Impact of Greek Culture
| Module title | Impact of Greek Culture |
|---|---|
| Module code | CLA3256 |
| Academic year | 2019/0 |
| Credits | 15 |
| Module staff | Dr Daniel King (Convenor) |
| Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Duration: Weeks | 11 |
| Number students taking module (anticipated) | 17 |
|---|
Module description
How did Greek culture interact with other non-Greek cultures in the ancient world? In this module, you will be able to examine both the historical phenomenon of cultural interaction, but also raise questions about your own assumptions about the importance, and ‘impact’ of Greek culture. This course will investigate cultural interaction in a number of historical contexts: Ptolemaic Egypt; Jewish literature from the Hellenistic and Roman periods; the last century of the Roman republic; and Imperial Greek culture of the second/third centuries AD. In examining these contexts, it will also ask you to ask questions how cultural interaction is represented not only by ancient authorities, but also by the modern academy and contemporary political and social debates. You will be given a considerable amount of freedom to formulate your own questions and investigate the ‘impact’ of Greek culture in various research projects. While there are no co-requisites for this course, the Reception of Greek Culture follows on from it nicely: CLA3258.
Module aims - intentions of the module
This module has two aims:
- Firstly, it intends to critically engage with the question of interaction between Greek and non-Greek cultures in the ancient world. To do this, it will look at the phenomenon from a cultural-historical perspective, exploring the forms, strategies, contexts of interaction between Greek and non-Greek cultures, and the way this reaction was represented by different participants.
- Secondly, it aims to critically assess the concept of Greek ‘impact’ on other cultures. Should we understand cultural interaction as ‘impact’? Are our questions and critical frameworks appropriate? Do tell us more about Greek culture’s significance in our world, than allow us to effectively understand an ancient historical phenomenon?
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Engage critically with concepts such as philhellenism hellenisation and multiculturalism
- 2. Appreciate the particular social and political context surrounding the cultural interaction between Greeks and non-Greeks, especially Romans
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 3. Approach a broad theme from different angles, drawing the pertinent connections
- 4. Show familiarity and confidence in obtaining and using suitable information sources
- 5. Demonstrate critical engagement with a range of primary and secondary literature
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Employ critical reasoning and independent thought; demonstrate ability to construct clear and coherent arguments from complex data and communicate those arguments in oral and written form
- 7. Develop your interpersonal and team working skills through study groups and peer interaction
Syllabus plan
The module develops two primary strands of enquiry. It will begin by outlining some of the critical concepts which impact on how (and why) we are interested in the Impact of Greek Culture: these will include self-reflexive questions about the relationship between politics, modern identity and the notion of Greek culture in the west and in the academy; ‘Cultural Hybridity’, ‘multiculturalism’, and ‘Hellenisation’, ‘Reception Theory’. These concepts will be critically examined within a number of case-studies of cultural interaction within the ancient world. These case-studies will include the library at Alexandria and Ptolemaic Alexandria; Jewish literature of the Hellenistic period; Roman literature of the last century BC; and Greek Imperial culture.
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 22 | 128 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 22 | 1 x 2 hour seminar per week |
| Guided independent study | 128 | Independent study |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentation/discussion | 10-20 minutes | 1-5 | Oral comment; peer comment |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 90 | 0 | 10 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research essay | 80 | 4000 words | 1-7 | Mark with written feedback |
| Oral presentation | 10 | 1 x 10 minutes | 1-7 | Mark with written feedback |
| Various research exercises | 10 | Take home (in first weeks of term) | 1-5 | Mark with written 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research essay | Research essay | 1-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Research exercises | Research exercises | 1-7 | Referral/Deferral period |
| Oral presentation | Written transcript of the presentation that would have been given, along with the handout | 1-7 | 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
- Erskine, A. (ed.) (2003) A Companion to the Hellenistic World (Blackwell).
- Kuhrt, A. & Sherwin-White, S. (eds.) (1987) Hellenism in the East (Berkeley).
- Kuhrt, A. & Sherwin-White, S. (eds.) (1993) From Samarkhand to Sardis (Berkeley).
- Whitmarsh, T. & Thomson, S (eds.) (2013) The Romance Between Greece and the East (CUP).
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
| Credit value | 15 |
|---|---|
| Module ECTS | 7.5 |
| Module pre-requisites | None |
| Module co-requisites | None |
| NQF level (module) | 6 |
| Available as distance learning? | No |
| Origin date | 14/01/2013 |
| Last revision date | 27/11/2018 |