Teacher Discussion Forums

Hello fellow teachers:

I am being invited to teach a new course at my International school in the fall. Itis a world literature course. I think it sounds fascinating, but there isn't any material put together for it yet. It will require me putting a curriculum together. Any suggestions re: books, video etc. would be appreciated.
Thanks!

In Japan, I'm teaching the first year of a new program to first year high school students. My section is literature reading (the other sections are writing and grammar). Someone else designed the class curriculum, but I've been teaching it.

We are using The Alchemist, by Paulo Cuelho as our major reading assignment. It works pretty well.

I would also like some advice on how to teach this sort of class, because my experience is in other areas.

A pretty tough challenge if you are left to your own devices! I would suggest to study the list of Literature Nobel Prize winners for a beginning. That would take care of the contemporary literature scene. Going back over the centuries, you will have to rely on other sources, and you will need translations. Make the bible a starting point (your students do not need to study it in-depth, do they?).
One of the world's first literature crown jewels was Gilgamesh.

Why don't you use the Classic stuff you have read?



Siân

snowbird

Back in the 1950s a guy called Mortimer Adler set up two programs at (I think) the University of Chicago: one called "Great Books of the Western World", the other "The Great Ideas Program". The idea was to introduce students, text by text, to the whole classical tradition of western thinking.

It's obviously limited by its European and North American focus; but if you consult the net on both those titles (I used 'Jeeves' to check them) you'll find complete indexes that will give you a few extra ideas. Actually it could be a bit overwhelming to start with; but it'll probably recall your reading, as Sian suggested. And I'm sorry, I didn't try to check whether it really was the University of Chicago.

Anyway, I think Roger's idea of starting with the Nobel Prize winners is great.
Norm

Hi snowbird22

What have you ended up doing? Hope you're flying in clearer skies now.

Norm