Materials
Assignments
Grading
Attendance
Schedule

Download Syllabus

Resources

Timeline

Timeline References

Terms and Concepts

Poetics Guide

Reading Response Practice

Objectives
In this course we will be reading a range of texts from Mesopotamia to medieval Europe in order to engage some of the concerns that continue to shape present-day literary production. The course will address formal and thematic dimensions of the material as well as social, historical, and even technological issues that are crucial for understanding the various roles literature has played in the formation and critique of cultures. We will pay particular attention to the importance of the concept of cultural "otherness" to various literary formulations of group and individual identity. The course will also give students a basic introduction to some problems in literary research: establishing the text, relating the text to its historical context, dealing with translations, and discerning the strengths and limitations of our interpretive methodologies. We will examine how the works themselves incorporate reflections upon their own transmission and interpretation.

Course materials will be supplemented by a set of Internet resources which will draw upon fields such as history, archeology, philosophy, and classical studies to give students an opportunity to explore various aspects of the periods under consideration.

The format of the course will be primarily lecture with some class discussion and group activities. Semester grades will be determined based on in-class written responses to the readings, quizzes, a midterm exam, and a final exam.

Materials
Books
books are available from the University of Hawai‘i Bookstore. Please use these editions of the texts.
Aristotle. Poetics. Trans. S. H. Butcher. Hill & Wang, 1989.
The Epic of Gilgamesh. Trans. Douglas Frayne. Ed. Benjamin R. Foster. Norton, 2001.
Homer. The Odyssey. Trans. Robert Fitzgerald. New York: Noonday Press, 1998.
Ovid, Metamorphosis. Trans. A.D. Melville. Oxford, 1986.
Sophocles. The Three Theban Plays. Trans. Robert Fagles. Penguin, 1982.
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight. Trans. J.R.R. Tolkien. Del Rey, 1988.

Course Packet
available from Campus Copies in the Student Center

Films
films will be on reserve for on-site viewing at Wong Audiovisual Center, Sinclair Library,
two weeks prior to scheduled discussion date
Pasolini, Pier Paolo. Oedipus Rex.

Connectivity
You must have an active email account and reliable access to the World Wide Web.

Policy
Assignments
Semester grades will be based on four short analytical responses to readings (20%), four quizzes (20%), a mid-term examination (39%) and a final examination (30%). Neither quizzes nor responses can be made up. Only the highest three analytical responses and the highest three quizzes will be counted toward your final grade. The final examination will cover material from throughout the semester.

Grading
Letter grades will be assigned the following values:

I will give incompletes only in emergencies. Please speak with me or the Graduate Assistant promptly about any questions you have concerning the grades you receive during the semester—don’t wait until the final grades have been posted, when adjustments will be more difficult to make.

Attendance
Regular attendance is mandatory and will be recorded. Absences due to illness or a family emergency will be excused as long as you provide adequate documentation, such as a note from the Student Health Center. Your grade for the class will be reduced by one letter grade for every unexcused absence after three (3). More than six (6) absences, excused or unexcused, will be considered grounds for a failing grade in the course. You are expected to arrive on time. If you come in after roll has been called, you must report to me at the end of class to ensure that your presence is been recorded.
Please speak with me immediately if any circumstances arise that make it difficult for you to attend class or to complete assignments on time. It is often possible to work out solutions to such problems, but you are responsible for keeping me informed about your situation. Don’t wait until the end of the semester, when we will have fewer alternatives.

Scholastic Dishonesty
The University of Hawai‘i regulations strictly forbid plagiarism and collusion. In this class, all material turned in for a grade must be your own original work. Submitting someone else’s writing as your own, arranging for someone else to do your writing for you, or purchasing papers will earn you a failing grade for the assignment and may result in a failing grade for the course. Please read the packet on plagiarism and ask about any issues that you do not understand.

Schedule

Subject to change. All reading must be completed by the date for which it is assigned.

M August 26
introduction to the course

W August 28
Texts, Translations, Traditions
C.P. Cavafy, “Waiting for the Barbarians.” (handout)

F August 30
Introduction to Mesopotamia and the Beginnings of Writing
The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablets 1-4

M September 2
Labor Day Holiday

W September 4
The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablets 5-9
QUIZ

F September 6
Introduction to the World of the Hebrew Bible
The Epic of Gilgamesh, Tablets 10-11

M September 9
de Hamel, “The Modern Search for Origins,” from The Book: A History of the Bible (packet)
Genesis 1-25 (packet)

W September 11
Genesis 26-50 (packet)
Exodus 19-34 (packet)

F September 13
2 Kings 22 - 25 (packet)
Deuteronomy 12-13 (packet)

M September 16
Psalms 22, 23, 42, 51, 121, 130, 137, 139 (packet)
RESPONSE

W September 18
Introduction to the Greek World
Homer, The Odyssey, Books 1-6

F September 20
Homer, The Odyssey, Books 7-11

M September 23
Homer, The Odyssey, Books 12-16

W September 25
Homer, The Odyssey, Books 17-24

F September 27
Introduction to Greek Philosophy

M September 30
selections from Plato, The Republic and Phaedrus (packet)

W October 2
Sophocles, Oedipus the King, pp.159-187

F October 4
Sophocles, Oedipus the King, pp.188-210
discussion of Pasolini film of Oedipus the King

M October 7
Sophocles, Oedipus the King, pp. 211-251
QUIZ

W October 9
Aristotle, Poetics, Books 1-12

F October 11
Aristotle, Poetics, Books 13-26

M October 14
Review for Midterm Exam

W October 1
Midterm Exam

F October 18
Introduction to the Roman World
Horace, selections from The Art of Poetry (packet)

M October 21
Virgil, Aeneid, Book 1 (packet)
Ovid, Metamophoses, Books 1 + 2, pp. 25-36 (“Phaeton”)

W October 23
Ovid, Metamophoses, Books 3 + 7-9
RESPONSE

F October 25
Ovid, Metamophoses, Books 10-11 + 12, pp. 219-293 (“The Death of Achilles”) + 13

M October 28
Ovid, Metamophoses, Books 14-15
Review of Greco-Roman Mythology
QUIZ

W October 30
The Rise of Christianity
The Gospel According to John, 1-12 (packet)

F November 1
The Gospel According to John, 13-21 (packet)

M November 4
Augustine, Confessions, Books 7-8 (packet)

W November 6
The Rise of Islam and the Western Response
The Koran 18: 1 - 19:98; 37:1 - 37:182 (packet)

F November 8
selections from The Chronicles of the Crusades (packet)

M November 11
Veteran’s Day Holiday

W November 13
selections from Malouf, The Crusades through Arab Eyes (packet)

F November 15
The European Middle Ages
Dante, selections from Divine Comedy (packet)

M November 18
Margery Kempe, selections from The Book of Margery Kempe (packet)

W November 20
Introduction to the Arthurian Tradition and Courtly Love
Sir Orfeo

F November 22
Sir Orfeo
RESPONSE

M November 25
Pearl

W November 27
no class

F November 29
Thanksgiving Holiday

M December 2
Pearl

W December 4
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

F December 6
Sir Gawain and the Green Knight

QUIZ
M December 9
Review for Final Exam

W December 11
Review for Final Exam

Final Exam:
M December 16, 9:45 - 11:45