文學與商業的對話
The Dialogue between Literature and
Commerce
傅友祥教授
臺灣大學外文系暨研究所
臺灣大學副國際長
課程介紹
修業年限
As
George Horace Lorimer, long-time editor of the
Saturday Evening Post, once said, “Every business
day [is] full of comedy, tragedy, farce, romance—all
the ingredients of successful fiction.” The quotation
directly connects literature with business. In
developing a language course for business
professionals, educators face the fundamental
每學年分成三學期
challenge of choosing the best and most effective
materials. A popular approach is to concentrate on
business practices and vocabulary. Literary
materials can facilitate a more comprehensive
understanding of foreign thought and behavior,
課程介紹(續)
thereby
providing more meaningful and successful
修業年限
business interactions. Every business interaction
happens in a cultural context, and the best way to
understand a culture is through its literature.
Moreover, literature could inspire business to
develop more creative ideas and ethical concerns
from a new perspective; such training is thus
每學年分成三學期
valuable
cultural capital to possess. Classic
literature also conveys universal ethics and
unchanging human nature. In today’s “fashionable”
creativity industry and entrepreneurship, many
revolutionary innovations actually come from old
knowledge and from literary masterpieces.
課程介紹(續)
In修業年限
this course, a rather innovative course in the
EMBA curriculum in Taiwan, we will try to examine
the relationship between Anglophone literature and
business and through class discussions and
presentations, we will try to engage in critical
dialogue, thus equipping the students not only with
fulfilling literary edification but also with further
每學年分成三學期
reflections
on the values and ethics in a
professional life. We will read four major literary
genres: fiction, drama, poetry, and prose in famous
passages from Shakespeare to critical essays, from
Renaissance England to contemporary America.
課程要求
Since this is a class conducted entirely in
English, the students should at least feel
comfortable with an English-speaking
environment because the discussions,
presentations and writing will be in English
only. It is challenging but definitely rewarding
at the end of the semester. There will be no
written exams, but the students are
responsible for giving oral presentations and
submitting 3 working journals (length will be
decided) with assigned topics. Attendance is
課程要求(續)
also important. Casual drinking is also
allowed and perhaps encouraged in class, for
it inspires more in-class discussions.
授課教材/評分標準
Textbook
All the selected passages are compiled in a
course packet to be distributed in class
Grading Criteria
Attendance, participation, and class
discussions: 40%
Oral Presentation 20%
Journal: 40%
課程進度
週次
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
主題
Introduction
Group division and general introduction to the texts and
genres
Poetry: William Blake “London”; Wallace Stevens “Snow
Man”
Poetry: William Blake “London”; Wallace Stevens “Snow
Man”
Short Story: F. Scott Fitzgerald “Babylon Revisited”
Essay: Henry David Thoreau “Where I Lived, and What I
Lived for”
Drama: Michael Feingold: “Scribe’s Paradox, or the
Mechanical Rabbit”; Journal 1 Due
Visual Representation (TBA)
課程進度
週次
主題
9
Essay: Benjamin Franklin “The Way to Wealth”
10
Sample Ads and Study Questions; in-class writing exercise
11
Carl Sandburg “Chicago”; Leonard Cohen poems; Journal 2
Due
12
Short Story: Vincent Lam “Take All of Murphy”
13
Drama Excerpt: W. Shakespeare The Merchant of Venice;
14
Drama Excerpt: The Merchant of Venice
15
Review; Journal 3 Due