Modules
Cultural Transformations in Late Antiquity (CLAM104)
Staff | Dr Richard Flower - Convenor |
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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
This module will give you the opportunity to engage closely with important texts from late antiquity, including many with which you were probably previously unfamiliar. It will help you to think about the subtleties of change and continuity during this period through a nuanced exploration of both the literary products that were created and also the competing influences and concerns that contributed to their formation. This format will therefore allow you to marry the ‘historical’ and the ‘literary’ in your analysis of the ancient material.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Knowledge and critical analysis of a range of different forms and examples of literature from late antiquity
- 2. A broader understanding of the history and culture of this period and the ways in which it has been interpreted
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 3. Development of skills in reading and interpreting sophisticated classical texts and placing them within a historical context
- 4. Comprehension of the impact of radical redefinitions of ideologies on social and political discourse and behaviour
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 5. Development of analytical close-reading skills of different types of text and identification and pursuit of the implications of their most significant characteristics within their cultural context
- 6. Ability to present ideas within a clear and focused discussion of a particular topic, combining detailed discussion of a particular theme/issue with an awareness of modern scholarly debate and interpretations
Syllabus plan
Each of the five two-hour seminars will cover a different genre (or genres) of literature, with particular texts being explored in each of the five one-hour reading groups. You will be introduced to histories and chronicles (both ‘religious’ and ’secular’); biographies and hagiographies; panegyrics, invectives and heresiologies; law codes and compilations; and a variety of different poetic innovations (including rewritings of Homer and Virgil in centos).
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
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15 | 135 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
Category | Hours of study time | Description |
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Scheduled learning and teaching | 15 | Intensive seminar and reading group teaching |
Guided independent study | 135 | Working independently and in groups in preparation for seminars and essays |
Formative assessment
Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Close study of primary texts and images and of secondary material both individually outside class and in class; whole group discussions and debates arising from these and designed to address issues more broadly | 1-5 | Oral feedback in seminars; further discussion in office hours, if required |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
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80 | 0 | 20 |
Details of summative assessment
Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
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Essay | 80 | 4000 words | 1-6 | Mark; written and oral feedback |
Oral presentation | 20 | 15-20 mins | 1-6 | Mark; written and oral feedback |
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 |
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Essay | Essay | 1-6 | Referral/Deferral period |
Oral presentation | Essay | 1-6 | 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
- P. Rousseau (ed.), A Companion to Late Antiquity, Wiley-Blackwell, 2009.
- S. Johnson (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Late Antiquity, OUP, 2012.
- C. Kelly, R. Flower and M. S. Williams (edd.), Unclassical Traditions, Volume I and II, Cambridge Philological Society, 2010-2011.
- M. Whitby (ed.), The Propaganda of Power: The Role of Panegyric in Late Antiquity, Brill, 1998.
- R. Rees (ed.), Latin Panegyric, OUP, 2012.
- J. Harries and I. Wood (edd.), The Theodosian Code: Studies in the Imperial Law of Late Antiquity, Duckworth, 1993 (2nd edn, 2010).
- S. McGill, Virgil Recomposed: The Mythological and Secular Centos in Antiquity, OUP, 2005.
- T. Hägg and P. Rousseau (edd.), Greek Biography and Panegyric in Late Antiquity, California UP, 2000.
- J. Howard-Johnston and P. A. Hayward (edd.), The Cult of Saints in Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages, OUP, 1999.
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
Feb 2013
Last revision date
29/11/2018