HUMANITIES 101: CULTURAL ENCOUNTERS I
FALL 2015
SYLLABUS
WEEK
DATES
TOPIC
Reading
1
28 September
Monday
Course Introduction
Introduction
30 September
Wednesday
Myth-Making
The Epic of Gilgamesh, pages 61-107
5 October
Monday
Gilgamesh, Representation and
Creation Myths
The Epic of Gilgamesh, pages 108-119
Enuma Elish, 7 Tablets
7 October
Wednesday
Birth of Monotheism
The Book of Genesis, ch. 1-3 and 6-9
12 October
Monday
Hellenic World
Homer, The Iliad, Book 1, 22 and 24
14 October
Wednesday
Hellenic World: The Epic Hero
Homer, The Odyssey, Book 9
19 October
Monday
Greek Philosophy
Selections from A Presocratics Reader; Plato, The Apology
21 October
Wednesday
Greek Philosophy: Plato
Plato, Euthyphro; Plato, The Republic, Book VI (excerpt) and Book VII
2
3
4
The Book of Dede Korkut, “The Story of Kan Turali, the son of Kanli
Koja”
5
6
7
8
9
10
26 October
Monday
Origins of Tragedy
Sophocles, Antigone
28 October
Wednesday
HOLIDAY
NO LECTURE
2 November
Monday
Origins of Tragedy
Sophocles, Antigone
4 November
Wednesday
The Roman World
Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy, Book II
9 November
Monday
The Roman World
Virgil, The Aeneid, Book II
11 November
Wednesday
The Roman World
Virgil, The Aeneid continued
16 November
Monday
The Roman World: Law and Culture
Cicero, On the Laws, Book III
MIDTERM EXAM (17 Nov)
18 November
Wednesday
NO LECTURE
--
23 November
Monday
Roman Art and Literature
Ovid, Metamorphoses, Creation of the World (excerpt); Echo and
Narcissus; Daedalus and Icarus, Pygmalion
25 November
Wednesday
Medieval Philosophy and Mysticism
Farid ud-Din Attar, Conference of the Birds (selection)
30 November
Monday
Medieval Philosophy and Mysticism
St. Augustine, Confessions, Book II;
Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae “On the Attainment of Happiness”
11
12
13
2 December
Wednesday
Byzantium
St. Peter Damiani, On the Perfection of Monks, p. 82-101
7 December
Monday
Byzantium
John of Damascus, “On Holy Images” and “The Fount of Wisdom”
9 December
Wednesday
Medieval World and Islamic Culture
Ibn Khaldun, Muqaddimah, p.123-154
14 December
Monday
Early Renaissance: Narrative and
Story-telling
Boccaccio, Decameron, ‘First Day’: Introduction, p. 49-69
16 December
Wednesday
Early Renaissance
Boccaccio, Decameron, ‘Fourth Day’: Second Story p. 342-353
21 December
Monday
Early Renaissance
And the Art of the Narrative
1001 Nights, Prologue and the Young Woman and her Five Lovers
23 December
Wednesday
Narrative
1001 Nights, Prologue and the Young Woman and her Five Lovers