Foundations of World Culture II: World Literatures and Texts
MIT OpenCourseWare offers this survey of major literary works from early modernity to the recent past, continuing a two-part sequence on foundational texts of human culture. Readings trace how works of fiction, drama, and philosophy shaped ideas about family, class, tradition, and gender roles, and how certain texts broke from convention to address the status of women or the legacy of European colonial expansion. The course also looks at texts that challenged religion, monarchy, and prevailing views of human nature. Materials include the syllabus, reading list, and assignments from MIT's curriculum, letting students work through the same primary texts used in the on-campus course. No enrollment fee applies, and there is no certificate track since this is a self-paced OpenCourseWare release rather than a live class.