2010-2011 HBU Catalog - Houston Baptist University

MLA 5364 Chaucer and the Fourteenth Century
MLA 5364 examines the fourteenth century as a turning point in English and European culture: the end of the High
Middle Ages and the beginnings of the "pre-Renaissance." The course emphasizes the rise of vernacular languages as
literary languages, particularly in Italy and England, and the role of Geoffrey Chaucer as "the father of English poetry."
MLA 5390, 5391, 5392 Western Culture and Human Experience
These courses are a core component of the MLA program and offer a broad overview of history, politics, art, and
philosophy. MLA 5390 will cover the years from the time of classical Greece through the medieval period; MLA 5391
will cover the Renaissance, Reformation, and Early Modern period; MLA 5392 will cover from the French revolution
through Modern times.
MLA 6301 Science and the Common Understanding
This course will include readings and discussions concerning the great scientific discoveries of the past, the historical
context from which they arose, and the conflicts that resulted during their eventual resolution.
MLA 6304 Scientists: Their Philosophy, Their Essays
This course studies scientific essays, some of historical significance - most from the modern world in which we live,
most in written form but some in the form of video - all composed by scientists/essayists. No scientific or mathematical
background is assumed or expected; instead, the approach is that of the seeker of knowledge and understanding, the
aesthetic looking for beauty in content and style, and the critic viewing all with a skeptical eye.
MLA 6312 The French Enlightenment
This course focuses on the cosmopolitan popularization of ideas and rhetorical strategies for their dissemination that
became not only characteristics of the major philosophies of the French Enlightenment but also compelling and
normative models for nearly all subsequent philosophical, critical, and scientific thought in the Modern Age.
MLA 6315 Critical Approaches to Literature: Don Quixote
This course uses the Cervantes masterpiece Don Quixote de la Mancha as a springboard for the study of literary theory
that may, in turn, be applied to other literary texts. Contemporary theories such as psychological, mythologicalarchetypal,
formalist, structuralist, and poststructuralist methodologies will be examined and applied to Quixote.
MLA 6324 The Art of Being Human
This course is an introduction to the humanities. It reaffirms the liberal arts tradition that maintains that the humanities
constitute the best and brightest expressions of all people. The emphasis is on the interaction between the arts, religion,
and philosophy, and on the humanities, believing that this approach helps us to see artists and philosophers at work,
trying to solve real problems that we all know about.
MLA 6331 Jane Austen and the Brontes
The Jane Austen and the Brontes course is significant in its juxtaposition of both canonical and non-canonical early
female novelists who represent both enlightenment and romantic literary and social values. The aim of this course is for
the student to develop an appreciation of the authors‘ contributions to the development of the novel, and to fully
understand the cultural periods that influence these novels.
MLA 6338 The World of Great Detectives
A survey of mystery and detective fiction since Poe with an emphasis on 20th century British and American writers. By
the end of the course, students should recognize the major authors, the major fictional detectives, and the principal
varieties, e.g., the inverted detective story, the ―hard-boiled‖ school, the ―police procedural,‖ and the ―locked room
puzzle.‖
MLA 6346 King Arthur in History and the Arts
This course examines the major literary, musical, and artistic works inspired by the legends of King Arthur and the
Knights of the Round Table. The course will cover the historical roots of the legends, their use by major historians, and
their influence on European and English literature.
MLA 6355 The Gothic Novel and Film
This course will survey the major Gothic writers since Horace Walpole. Some attention will be given to Gothic poetry
but emphasis will be on the most significant novelists and short story writers and the adaptation of their works for stage
and screen.
2010-2011 HBU Catalog www.hbu.edu/catalog Page 277