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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2020/2021

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Greek

Undergraduate Course: Greek Prose Texts: Historiography, Oratory and/or Philosophy 1 (GREE10030)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course gives students the opportunity to read in detail in the original a sample of the rich surviving range of ancient Greek texts in prose. The focus will be on texts of interest for studying the political, social and cultural history of ancient Greece, but the texts will also be studied from a literary and linguistic perspective. Texts to be studied in any particular year will be drawn from, for example, historians such as Thucydides, Xenophon or Polybius; orators such as Lysias and Demosthenes; and philosophers such as Plato and Aristotle.
Course description This course enables students to study in detail in the original samples of the rich range of ancient Greek works of historiography, rhetoric and/or philosophy. Texts will be selected which give students the opportunity to study and debate ancient Greek history, politics, society and ethics, including themes such as nature, culture, law, democracy and virtue. The texts will normally be studied primarily from a historical point of view, though philosophical concerns will become more prominent when the course concentrates on Plato and/or Aristotle. All texts will also be studied from a literary, textual and linguistic perspective. The first iteration of this course will focus on the fifth-century BC historian Thucydides and his History of the Peloponnesian War, an exceptionally rich and influential work of history. In this version of the course, students will study samples of Thucydides' work, such as his representations of tumultuous debates in the political assembly of democratic Athens; his narratives of the complex relationships between large and small Greek cities; and his more theoretical reflections about history, politics, culture and character. In future versions of this course, the focus will be on other Greek historians, such as Xenophon or Polybius, or on works of oratory or philosophy, by authors such as Demosthenes or Plato.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: ( Greek 2A (GREE08007) OR Greek 2a Ex-Beginners (GREE08009)) AND Greek 2B (GREE08008)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements Students must have passed Greek 2a (or Greek 2a Ex-Beginners) and Greek 2b, or at the discretion of the course organisers.
Additional Costs c. £20, i.e. the cost of buying own copy of set texts (e.g. the two volumes of the Oxford Classical Text of Thucydides)
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesAdvanced-level ability in Greek language and literature, equivalent to two years' study at the University of Edinburgh (if uncertain, consult the course organiser).
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate, in class discussion, coursework and examination as required, that they can confidently translate and interpret ancient Greek prose texts;
  2. demonstrate, in class discussion, coursework and examination as required, a sound understanding of the social, literary and cultural role of different prose genres in the ancient Greek world, including historiography, oratory and/or philosophy;
  3. demonstrate, in class discussion, coursework and examination as required, that they understand how the close study of ancient Greek prose texts can illuminate ancient Greek political, social, cultural and intellectual history;
  4. demonstrate, in class discussion, coursework and examination as required, that they understand how to find and use modern scholarship and commentaries to enrich the close study of ancient Greek prose texts, and their historical context and importance;
  5. demonstrate, in class discussion, coursework and examination as required, that they can discuss and debate issues in ancient Greek history and culture, drawing on the evidence of the language and content of significant ancient Greek prose texts.
Reading List
The core bibliography for this course will vary from year to year, depending on the author(s) chosen as its focus. A new bibliography will be submitted for display in Euclid on each occasion. The following list is the indicative bibliography for the first iteration of this course, concentrating on Thucydides.

Text: Oxford Classical Text of Thucydides (eds. H.S. Jones and J.E. Powell), two volumes

Translation:
Hammond, M., with introduction and notes by P.J. Rhodes, Thucydides: The Peloponnesian War (Oxford: World Classics, 2009).

Commentaries:
Gomme, A.W., Andrewes, A., and Dover, K.J., A Historical Commentary on Thucydides (five volumes, Oxford 1945-1981). Hornblower, S., A Commentary on Thucydides (three volumes, Oxford 1991-2008).
Rhodes, P.J., Thucydides History, Book I (2014), Book II (1988), Book III (1994), Books IV.1-V.24 (1998) (Aris and Phillips).

Key General Works:
Rusten, J.S. (ed.), Oxford Readings in Classical Studies: Thucydides (Oxford 2009).
Hornblower, S., Thucydides (Johns Hopkins 1987).
Loraux, N., The Invention of Athens (Cambridge, MA, 1986).
Marincola, J., 'Thucydides', pp. 61-104 in id., New Surveys in the Classics: Greek Historiography (Oxford 2001).
Rengakos, A., and Tsakmakis, A. (eds.), Brill's Companion to Thucydides (Leiden 2006).
Rhodes, P.J. 2005. A History of the Classical Greek World: 478-323 BC (Oxford).
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills Not entered
Special Arrangements In order for a student from outwith Classics to be enrolled on this course, contact must be made with a Course Secretary on 50 3582 in order for approval to be obtained.
KeywordsGreek Prose Texts,Historiography,Oratory,Philosophy
Contacts
Course organiserDr Benjamin Gray
Tel:
Email: b.gray@bbk.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Elaine Hutchison
Tel: (0131 6)50 3582
Email: E.Hutchison@ed.ac.uk
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