Undergraduate Course: Classical Receptions (CLTR10017)

Course Outline
School	School of History, Classics and Archaeology	College	College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)	SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate)	Availability	Available to all students
SCQF Credits	20	ECTS Credits	10
Summary	The art, literature and mythology of the classical world has occupied a singularly privileged place in the works of later writers, artists and architects from ancient times to the present day. This course examines the various ways in which post-classical and contemporary writers and/or artists have read, appropriated, translated, re-imagined, and re-contextualised classical art and literature. We will look at how and for what reasons classical literature and material culture have been differently understood and differently employed by later writers and/or artists and how the later readings open up new ways of understanding the ancient world.
Course description	In 2025-26 this course will focus on instances of Classical Reception in Scotland. Beginning with the traces left behind by the Romans in Scotland, we shall consider responses to classical art, architecture, literature, history and mythology from the Middle Ages to the present day. Authors studied will include Robert Henryson, William Dunbar, Gavin Douglas, George Buchanan, Walter Scott, Thomas Carlyle, Douglas Young and Liz Lochhead. Attention will also be paid to the Greek Revival in Scottish architecture, represented by the works of Robert Adam, William Playfair and Alexander "Greek" Thomson in Edinburgh, Glasgow and elsewhere. Other topics are likely to include appropriations of classical material during the Renaissance, the period of the Jacobite Risings, and the Scottish Enlightenment.

Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites		Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations		Other requirements	Students must have passed 2 of the following 2nd year courses: Ancient History 2a: Past and Present in the Ancient World (ANHI08014 or ANHI08007), Ancient History 2b: Themes and Theories in Ancient History (ANHI08013), Classical Literature 2: Greek and Roman Epic (CLTR08008)

Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisites	Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics related subject matter(at least 2 of which should be in Classical Literature) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course?	Yes

Course Delivery Information

Academic year 2025/26, Available to all students (SV1)		Quota: 0
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Coursework: 3500 word essay (50%) Exam: 2 hour exam (50%)
Feedback	Students will receive written feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment.
Exam Information
Exam Diet	Paper Name		Minutes
Main Exam Diet S1 (December)			120

Academic year 2025/26, Part-year visiting students only (VV1)		Quota: 2
Course Start	Semester 1
Timetable	Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info)	Total Hours: 200 ( Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22, Summative Assessment Hours 2, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 172 )
Assessment (Further Info)	Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment)	Coursework: 3500 word essay (50%) Exam: 2 hour exam (50%)
Feedback	Students will receive written feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment.
No Exam Information

Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to: demonstrate a reasoned understanding of the theory and practice of Reception Studies; read, analyse and reflect critically upon key scholarship in the field; understand, evaluate and utilise a range of ancient and modern sources; demonstrate a critical awareness of the aesthetic, intellectual or political importance of instances of Classical Reception.

Reading List
Allen, N. (ed.) (1984) Scottish Pioneers of the Greek Revival Brown, I. G. (2022) Auld Greekie: Edinburgh as the Athens of the North Corbett, J. (1999) Written in the Language of the Scottish Nation: A History of Literary Translation into Scots Crawford, R. (2006) Apollos of the North: Selected Poems of George Buchanan and Arthur Johnston Crawford, R. (2007) Scotland¿s Books: The Penguin History of Scottish Literature Douglas, G. (2013) The Aeneid [Eneados] (ed. G. Kendal; first published 1553) Houghton, L. B. T. and Manuwald, G. (eds.) (2012) Neo-Latin Poetry in the British Isles Keppie, L. J. F. (2004) The Legacy of Rome: Scotland's Roman Remains MacQueen, J. (ed.) (1990) Humanism in Renaissance Scotland Montgomery, A. (2020) Classical Caledonia: Roman History and Myth in Eighteenth-Century Scotland Petrina, A. and Johnson, I. (eds.) (2018) The Impact of Latin Culture on Medieval and Early Modern Scottish Writing Reid, S. J. and McOmish, D. (eds.) (2017) Neo-Latin Literature and Literary Culture in Early Modern Scotland Scott, W. (2009) The Antiquary (ed. N. Watson; first published 1816) Youngson, A. J. (1988) The Making of Classical Edinburgh, 1750-1840

Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills	Not entered
Special Arrangements	In order for a student from outwith Classics to be enrolled, contact must be made with a Course Secretary on 50 3580 in order for approval to be obtained.
Keywords	Classical Receptions

Contacts
Course organiser	Dr Lilah Canevaro Tel: Email: L.G.Canevaro@ed.ac.uk	Course secretary	Miss Annabel Samson Tel: (0131 6)50 3783 Email: Annabel.Stobie@ed.ac.uk