• Home
• Study
• Study Information
• Modules
• Module Information

Sexuality and Gender in the Ancient World

Module description

Are sexuality and gender a matter of nature or of culture? Are our ideas about what it means to be “masculine” or “feminine” different from those of the ancient Greeks and Romans? How do our notions of romantic love compare? Were there ‘gays’ in the ancient world? What difference might the answers to these questions make to our understanding of our own cultures and experiences? This module is theoretically challenging, tackling modern debates about human sex and sexuality from a historical perspective, and examining in detail a wide range of different texts and images which provide us with evidence about sexual practices, beliefs and ideologies in the ancient world – from erotica on pots to legal texts, from religious rituals to sex manuals. We will also explore the way that interpretation of this ancient “evidence” has continued to change over the past two hundred years, as it is shaped by the evolving beliefs, prejudices, anxieties and fantasies of the modern world. We will use the ancient material as a starting point for discussion of important and engaging themes such as prostitution, pornography, the ideal marriage, sexual fidelity, pederasty and paedophilia, rape, virginity and sexual pleasure and desire. 

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aims of this module are:

• To examine in detail a wide range of texts and images which provide us with evidence about sexual practices, beliefs and ideologies in the ancient world.

• To explore the way interpretation of this ancient “evidence” has continued to change over the past two hundred years, as it is shaped by the evolving beliefs, prejudices, anxieties and fantasies of the modern world.

• To consider modern debates about, and theoretical approaches to, sexuality and gender and how these relate to the ancient material.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Demonstrate a detailed knowledge of a wide range of sources relating to sex, sexuality and gender, and evaluate and discuss their significance
• 2. Identify and explain the various theoretical approaches to gender and sexuality in the ancient world, and demonstrate awareness of the subject’s central themes and issues
• 3. Demonstrate awareness of the extent to which interpretations of ancient material relating to the themes of sex and gender are shaped by changing modern concerns
• 4. Demonstrate a good knowledge of the history and variety of scholarship on sexuality and gender in antiquity and an understanding of how this scholarship can inform your own interpretation of the sources

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 5. Demonstrate sophisticated critical and analytical skills which can be applied to the analysis of material from any culture
• 6. Demonstrate appreciation of the issues involved in using ancient texts and images as historical source material and relate sources to their socio-historical context

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 7. Demonstrate advanced independent and group study skills in research, critical analysis, and the presentation of findings
• 8. Demonstrate advanced ability to select and organise relevant material to produce an argument
• 9. Demonstrate an advanced level of communication skills, both orally and in writing, including confidence and clarity in public speaking
• 10. Demonstrate enhanced ability to reflect on your own work, to respond constructively to feedback, and to implement suggestions and improve work on the basis of feedback

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:

• Term 1: Introductory sessions – modern debates and ancient materials; student-led seminars, each focusing on a different Ancient Greek source in roughly chronological order from the Homeric Hymns to Aristotle and Xenophon.
• Term 2:  Student-led seminars covering material from ancient Rome, from foundation myths to the Greek imperial writers Plutarch and Lucian. 

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

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

Useful course textbook (purchase recommended, available online through the library):

• Skinner, M.B. Sexuality in Greek and Roman Culture, 2005.

A wide selection of set texts is available on ELE and through the online library.  

Indicative further reading:

• Allison Surtees and Jennifer Dyer (ed.) Exploring gender diversity in the ancient world (Edinburgh 2020)
• Anna Clark, Desire: a history of European sexuality. (Routledge, 2008).
• John R. Clarke, Looking at Lovemaking: constructions of sexuality in Roman Art 100 BC – AD 250 (California 1998).
• James Davidson, Courtesans and Fishcakes: the consuming passions of classical Athens (1997).
• David Halperin, How to do the history of homosexuality. (Chicago, 2002).
• Laura McClure (ed.), (2002) Sexuality and gender in the classical world readings and sources. Oxford Blackwell.
• Mark Masterson, (ed) Exploring Gender and Sexuality in the Ancient World. (2014)
• Thomas K. Hubbard (ed.), Homosexuality in Greece and Rome. A Sourcebook of Basic Documents. University of California Press, 2003.
• Marguerite Johnson and Terry Ryan, Sexuality in Greek and Roman society and literature: a sourcebook (Routledge, 2005).

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11136
  

The module has an ELE page; much of the source material and secondary reading is available here in electronic form.

Key words search

Classics, Sexuality, Gender, Ancient World