| Unit name | The Trojan War in Ancient Literature |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS30026 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Costantini |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
The Trojan War forms the subject of our earliest ancient Greek poem, the Iliad, and remains a recognisable and resonant myth up until to the present day. In this unit we will consider how and why writers throughout Greco-Roman antiquity continued to turn to the idea of Trojan War in order to articulate crucial questions and concepts of identity, heroism, political behaviour, gender, lament and commemoration. By analysing a series of core texts, including evidence for the lost Trojan Epic Cycle, selected Greek tragedies and extracts from later Greek and Roman epic, students will be introduced to a chronologically wide range of Trojan receptions, and gain an understanding of the process by which this mythical material could be endlessly adapted to suit its new generic, social and political contexts.
Aims:
To acquire detailed knowledge of a chronologically broad range of literary texts which engage with Trojan War mythology;
To analyse how these literary receptions re-interpet Trojan War mythology, and how this relates to their own contexts of production;
To develop critical interaction with primary and secondary materials;
To develop written presentation skills through the course assessment.
By the end of the unit students will have:
(1) Acquired in-depth knowledge and critical understanding of key texts from Greek and Roman antiquity relating to the theme of the Trojan War.
(2) Acquired the ability to recognise and analyse how these texts may be situated within wider literary and intellectual traditions.
(3) Developed the ability to explain and analyse scholarly approaches to the reception of mythology, and to apply these approaches to their interpretation of the set texts.
Students will also be expected to show:
(4) skills in critical thinking and in written communication appropriate to level H.
Classes will involve a combination of long- and short-form lectures, class and small-group discussion, and practical activities. Students will be expected to engage with readings and participate on a weekly basis. This will be further supported with drop-in sessions and self-directed exercises with tutor and peer feedback.
1 x 2 hour seminar and 1 x 1 hour seminar per week
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative)
One 3,000-word essay (summative, 100%) [testing ILOs 1-4].
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. CLAS30026).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
