Resources for World Literature

Overview

UNLV’s World Literature Program features two courses: ENG 231 World Literature I covers literature from antiquity through the 17^th century, and ENG 232 World Literature IIfocuses on literature from the 17^thcentury up to the present. The courses fulfill the Second-Year Seminarrequirement for the university’s general education core.

In addition to emphasizing the literary and aesthetic value of writing from all parts of the globe, both courses are designed to highlight texts’ local and worldly contexts, the intertextual, cross-cultural, and socially significant connections between various works, as well as the continuing relevance of literature in the increasingly globalized world of the 21^st century. The courses are reading- and writing-intensive and taught in sections of 25 students or fewer.

All sections of World Literature are organized around a specific theme. ENG 231E World Literature for Exploring Majors uses the theme of “Finding Your Path” as a way to connect the course readings to students’ own process of choosing a major and deciding upon a career path. ENG 231S World Literature for the College of Sciences looks at texts through the lens of “Scientific Perspectives” in order to connect the course readings to issues of science, technology, and medicine. ENG 232A World Literature for the School of Architecture concentrates on “The Built Environment,” looking at issues of cities and urban planning, interior spaces, the landscape, and ecology in relation to a variety of texts from different time periods and genres. Other sections of ENG 231 and 232 focus on a range of issues, including gender and sexuality, love and relationships, money and economies, travel, humor, ethics and religion, revolution, identity, and heroism. Course themes for individual sections of ENG 231 and 232 are listed on MyUNLV.