Unit name | Tragedy and Self |
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Unit code | CLASM0051 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | M/7 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
Unit director | Dr. Lampe |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why does Iphigenia’s change of heart, in Euripides Iphigenia in Aulis, strike Aristotle as wildly improbable? Why does Epictetus believe that the tyrant cannot threaten a wise man? When Odysseus asks Sophocles’ Philoctetes, “Give me yourself,” what is Philoctetes supposed to give? All of these questions provoke us to think about what makes someone who they are. “Selfhood” is a hot topic in philosophy and cultural theory today, but rather than engaging the contemporary debate head-on, in this unit we’ll approach it through Greek tragedy. In fact, in most instances we will find that the reception of Greek tragedy has been instrumental in the formulation of theories of selfhood. Hence we will be able simultaneously to develop more sophisticated ways of understanding what makes us who we are and richer enjoyment of some of antiquity’s most famous dramas. We will also sample modern cinema and drama, including Heinrich von Kleist’s Penthesilea, Charles Mee’s Orestes 2.0, and Slavoj Zizek’s The Pervert’s Guide to Cinema.
Note: Mee's tragedy includes potentially offensive language and content
By the end of this unit, students should:
power of words),
Mini-lectures (approximately 30 minutes) and seminars (including short student presentations)
Summative Assessment: one essay of 5,000 words
Formative Assessment: feedback on oral presentation