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HarvardX: Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature

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Examine how cultures of the ancient world defined themselves through literature and how their vision of literature contributes to our understanding of civilization, culture, and literature today.

Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature
6 weeks
3–6 hours per week
Self-paced
Progress at your own speed
Free
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Starts Nov 22
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Ancient Masterpieces of World Literature

About this course

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This short literature course, based on the first half of the Masterpieces of World Literature edX MOOC, examines how civilizations and cultures of the ancient world defined themselves through literature and how that literature has continued to contribute to our understanding of those civilizations and cultures today.

Cities, nations, and empires from antiquity through the middle ages drew on foundational histories and myths for their identities, relating these narratives through generations by means of oral-storytelling and new writing technologies. These epics, story collections, and novels, which take a keen interest in heroic travelers, would eventually travel themselves, finding new global audiences as the first works of world literature.

Tracing developments in language, writing, and literary genre, this course also travels in time, from legendary accounts of ancient kings to histories of medieval courts and early-modern exploration. We will stop to consider how all of these texts affected the history of their own eras, but also how they have continued to find new prominence and significance in ours.

At a glance

  • Language: English
  • Video Transcript: English
  • Associated skills:Writing, Collections

What you'll learn

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  • The early history of World Literature
  • How literary works are transformed by cultural transmission and modern recovery
  • How to critically analyze literary works
  • The significance of major technological advances in writing

Syllabus

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Section 1: Introduction: What is World Literature? (Goethe)
Section 2: The Birth of Literature ( The Epic of Gilgamesh )
Section 3: Homer and the Archeology of the Classical Past ( The Odyssey )
Section 4: West-Eastern Conversations ( The1001 Nights )
Section 5: The Floating World ( The Tale of Genji )
Section 6: The First National Epic ( The Lusíads )

More about this course

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Honor Code
HarvardX requires individuals who enroll in its courses on edX to abide by the terms of the edX honor code. HarvardX will take appropriate corrective action in response to violations of the edX honor code, which may include dismissal from the HarvardX course; revocation of any certificates received for the HarvardX course; or other remedies as circumstances warrant. No refunds will be issued in the case of corrective action for such violations. Enrollees who are taking HarvardX courses as part of another program will also be governed by the academic policies of those programs.

Nondiscrimination/Anti-Harassment
Harvard University and HarvardX are committed to maintaining a safe and healthy educational and work environment in which no member of the community is excluded from participation in, denied the benefits of, or subjected to discrimination or harassment in our program. All members of the HarvardX community are expected to abide by Harvard policies on nondiscrimination, including sexual harassment, and the edX Terms of Service. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact harvardx@harvard.edu and/or report your experience through the edX contact form.

Research Statement
HarvardX pursues the science of learning. By registering as an online learner in an HX course, you will also participate in research about learning. Read our research statement to learn more.

Ways to take this course

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Certificate

Free

Price

$209 USD

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Access to course materials

Unlimited

Limited

Expires on Jan 3, 2025

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Shareable certificate upon completion

Graded assignments and exams

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