WLIT-201: World Literature

WLIT-201 is an introductory survey course in world literature that explores influential texts from diverse cultural traditions and historical periods. The course is structured around five focused periods of study, each centered on key readings and accompanied by one response paper submitted via the EUCLID platform. Students will engage with foundational works that have shaped human thought, societies, and literary traditions, from ancient epics and philosophical texts to modern national literatures and strategies for critical writing about global texts.

The course draws on selected lectures and introductions to highlight how literature reflects, influences, and transforms historical, cultural, and personal contexts. Emphasis is placed on close reading, comparative analysis, and developing skills in literary interpretation and academic writing.

Course Structure

• Period 1: Books That Have Made History (Lectures 01–12 from The Teaching Company/Great Courses series) — Focuses on early foundational texts that have profoundly influenced world civilizations, such as ancient epics, philosophical and religious writings, and historical accounts from various cultures.
• Period 2: Books That Have Made History (Lectures 13–24) — Continues the exploration of transformative works, examining additional influential books that have shaped moral, political, and intellectual history across eras and regions.
• Period 3: Books That Have Made History (Lectures 25–36) — Concludes the series with later impactful texts, highlighting enduring ideas and their role in changing individual lives and broader societies.
• Period 4: French Literature: A Very Short Introduction (John D. Lyons) — Provides an overview of French literary traditions from the Middle Ages through modernity, including key themes like allegiance, renewal, society, nature, revolution, and contemporary identities in French-language works.
• Period 5: Writing About World Literature — Guides students in the methods and techniques of analyzing and writing about diverse global literary texts, including approaches to interpretation, argumentation, and scholarly writing in a cross-cultural context.

Course Objectives

• To introduce students to a broad range of significant literary works from ancient to modern times and from multiple global traditions.
• To examine how certain books and literary movements have influenced historical events, cultural values, philosophical ideas, and individual perspectives.
• To develop skills in reading, interpreting, and critically analyzing texts from different cultural and historical contexts.
• To foster comparative thinking about common human themes (such as heroism, duty, identity, society, and change) across diverse literatures.
• To build competence in academic writing, particularly response papers that demonstrate thoughtful engagement with course materials.
• To prepare students for more advanced study in literature by introducing tools and strategies for discussing world literature effectively.

Learning Outcomes

By the end of the course, students will be able to:

• Identify and discuss key works and authors that have significantly shaped world history and literature, drawing from the selected lecture series and introductions.
• Analyze the cultural, historical, and intellectual contexts of major texts and explain their lasting impact.
• Compare literary themes, forms, and ideas across different periods, cultures, and traditions (e.g., ancient epics vs. modern national literatures).
• Apply critical reading strategies to interpret complex texts and articulate informed responses.
• Compose clear, evidence-based response papers that demonstrate understanding of course readings and effective literary analysis.
• Understand basic approaches to writing about world literature, including incorporating diverse perspectives and constructing arguments in a global context.
• Recognize the role of literature in reflecting and influencing human experiences across time and geography.

This course satisfies requirements for general education in humanities or literature and serves as a foundation for further studies in world literature, comparative literature, or related fields.