Modules
Ancient Texts and their Interpretation (CLAM077)
| Staff | Dr Mathura Umachandran - Lecturer |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 15 |
| ECTS Value | 7.5 |
| NQF Level | 7 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
The module aims to:
- Enrich and extend your knowledge and understanding of ancient literature through sustained focus on particular ancient texts, with an emphasis on discussion and debate
- Develop your skills in literary criticism through close analysis
- Engage where appropriate with a range of theoretical approaches
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of the prescribed text(s), and evaluate and discuss their significance
- 2. Identify and explain relevant theoretical approaches to ancient literature, and demonstrate how they may be appropriately applied
- 3. Demonstrate awareness of the extent to which interpretations of ancient literature are shaped by changing modern concerns
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. Demonstrate sophisticated critical and analytical skills which can be applied to the analysis of texts from any culture
- 5. Demonstrate appreciation of the issues involved in using ancient texts as historical source material and relate texts to their socio-historical context
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 6. Through research for seminars and written assignments demonstrate advanced independent and group study skills in research, critical analysis, and presentation of findings
- 7. Through writing essays, delivering informal presentations, and preparing for seminars, demonstrate advanced ability to select and organise relevant material to produce an argument
- 8. Through written assignments, informal seminar presentations and discussion, demonstrate advanced ability to present a strong, coherent argument in both oral and written forms
- 9. Through online forums demonstrate ability to respond to the ideas and suggestions of others in a critical, constructive, and academically grounded way
Syllabus plan
Whilst the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:
- The module will take the form of week by week readings of selections from the set texts (to be decided by the module leaders). The emphasis will be on close reading, with consideration of different critical and interpretative approaches where appropriate, such as feminist theory, new materialism, postcolonialism etc.
- Set texts will vary from year to year, but will focus on key literature not otherwise taught on undergraduate programmes in the Department of Classics and Ancient History (e.g. Horace’s Odes), supplemented by selections from other ancient literature.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 135 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching | 15 | Intensive seminar and reading group activity |
| Guided Independent Study | 135 | Students working independently and in groups preparing for seminars and essays |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Close study of key primary and secondary texts, with broader discussions of issues | Weekly | 1-8 | Oral feedback from module leader(s) and peers |
| Weekly submissions to the online forums (to include some submissions of between 300-400 words) | Weekly | 1-9 | Online feedback from peers and module leader(s) |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 80 | 4000 words | 1-8 | Mark; written and oral comments |
| Online forum comment (self-selected and submitted from those published in forum) | 10 | 300-400 words | 1-9 | Mark; written comments from module leader(s) |
| Online forum comment (self-selected and submitted from those published in forum) | 10 | 300-400 words | 1-8 | Mark; written comments from module leader(s) |
| 0 | ||||
| 0 | ||||
| 0 |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forum comment | Forum comment | 1-9 | Referral/deferral period |
| Forum comment | Forum comment | 1-9 | Referral/deferral period |
| Essay | Essay | 1-8 | 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 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Indicative reading includes:
- L. Dubreuil, ‘What Is Literature’s Now?’ New Literary History, Vol. 38 No. 1, 2007, pp. 43-70.
- C. S. Kraus and C. Stray, eds. Classical Commentaries: Explorations in a Scholarly Genre. Oxford, 2015.
- D. Schaps, Handbook for Classical Research. Routledge, 2010.
- T. Schmitz, Modern Literary Theory and Ancient Texts: An Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell, 2007.
- J. P. Sullivan and I. J. F. de Jong, Modern Critical Theory and Classical Literature. Brill, 2018.
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
01/01/2019
Last revision date
27/04/2023
Key words search
Classics, literature, literary criticism, theory