通識教育與文學：以長庚大學莎士比亞課程為例

General Education and Literature: A Case Study of Shakespeare Course in Chang Gung University

本文探討在社會以及大學社群越來越著重實用的氛圍裡，文學課程何以堅持通識教育理念，接受選課淘汰以及學生評鑑挑戰。本文以長庚大學的莎士比亞課程為例，分析如何以英國大文豪的作品培養學生批判與思辨的能力，以及開展學生的想像空間，使學生體認到文學無用之用。首先以莎士比亞在全球文化所具有的份量為起點，論述如何得以藉由對其作品的基本理解，展現豐富的文化涵養。藉用亞里斯多德在《詩學》中為文學作品所做的辯護，強調虛構的文學可能比世上事物更趨近真實，並且說明其能架構想像的空間，進而影響我們對現實的理解。本文主張在學習賞析虛構的文學作品的同時，納入美的感受，並以倫理的議題為主軸，可以培養通識核心素養。文章並將長庚大學的特質放在通識教育原型構想中，考量經典薰陶的必要，並以學生所關注的「營養與否」問題做為總結。

This paper discusses the challenges of a university literature course vis-à-vis an increasing emphasis on practical application both in the society and in higher education. It focuses on a Shakespeare course designed as a general education curriculum at Chang Gung University. It analyzes how the course addresses the objective of general education in developing students’ critical thinking ability. It argues for the usefulness of literature, especially in stimulating students’ imagination. The paper begins with an introduction to Shakespeare’s global cultural potency. It stresses how our understanding of Shakespeare can be considered as our understanding of culture in its essence. It analyzes how literature written centuries ago can still have great influence on today’s world. The paper argues that aesthetics and ethics in literature can help to foster core values of general education. It foregrounds the unique feature of Chang Gung University, a university with three profession-oriented colleges, to show how literature can connect students to the prototypal ideas of general education. The paper concludes with a remark on a question that concerns students greatly--Is the Shakespeare course really an easy A course?