CMLIT 13Virtual Worlds: Antiquity to the Present

3 credits · Comparative Literature · Penn State

Virtual worlds from anicent to postmodern, in a comparative and global context that includes literature, film, and online multiplayer games. CMLIT 13 Virtual Worlds: Antiquity to the Present (3) (GH;IL) (BA) This course meets the Bachelor of Arts degree requirements. What are virtual worlds? And why do they speak so intensely to us about the present? This course puts immensely popular online virtual worlds like World of Warcraft into a historical perspective. Beginning with Homer, students will work through some of the major imaginative worlds of literary history, including those of the Bible, Dante, Shakespeare, Goethe, Lu Xun, Basho, Balzac, and others. We will conclude by reading and discussing about the meaning and value of contemporary online virtual worlds. We will analyze the ways in which virtual worlds represent/reflect on the cultures from which they emerge; their ethical stances and structures; and the alternative imageries they embody.