This course introduces students to the birth, evolution, and history of literature through an examination of the foundational texts that have shaped the literary history of the West. Reading sacred texts (such as the Book of Genesis, selections from the Qur'an, or works from other traditions), epics (such as Gilgamesh and The Odyssey), dramas (by Aeschylus or Sophocles), philosophical dialog (Plato), literary theory (Aristotle), and poetry, we will study the historical, thematic, and stylistic origins of the literary genres and texts that have endured since antiquity. Among the larger questions that we will consider are the personal and social functions of reading and writing; the complex uses that writers make of the material they inherit from their traditions; the politics of canon-formation; and the role literature can play in a liberal education. This course satisfies one of the Foundations requirements for Lang Literary Studies majors.