TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction to the course

Introduction to the Course: The Problem of a good Creator and the existence of evil

The organization motif for each literary period will be the relationship between the concepts of good and evil--more specifically, why in the world in which we live, do the prosperous seem to suffer while those less honorable succeed seemingly untouched. This problem has antecedents in classical and biblical literature and raises such issues at the relationship between a just and good God and suffering. We would seem to be confronted with a paradox:

If a good God is willing to stop evil, but unable, then He cannot be God,

OR

If a good God is able to stop evil, but not willing, then he is not good and therefore not God

The first major units to consider this issue will be THE ODYSSEY (classical) and THE BOOK OF JOB (biblical).


PREPARATION ASSIGNMENTS: ALL STUDENTS:


1. NOTES IN CLASS ON MYTHS--READ THE BACKGROUND TO THE ODYSSEY AND MYTHOLOGY; THE NEXT LINK IN THIS SECTION


2. FACTS OF COMPOSITION--TIMES, DATES, PERIODS, "HOMERIC QUESTION"


3. ODYSSEY--READ THE TEXT, TO CONSIDER THE FOLLOWING: A. GOD'S ROLE IN HUMAN AFFAIRS B.THE ROLE OF DECEIT. C.THE CONCEPT OF SUFFERING D.MORAL RESPONSIBILITY FOR ACTIONS--MAN AND GOD 5.FATE IN HUMAN AFFAIRS

EACH OF YOU WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR ONE OF THE FOLLOWING AREAS TO RESEARCH ON YOUR OWN AND APPLY TO THE WORK. YOU WILL BE THE EXPERT IN THE AREA INVESTIGATED:


1. FAMILY CUSTOMS
2.LOVE
3.SEX
4.FAMILY VALUES AND FIDELITY
5.HATE
6.ASSEMBLIES
7. LOYALTY
8.DRAMATIC IRONY
9.HEROISM AND THE HEROIC CODE
10.TAGS
11.EPIC SIMILES
12.JUSTICE
13.HOSPITALITY
14.ORAL COMMUNICATION
15.EPIC CONVENTIONS
16.ROLE OF WOMAN
17.MANŐS RELATIONSHIP TO THE GODS
18.EQUIVOCATION
19.DISGUISING
20.ACCEPTANCE OF DIVINE WILL
21.REVENGE
22.MACROCOSMIC / MICROCOSMIC IMAGERY
23.ARCHETYPE PATTERNS

. THE RESEARCH WILL CONSIST OF SEVERAL PHASES: THE ATTACHED BACKGROUND PACKET LIBRARY WORK THE INTERNET--WE HAVE AN EXTENSIVE DATA BASE OF WEB SOURCES ON THE SJC HOME PAGE : DO THE FOLLOWING IN THIS ORDER: SJC PAGE (HIGH SCHOOL ACADEMICS) TO ENGLISH DEPARTMENT TO STUDENT CURRICULUM LINKS TO INDEX (CHOOSE CLASSICAL PERIOD) AND YOU WILL GET THIS TABLE OF WEB CITES: PROJECT PERSEUS FROM TUFTS UNIVERSITY IS GREAT PLACE TO BEGIN RESEARCH IN THE CLASSICAL PERIOD.

TABLE OF CONTENTS