Undergraduate Course: Introduction to Classics (LLLE07043)
Course Outline
| School | Centre for Open Learning |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 7 (Year 1 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | An introduction to the history and literature of ancient Greece and Rome, . This course will be based on the study of extracts in translation from key Classical authors, such as Virgil, Sophocles and Ovid. Students will gain an understanding of the texts studied and their cultural and historical significance, and will use the texts to ask questions about the politics, culture and society of ancient Greece and Rome. The course will encourage students to develop their skills of close source analysis and critical thinking. |
| Course description |
This introduction to Classics begins with more accessible texts and themes, in preparation for more complex texts and ideas later in the course. For example, Ovid is a good introduction because his text is very accessible, yet introduces students to the subtlety and sophistication of ancient myth. This prepares students for the greater challenges which Sophocles presents at this level. Studying these authors gives a greater appreciation of the more expansive writing of Herodotus, and of the mythos - logos transition. In this way, it is possible for students more readily to discover for themselves the comparisons and contrasts between texts, within the confines of a 10-week, 10 credit course.
The course will include lectures, seminar discussion and one-to-one discussion of the course and formative assessment to feedforward to the final assessment. Students will be introduced to a range of sources and will develop their critical analysis skills during lectures and group discussion.
The course will cover the following topics:
1. Introduction to Classics: the ancient world and its importance
What is "Classics"? What is its value and relevance to our culture and society in the twenty first century?
2. Ovid: The Metamorphoses - selected stories
Introduction to myth. How myth works, and its significance then and now.
3. Sophocles: Oedipus the King
Greek tragedy and its enduring importance. The psychological and political significance of Oedipus the King.
4. Aristotle and contemporary responses to Oedipus the King
How tragedy works. The importance of tragedy in ancient Athens.
5. Herodotus and the beginnings of History
The transition from mythical understanding to rational understanding of the past. "History" and ethnography.
6. Herodotus and the Second Persian Invasion of Greece
The scale of Xerxes - Invasion; Spartan military culture and the Battle of Thermopylae.
7. Virgil and the Epic Tradition/ The Aeneid
The Homeric inheritance, and the importance of the Trojan War in Virgil's founding myth.
8. Virgil's The Aeneid - Books 1-4
The journey of Aeneas from Troy to Carthage.
9. Introduction to Rome in the first century AD.
Roman politics and society under Augustus and Tiberius.
10. Suetonius on the reign of Caligula.
The "Mad" emperor, and the psychology and politics of his reign of terror.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Academic year 2019/20, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 16 |
| Course Start |
Lifelong Learning - Session 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
2,000-word essay to be submitted after the end of the course (100%).
Formative exercise of an essay plan submitted mid-way through the course. |
| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback for their formative assessment (essay plan), submitted mid-way through the course. They may discuss this with the tutor; students may contact the tutor for an informal discussion of progress at any time in the term. Students will receive written feedback on their coursework and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser by appointment. |
| No Exam Information |
|
| Academic year 2019/20, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
|
Quota: 16 |
| Course Start |
Lifelong Learning - Session 3 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 20,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
78 )
|
| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
|
| Additional Information (Assessment) |
2,000-word essay to be submitted after the end of the course (100%).
Formative exercise of an essay plan submitted mid-way through the course. |
| Feedback |
Students will receive written feedback for their formative assessment (essay plan), submitted mid-way through the course. They may discuss this with the tutor; students may contact the tutor for an informal discussion of progress at any time in the term. Students will receive written feedback on their coursework and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser by appointment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of coursework as required, knowledge and understanding of the set texts, their genres, and the periods in which they were written
- demonstrate, by way of coursework as required, an ability to analyse the primary sources in translation, and to handle critically the secondary sources
- demonstrate, by way of coursework as required, an ability to conduct research and to structure ideas
|
Reading List
Extracts from the set texts will be provided on the tutor's website: www.glaucon.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk.
Aristotle, The Poetics. A. Kenny, ed. and tr., 2013. Oxford: OUP.
Herodotus, The Histories. C. Dewald ed., R. Waterfield tr., 2008. Oxford: OUP
Ovid, Metamorphoses. E.J. Kenney ed., A.D Melville tr., 2008. Oxford: OUP.
Sophocles, Oedipus the King. E. Hall ed., 2008. Oxford: OUP.
Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars. C. Edwards ed., 2008. Oxford: OUP.
Virgil, Aeneid. E. Fantham ed., F. Ahl tr., 2008. Oxford: OUP.
Summaries and background reading written by the tutor will be available on the website.
For additional background reading the following are recommended:
Kelly, C., 2006. The Roman Empire: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Poole, A., 2005. Tragedy: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Roberts, J., 2011. Herodotus: A Very Short Introduction. Oxford: Oxford University Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Critical thinking.
Handling and analysis of sources.
Oral discussion.
Time management. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Sally Crumplin
Tel:
Email: Sally.Crumplin@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Kameliya Skerleva
Tel: (0131 6)51 1855
Email: Kameliya.Skerleva@ed.ac.uk |
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