Not offered 2026-27

In this course, we examine a variety of world cultures from early civilizations to the 17th century. Students learn the basics of Humanities methodology, asking questions such as: What does it mean to be human? How have different societies defined what is (and what is not) human? How does the individual relate to society? How do societies interact with one another? How do societies interact with the natural environment? Full texts may include Parable of the Sower, Epic of Gilgamesh, Beowulf, Oedipus Rex and Antigone, The Tempest, and a choice of graphic novels, either Persepolis or Zahra’s Paradise. Students read excerpts from Sapiens, The Aeneid, primary sources from Ancient Greece and Rome,
religious texts such as the Torah and Talmud, Old and New Testaments, the Qur’an, Tamil poetry, and medieval poetry and literature (Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, Canterbury Tales, The Prince, and The Decameron).