Download The University of Jordan/Faculty of Arts

The University of Jordan/Faculty of Arts
Department of the English Language and Literature/Fall 2014
Course Title: Classical and Ancient Literature
Course code: 2201451
Instructor’s Name Office Hours
E-mail
Inas Ababneh
14:00- 15:15
[email protected]
Mondays and Wednesdays [email protected]
Course Objectives
This course aims to familiarize the students with masterpieces of old literature that are considered among the
foundations of Western thought. The focus is on the canon of the classical heritage in Greece and Rome.
Learning Outcomes
A. Knowledge and Understanding: students should
 know the major founding myths in classical literature,
 be acquainted with some of the foremost authors and works of Greek and Roman
literatures,
 identify the features of Greek and Roman epics,
 recognize the characteristics of Greek tragedies, and
 broaden their knowledge of the Greek philosophical works.
B. Intellectual Skills: students should
 be able to analyze the role of the gods in ancient Greek societies,
 examine the myths that informed the lives of ancient people and contrast them with
modern myths that affect their lives,
 develop a critical and analytical insight for literature, and
 compare one piece of literature with another.
C. Subject Specific Skills – with ability to

discuss the characteristics of the literary genres and their subgenres

enrich their linguistic reservoir, and

incorporate questioning techniques that emphasize critical thinking, such as inference,
evaluation, comparison, contrast, analysis, synthesis, criticism and appreciation.
D. Transferable Skills: Students should

adopt life-long reading habits,

apply critical thinking skills in real-life situations,

demonstrate continuous efforts for using the different library resources, and

use the knowledge they have gained in reading works of English literature that make
allusions to Greek mythology.
Textbook:
Wilkie, Brian and James Hurt, ed., Literature of The Western World, Volume I.
References:
C. M. Bowra, Homer, London: Duckworth, 1972
C. M. Bowra, From Virgil to Milton, New York: Macmillan, 1967
Cortelle, Arthur. A Dictionary of World Mythology, New York: Oxford UP, 1986
Internet Ancient History Sourcebook: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/ancient/asbook.html
Library of Congress Greek and Latin Classics Internet Resources:
http://www.loc.gov/rr/main/alcove9/classics.html
Evaluation:
Midterm Exam:
30%
Two Quizzes (one of them is optional):
20%
Quiz (1): Prometheus Bound and Quiz (2): Medea.
Final:
50%
Course Plan:
Week 1 (Sep. 14-18): Orientation and Homer’s The Odyssey
Weeks 2-5 (Sep. 21-Oct.16): Homer, The Odyssey
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Week 6 (Oct. 19-23): Aeschylus, Prometheus Bound
The Midterm Exam (Nov. 2)
Week 7-9 (Oct. 30- Nov. 13): Aeschylus, The Oresteian Trilogy: Agamemnon
Week 10 (Nov. 16-20): Euripides, Medea
Week 11 (Nov. 23-27): Quiz (1) and Plato’s The Republic: Education
Quiz (1) Nov. 23rd.
Week 12(Nov. 30- Dec. 4): Quiz (2) and from Ovid’s Metamorphoses
(on Nov. 30th an optional Quiz 2)
Week 13 (Dec. 7-11): from Virgil’s Aeniad
Week 14 (Dec. 14-18): from Dante’s Divine Comedy
Week 15 (Dec. 21-23): Revision
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