This course immerses students in world literature, exploring texts from a variety of cultures and historical periods. Students will analyze literary elements such as themes, characters, and symbolism, and examine the cultural and historical contexts of each text. Key topics include the exploration of universal themes like love, justice, identity, and conflict. Writing assignments will include literary analysis essays and creative writing, encouraging students to express their own voice while engaging deeply with the texts they read.
Through a Christian lens, students will reflect on how literature reveals the shared human longing for meaning, justice, and redemption. They will examine how God’s truth is portrayed through stories from different cultures and consider how they can use literature to better understand the world and respond with compassion. The course will challenge students to live out their faith through the stories they tell and the ideas they promote, seeking to bring the light of Christ to the world.
*Required materials:
Gilgamesh: A New Rendering in English Verse – David Ferry
Life of Pi – Yan Martel
Things Fall Apart – Achebe
The Hiding Place – Corrie Ten Boom
No Fear Shakespeare – Macbeth
How to Read Literature like a Professor – Thomas Foster (used in 10th-12th grade)
Access to an NIV Bible translation for readings both inside and outside class
*Any edition is fine for the literature selections, unless otherwise noted.