Undergraduate Course: Religion and the Gods in Classical Greek Culture (CLGE10015)
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 | Gods and religious practices are among the most fascinating and prominent aspects of ancient Greek culture. This course dives deeply into the religious practices and ideas of the ancient Greeks, and explores how these are reflected in classical Greek literature. |
| Course description |
This course examines religious practices and conceptions in classical Greece, especially in fifth-century Athens but also beyond. The first half of the course introduces students to Greek religious practices (e.g. sacrifice, prayer, sanctuaries, festivals), and to different modern theories that can be used to understand them. The second half of the course looks at Greek religious ideas, and examines how different authors (such as Aeschylus, Euripides and Herodotus) explore and question the religious conceptions of the society in which they lived. Rather than exploring these texts primarily from a literary perspective, this module provides the opportunity to understand how well-known works of classical literature emerged from the culture of which they were part.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | A pass in Classical Literature 2: Greek and Roman Epic (CLTR08008), or equivalent experience at the discretion of the Course Organiser. |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics, History or Archaeology (at least 1 of which should be in Ancient History or 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.
** as numbers are limited, visiting students should contact the Visiting Student Office directly for admission to this course ** |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| 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 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
Two 3,000 word essays (each 50%) |
| Feedback |
Students will receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours for this course or by appointment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- understand a variety of classical Greek religious practices;
- understand modern interpretative approaches used to analyse Greek religion;
- evaluate the relationship between literary texts and religious practices/ideas from the same period;
- compare and evaluate the approaches to religion and the gods taken by different ancient authors;
- think deeply and independently about the nature of religion in classical Greece.
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Reading List
Burkert, W. Greek Religion: Archaic and Classical. Cambridge, MA, 1985.
Eidinow, E. and Kindt., J. (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion. Oxford, 2015.
Harrison, T. Divinity and History: The Religion of Herodotus. Oxford, 2000.
Kearns, E. Ancient Greek Religion: A Sourcebook. Malden, MA, 2009.
Larson, J. Understanding Greek Religion. Abingdon, 2016.
Lefkowitz, M. R. Euripides and the Gods. Oxford, 2013.
Mikalson, J. Honor Thy Gods: Popular Religion in Greek Tragedy. Chapel Hill, 1991.
Ogden, D. (ed.) A Companion to Greek Religion. Chichester, 2007.
Parker, R. C. T. On Greek Religion. Ithaca, NY, 2011.
Parker, R. C. T. Polytheism and Society at Athens. Oxford, 2004.
Sourvinou-Inwood, C. Tragedy and Athenian Religion. Lanham, 2003.
Whitmarsh, T. Battling the Gods: Atheism in the Ancient World. New York, 2015. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
This course encourages students to:
- combine and evaluate different types of evidence in analysing a topic;
- think critically about modern theories for understanding religion and related issues;
- write analytically about complex and unfamiliar concepts;
- advance and discuss viewpoints orally in group contexts. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Benedikt Eckhardt
Tel: (0131 6)50 9110
Email: B.Eckhardt@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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