英文和世界文學中的主題閱讀與辯論
Reading and Debating Themes in English and World Literature
| 節 | 週四 |
|---|---|
1 08:00–08:50 | 英文和世界文學中的主題閱讀與辯論 YX201 2 節連堂 |
2 09:00–09:50 |
* 根據陽明交大上課時間表所列
This course offers a broad reading of themes and great ideas presented in both literature and prose. These themes include existential, religious, social, and political readings by some of the world’s greatest novelists and thinkers. Students will read English extracts from classical Greek and Indian works along with modern novels to comparatively examine these topics. By reading extracts from both Western and Eastern texts, students will contextualize the evolution of ideas through the millennia that have inspired writers. Students will be expected to read before class and then engage in English debate about the relevant topic.
1. Increase students' ability to read texts from a variety of classical and modern sources while deconstructing and debating specific themes within these texts. 2. Understand the legacy of literature on modern thought and how such writing has impacted human development. 3. Comparatively analyze issues that include, belief in and the nature of religion, the psychology of love, state, race, and humanism through Western and Eastern texts.
midterm presentation 40% (3-5 min talk) final paper 40% (400-500 words) attendance 20%
| 週次 | 主題 |
|---|---|
| 第 1 週 | Introduction |
| 第 2 週 | What is reality? Parmenides:“On Nature + The Rig Veda: The Hymn of Man |
| 第 3 週 | What is reality? Plato's allegory of the cave |
| 第 4 週 | What is love? Plato's Symposium + The Bhagavadgita's True Devotee |
| 第 5 週 | What is love? Extracts fromEnglish Literature |
| 第 6 週 | What is politics? Laswell's Politics Who Gets What, When, How |
| 第 7 週 | What is good government? — Plato's Republic |
| 第 8 週 | Midterm exam |
| 第 9 週 | Why can't economists agree? How do countries get rich? — Adam Smith's Wealth of Nations |
| 第 10 週 | Whose work and money? — Marx's Das Kapital |
| 第 11 週 | Do We Need to Work This Hard? — Thoreau's“Economy” |
| 第 12 週 | Religion — Bible + Bhagavadgita's "Godlike and Demoniac Mind" |
| 第 13 週 | Religion — Emerson's Divinity School Address |
| 第 14 週 | Race — Frederick Douglas's The Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass |
| 第 15 週 | Race — Nadine Gordimer's The Moment before the Gun Went off + Kipling's The White Man's Burden |
| 第 16 週 | Final Exam |
| 第 17 週 | (Self-Study) Madness — Vonnegut's Breakfast of Champions |
| 第 18 週 | (Self-Study) War — Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five |
Instructor provided course package which will include full texts in the public domain or appropriate extracts. Given the time limitations of the course, students will not be expected to read the full text but approximately 20-30 pages per week or less.