Cultures and Traditions Home Page


Fall Semester 2002

 

 PART I: Reading for Discussion
 F Aug
30
  Introduction to C&T; Greek and Chinese Poetry [Readings Book B]
 M Sept

2 

 LECTURE: The Odyssey (John Fischer)
 W

4

Odyssey, Books 1-4
 F

6

Odyssey, Books 5, 6, 8, 9; synopses [Readings Book C]
 M

9

Odyssey, Books 10, 11, 12, 16
 W

11 

Odyssey, Books 21, 22, 23, 24 synopses [Readings Book C]

PART II: Reading for Ideas

A. Finding Meaning in Life
F Sept 13 LECTURE: Does the world make sense? (William Placher)
M 16 Gilgamesh [Introduction in Readings Book D]
W 18 Buddhist Readings [Readings Book E]
F 20 Jewish and Christian Mysticism [Readings Book F]
M 23 Peter Shaffer, Equus [Introduction in Readings Book G]
W 25 Elie Wiesel, Night [Introduction in Readings Book H]
F 27 Richard Dawkins, selections from Unweaving the Rainbow [Readings Book I]


B. War and Morality
M Sep 30 LECTURE: War and Morality (Stephen Morillo)
W Oct 2 Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War, selections 1,
"Mytilenean Debate," pp. 212-223; and "Melian Dialogue," pp. 400-408
[Introduction in Readings Book J]
F 4 Josephus, selections from The Jewish Wars [Readings Book K]
M 7 Aquinas, the Qur'an, Fulcher, Arab Chronicles [Readings Book L]
-Aquinas on Christian theories of Just War
-The Qur'an on jihad
-Christian chronicles of the First Crusade
-Arab chronicles of the First Crusade
W 9 Bhagavad Gita (Chapters 1-6, 9-11, and 18) [Introduction in Readings Book M]
F 11 Readings on the bombing of Nagasaki: [Readings Book N]
M 14 Tim O'Brien, "The Things They Carried" [Readings Book O]
W 16 REFLECTION DAY

MIDSEMESTER BREAK 17-20 OCTOBER

PART III: Reading in Cultural Context--Ancient Greece
M Oct. 21 Sophocles, Philoctetes [Introduction in Readings Book P]
W 23 LECTURE: Ancient Greek Culture (Joseph Day & Leslie Preston Day)
F 25 Greek Art and Poetry [Readings Book Q and Images]
M 28 Euripides, Bacchae [Introduction in Readings Book R]
W 30 Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War selections 2, "Introduction," pp. 46-48; "Pericles' Funeral Oration," pp. 143-151; "Plague," pp.151-156; and "Civil War in Corcyra," pp.236-245 [Introduction in Readings Book S (and review J)]
F Nov 1 Lysias, On the Murder of Eratosthenes [Readings Book T]
M 4 Sophocles, Antigone [Introduction in Readings Book U]
W 6 Plato I [Readings Book V, pages 1-23]
F 8 Plato II [Readings Book V, pages 23-41]
M 11 REFLECTION DAY

 

PART IV: Reading in Cultural Context--Classical China
W Nov 13 LECTURE: From Confucius to Empire (David Blix)
F 15 Chinese Poetry [Readings Book W]
M 18 Confucius, The Analects [Readings Book X]
W 20 Mencius [Readings Book Y]
F 22 Han Fei Tzu [Readings Book Z]


THANKSGIVING RECESS NOVEMBER 23-DECEMBER 1
M Dec 2 LECTURE: Taoism and Chinese Developments (Hall Peebles)
W 4 Lao Tzu, Tao Te Ching [Readings Book AA]
F 6 Chuang Tzu [Readings Book BB]
M 9 Chinese Ghost Stories and "A Woman Taoist Priest" [Readings Book CC]
W 11 Sun Tzu, The Art of War [Readings Book DD]
F 13 Chinese Paintings [Images]