Literature (Ninth Edition) 
Mythology: Timeless Tales of Gods and Heroes by Edith Hamilton
 
教學進度:
Ｗeek 1 (9/11)
Introduction
Italo Calvino’s ‘Why read the classics?’ 
Week 2 (9/18) Mesopotamian Culture and Literature 
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Headnote, pp. 54-58; Tablet I and II, pp. 58-71)
Week 3 (9/25)
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet VII, VIII and IV, pp.87-95)
Week 4 (10/2) 
The Epic of Gilgamesh (Tablet X and XI, pp.96-110) 
Week 5 (10/9) 
The Hebrew Bible (Headnote, pp. 110-114, The book of Genesis, pp. 117-125 )
Week 6 (10/16)
The Hebrew Bible (Headnote, pp. 114-116, The book of Genesis, pp. 126-127, The book of Job, pp.152-157)
Week 7 (10/23)
The Hebrew Bible (The book of Job, pp. 157-159, 169-177)
Week 8 (10/30)
Greek Gods and Heroes (Hamilton's Mythology, "The Gods" pp. 24-47)
Week 9-16 Homer’s Iliad 
Week 9 (11/6) Mid-Term 
Week 10 (11/13) Headnote, pp. 181-188, Book 1 (pp.189-204) 
Week 11 (11/20) Book 6 (pp. 205-215), Saphho ( Headnote, pp. 594-596; Poem 16 and 44, pp. 597-598) 
Week 12 (11/27) Book 9 (pp. 215-231)
Week 13 (12/4) Book 22 (pp. 258-271)
Week 14 (12/11) Book 24 (pp. 271-29)
Week 15 (12/18) Public Lecture 
Week 16 (12/25) Group Presentations 
Week 17 (1/1) Holiday
Week 18 (1/8) Final
本課程不開放報名