THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Postgraduate (History, Classics and Archaeology)

Postgraduate Course: A Topic in Ancient History 2 (PGHC11433)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course aims to introduce students to the study of a particular topic in Ancient History, focussing especially on methodological and source-oriented issues. The topic is chosen by the courser organiser for each outing of the course. Topics may include (but are not restricted to) larger areas of study, such as 'The Roman economy', 'Diet in the ancient world', or 'Ancient imperialism'.
Course description The core aim of the course is to teach students how to approach the study of a defined topic, how to access the relevant sources and the modern debate, and how to identify important questions and understudied areas within the study of the relevant topic. Students will also learn how the studied topic relates to other areas of ancient and modern history, as well as the study of the ancient world more generally. Specific thematic information for each outing of this course will be provided during the course selection process.
There is no predetermined contextual syllabus because the teaching schedule will change with each outing of the course depending on the chosen course topic. The schedule given here is indicative of the methodological and source-based issues covered in this course:

W1: Introduction: evidence and models in ancient history
W2: Approaching the topic: the modern historiography
W3: The evidence: literary sources
W4: The evidence: epigraphic evidence
W5: The evidence: archaeological evidence
W6: Viewpoints: geography
W7: Viewpoints: chronology
W8: Viewpoints: gender
W9: Viewpoints: class
W10: Beyond ancient history: the topic in other periods
W11: Conclusion: looking at the wider context
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  9
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 174 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 0 %, Coursework 100 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework: 100%
Coursework consisting normally of one research essay of 4,000-5,000 words. Depending on the course topic, the coursework may be split into two shorter assignments by the course organiser.
Feedback Not entered
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. Demonstrate in coursework and class discussion a familiarity with a range of evidence - esp. literary, epigraphic, archaeological - for the study of the course topic
  2. Demonstrate in coursework and class discussion the ability to engage critically with the both the relevant ancient evidence and the modern debate
  3. Demonstrate in coursework and class discussion an understanding of the different modern approaches to the study of the course topic and the topic's interrelatedness with the study of other topics in ancient history
  4. Demonstrate in coursework and class discussion the ability to conduct a sustained individual inquiry into a particular aspect of the course topic (in the coursework essay)
Reading List
There is no predetermined reading list because the bibliography will change with each outing of the course depending on the chosen course topic. A number of seminal methodological and source-oriented studies will be employed for each outing of the course though:

R.S. Bagnall, Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History. London and NY, 1995

J. Bodel, Epigraphic Evidence: Ancient History from Inscriptions. London, NY 2001.

M.H. Crawford (ed.), Sources for Ancient History. Cambridge, 1984

C. W. Hedrick, Ancient History: Monuments and Documents. Oxford, 2006.

K. Hopkins, 'Rules of evidence', JRS 68 (1978), 178-86

C. Howgego, Ancient History from Coins. London and NY. 1995

M.I. Finley, Ancient History: Evidence and Models. London, 1985.

C. Pelling, Literary Texts and the Greek Historian. London and NY, 1999

D.S. Potter, Literary Texts and the Roman Historian. London and New York, 1999.

O.F. Robinson, The Sources of Roman Law: Problems and Method for Ancient Historians. London and NY, 1996.

D.M. Schaps, Handbook for Classical Research (Routledge, 2010)
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Handbook-Classical-Research-David-Schaps/dp/0415425239
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
KeywordsTopic,Ancient History,2
Contacts
Course organiserDr Jason Porter
Tel:
Email: jason.porter@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMiss Danielle Jeffery
Tel: (0131 6)50 7128
Email: Danielle.Jeffery@ed.ac.uk
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