Graduate Education Institute · English Language and Literature · Doctorate
Course Objective
We will examine classical texts from the Greeks and Romans until Shakespeare. The primary goal of the year is for students to connect with the ancient ideas we discuss in class. Once you make those authentic connections the class will become more enriching to you.
Course Content
As with all broad movements, Western Literature did not begin at one instant, with a single event, like the flipping of a light switch. Instead, as the cultures of Western nations (defined in this sense as European and North American countries) gradually evolved, so their Literatures gradually evolved to meet the questions and concerns of the time. Scholars have disagreed on what constitutes the appropriate starting point - some believe Western Literature begins with the Bible (never mind that the Bible is not even a truly Western text, at least not originally), while others believe a better place to start is Beowulf, an epic poem written in England sometime between 700 - 1100 A.D. For this lesson, however, we will start with William Shakespeare. While Shakespeare is in no absolute way the father of Western Literature, he is perhaps the best known and most studied writer not only of Western but of all Literature. Also, so great was his influence on writers to follow that at the very least we can study his work as the single most important turning point in Western Literature, if not its perfect "beginning."
Required Resources
Ders müfreadındaki bütün eserler ve onlarla ilgili yazılan eserler, edisyon farkı gözetmeksizin derslerin esasını oluşturmaktadır. Bunlardan bazıları şunlardır:
Comparative Literature: Method and Perspective. By Newton P. Stallknecht; Horst FrenzSouthern Illinois University Press, 1961.
A Companion to Comparative literature by Ali Behdad and Dominic Thomas, eds. ISBN: 1405198796 .Publication Date: 2011
Companion to comparative literature, world literatures, and comparative cultural studies by Steven Tötösy de Zepetnek and Tutun Mukherjee . Publication Date: 2013
Toward a Productive Interdisciplinary Relationship: Between Comparative Literature and World Literature. By Pizer, John. The Comparatist, Vol. 31, May 2007.
Recommended Resources
Ders müfreadındaki bütün eserler ve onlarla ilgili yazılan eserler, edisyon farkı gözetmeksizin derslerin esasını oluşturmaktadır. Bunlardan bazıları şunlardır:
Comparative Literature: Method and Perspective. By Newton P. Stallknecht; Horst FrenzSouthern Illinois University Press, 1961.
A Companion to Comparative literature by Ali Behdad and Dominic Thomas, eds. ISBN: 1405198796 .Publication Date: 2011
Companion to comparative literature, world literatures, and comparative cultural studies by Steven Tötösy de Zepetnek and Tutun Mukherjee . Publication Date: 2013
Toward a Productive Interdisciplinary Relationship: Between Comparative Literature and World Literature. By Pizer, John. The Comparatist, Vol. 31, May 2007.
Core Area Distribution
Teaching Methods
ECTS / Workload
| Activity | Quantity | Duration (h) | Total Workload |
|---|---|---|---|
| Course Duration (Including Exam Week) | 15 | 3 | 45 |
| Out of Class Study Period | 15 | 5 | 75 |
| Midterm | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Quiz | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Assignment | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Practice | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Final | 1 | 20 | 20 |
Course Schedule
| Week | Subject | Preparation |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Introduction to the class. The Philosophy of the "West." Distribution and explanation of the syllabus and the course content. | Introduction to the class. The Philosophy of the "West." Distribution and explanation of the syllabus and the course content. |
| 2 | The Old Testament, Genesis through Deuteronomy. | The Old Testament, Genesis through Deuteronomy. |
| 3 | Gospel according to John. | Gospel according to John. |
| 4 | Helen of Troy, the movie. | Helen of Troy, the movie. |
| 5 | Oresteia by Aeschylus | Oresteia by Aeschylus |
| 6 | Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. | Oedipus Rex by Sophocles. |
| 7 | Medea and Hippolytus by Euripides | Medea and Hippolytus by Euripides |
| 8 | Midterm Exam | Midterm Exam |
| 9 | The Clouds by Aristophanes | The Clouds by Aristophanes |
| 10 | Agamemnon by Seneca | Agamemnon by Seneca |
| 11 | Everyman, anonymous Doctor Faustus by Marlowe | Everyman, anonymous Doctor Faustus by Marlowe |
| 12 | Canterbury Tales by Chaucer | Canterbury Tales by Chaucer |
| 13 | Hamlet by Shakespeare | Hamlet by Shakespeare |
| 14 | Blade Runner by Ridley Scott | Blade Runner by Ridley Scott |
| 15 | Final Exam. Submission of the final assignments. | Final Exam. Submission of the final assignments. |


