Why Before 1700? Literature before Literature

Why does the English department require concentrators to take one course covering writing before the year 1700? What's so magical about 1700? What's so special about literature before that date? The word “literature” in its modern sense doesn’t even emerge until the 18th century (at the earliest). So is what we’re reading when we read pre-1700 material even literature? We'll survey some writing produced--wait for it--before 1700, consider why we're doing so and whether such a requirement makes sense, and read some material about the function and value of the study of literature in English in the first place. Authors may include William Shakespeare, Anne Bradstreet, John Milton, and Aphra Behn.