Modules
The World(s) of Didactic Poetry (CLA3118)
| Staff | Dr Irene Salvo - |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 30 |
| ECTS Value | 15 |
| NQF Level | 6 |
| Pre-requisites | The successful completion of at least 90 credits at Level 2, 30 credits of which must be in Classics and Ancient History. |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; Term 2: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
This module aims to:
- Explore an exciting range of didactic poetry against, with, and through the relevant literary, socio-cultural, philosophical and political contexts
- Consider whether there is any thematic unity to the genre known as ‘didactic’
- Discuss a range of topics generated from the material, from the deep and meaningful (what is the nature of reality?) to the seemingly lighter (just where would one pick up a partner in ancient Rome?)
- Learn about a wide range of mythology, such as the birth of the Olympians, the Golden Age, Orpheus and Eurydice
- Assess the juxtaposition of ‘scientific’ explanations with ‘mythological’ explanations
- Offer a way of reflecting on modern concerns against and alongside ancient material
- Provide an opportunity to produce a creative, reflective, and critical piece which explores non-traditional academic form
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Demonstrate knowledge of a wide range of didactic poetic texts, and discuss them in detail
- 2. Identify key themes and ideas that emerge across the various texts, and evaluate the intra- and intertextual significance
- 3. Demonstrate a good knowledge of generic interplay and literary conventions in didactic, and offer arguments as to whether didactic has unifying features
- 4. Describe and evaluate what the texts can tell us about ancient culture, politics, and philosophy
- 5. Demonstrate a subjective and critical response to selections from the texts
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 6. Demonstrate an enhanced understanding of the issues involved in reading ancient texts in translation and use commentaries and secondary literature to enhance your understanding and appreciation of ancient texts
- 7. Engage with and debate the relationship between the composition of literature and the society within which it is created
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 8. Select and organise relevant material to produce an argument
- 9. Respond to the ideas and suggestions of others in a critical, constructive, and academically grounded way
- 10. Work independently and in small groups to formulate, construct and defend arguments (both in written form and orally), and draw on a body of knowledge in order to respond to the arguments of others
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, we will cover some or all of the following authors:
- Hesiod
- Aratus
- Nicander
- Lucretius
- Virgil
- Manilius
- Ovid
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 256 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 44 | 1 x 2 hour seminar per week |
| Guided Independent Study | 256 | Independent study |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Participation in discussion online or in person | Regular group presentations online or in class | 1-10 | Oral feedback from lecturer and peers |
| Online forum comments | 350-450 words each, regular contributions throughout year | 1-10 | Written and oral comments from lecturer and peers |
| Submission of essay draft ahead of deadline, and anonymous review of peer essay drafts (submitted via Turnitin peer review) | Randomly allocated c. 3 essays to review | 9-10 | Receive c. 3 sets of comments and critical feedback on your own essay from peers |
| Outline of creative/reflective piece (to be submitted in first week of term 2) | 250 words | 1-8 | Written feedback from lecturer |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | 0 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Online forum comment (self-selected and submitted from those published in forum). Submitted in term 1. | 10 | 350-450 words | 1-10 | Mark and written feedback |
| Online forum comment (self-selected and submitted from those published in forum). Submitted in term 1 | 10 | 350-450 words | 1-10 | Mark and written feedback |
| Essay | 40 | 3000 words | 1-9 | Mark and written feedback |
| Reflective/creative piece | 40 | Equivalent of 3000 words, depending on medium | 1-8 | Mark and written comments |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Reflective/creative piece | Reflective/creative piece | 1-8 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Online forum comments | Online forum comments | 1-10 | Referral/Deferral period |
Re-assessment notes
Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.
Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading:
- Atherton, C. (ed.). (1997) Form and Content in Didactic Poetry, Bari.
- Kenney, E.J. "The typology of didactic," CR 29 (1979) 71-73.
- Gale, M. (ed.). (2004) Latin Epic and Didactic Poetry, Swansea.
- Hutchinson, G. O. (2008) Talking Books. Readings in Hellenistic and Roman Books of Poetry, Oxford
- Sider, D. (2014) ‘Didactic poetry: The Hellenistic invention of a pre-existing genre’, in Hunter,
- R., Rengakos, A., and Sistakou, E. (2014) (eds) Hellenistic Studies at a Crossroads:
- Exploring Texts, Contexts and Metatexts, Berlin and New York, 13–29
- Toohey, P. (1996) Epic Lessons. An Introduction to Ancient Didactic Poetry, London.
- Volk, K. (2002) The Poetics of Latin Didactic: Lucretius, Vergil, Ovid, Manilius, Oxford.
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
03/03/2016
Last revision date
17/02/2022
Key words search
Classics, Latin, Didactic, Literature