Cultures of the Body in the Roman Empire
Module title | Cultures of the Body in the Roman Empire |
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Module code | CLAM079 |
Academic year | 2024/5 |
Credits | 15 |
Module staff | Dr Daniel King (Convenor) |
Duration: Term | 1 | 2 | 3 |
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Duration: Weeks | 11 |
Number students taking module (anticipated) | 5 |
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Module description
The body is often assumed to be a natural, unchanging, biologically and genetically determined thing; this module challenges that view by unpacking the complex history of the body in the Roman Empire. It examines the ways in which different cultural discourses approached the male and female body in the Roman Empire, including medicine, philosophy, sporting activity, artistic representation, rhetorical and fictional literature. You will explore not only how different views of the body emerged in different cultural contexts across the Empire, but how these competing approaches intersected and informed one another to construct the ancient physical habitus.
Module aims - intentions of the module
The module has a number of aims:
- To give you a grounding in the history of ancient body, thus exposing you to an important but often under-discussed aspect of ancient culture
- To provide a theoretical grounding in both the practices of critical cultural history and the history of the body which will be relevant to other fields of history generally, but also specifically to the classical world
- To explore key texts in the history of the body in different ancient fields of activity (such as medicine and philosophy, artistic representation, rhetoric)
- To combine textual analysis with other techniques for studying ancient culture, such as the analysis of art
Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)
ILO: Module-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 1. Demonstrate an enhanced degree of expertise in interpreting the ancient body and various relevant ancient discourses of the body
- 2. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of selected topics and issues in the history of the classical body
- 3. Evaluate critically and use a range of theoretical approaches to the ancient body
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 4. Demonstrate expertise in collating and analysing different types of evidence
- 5. Demonstrate critical skills in evaluating scholarly approaches to ancient material, and in developing your own readings and interpretations
ILO: Personal and key skills
On successfully completing the module you will be able to...
- 6. Demonstrate an ability to think independently and analytically on the basis of primary sources and secondary literature
- 7. Demonstrate bibliographical skills and apply the latest forms of information retrieval, word-processing, and oral presentation skills
- 8. Construct, present, and defend a sustained argument, both in written form and orally
- 9. Work with others in an independent, constructive and responsive manner
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:
The module is divided into five topics, each focussed on a particular theme, as identified below.
Indicative Themes:
- Imperial medicine – diagnosis, treatment, and the experience of being healthy
- Perceiving the World – perception and sensory studies of the body
- Shaping the Body – gymnastics, exercises, and fashioning the body
- The body and the gaze – viewing the body in art and literature
- Performing Masculinity – Oratory, performance, and identity
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 | Students 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 of secondary material; small group presentations on primary texts under discussion; whole class discussions and debates | Ongoing | 1-9 | Oral comments from lecturer and peers |
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 | 1-8 | mark; written and oral comments |
Oral presentation (individual; narrated powerpoint, in-person, or a recorded video) | 20 | 20 minutes (equivalent to 2000 words) | 1-9 | mark; written and oral comments |
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0 |
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 | 1-9 | Referral/Deferral period |
Oral presentation (individual; narrated powerpoint in-person, or a recorded video) | Digital presentation (narrated powerpoint, or video recording, or transcript of presentation and visual aids/material). | 1-9 | 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
Basic reading:
- Arcangeli, A. (2011). Cultural History: A Concise Introduction (Routledge).
- Burke, P. (2004). What is Cultural History? (Polity Press).
- Bynum, W & Kalof, L (eds.) (2014-) A Cultural History of the Human Body (vols 1-6; The Cultural Histories Series; Bloomsbury).
- Ginzburg, C. (1989). Clues, Myths and the Historical Method (Johns Hopkins University Press).
- Judovitz, D. (2001). The Culture of the Body: Genealogies of Modernity (Ann Arbor).
- Moore, A. (2016). ‘Historicising Historical Theory’s History of Cultural Historiography’ Cosmos & History: The Journal of Natural and Social Philosophy, 12 (1): 257-291.
- McCaffery, P., & Marsden, B., (eds.) (2014). The Cultural History Reader (Routledge).
- Porter, R. (1991). ‘History of the Body’, in P. Burke (ed.) New Perspectives on Historical Writing (Polity), 206-232.
- Porter, R. (2001). ‘History of the Body Reconsidered’, in P. Burke (ed.) New Perspectives on Historical Writing (Polity), 232-260.
Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources
Credit value | 15 |
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Module ECTS | 7.5 |
Module pre-requisites | None |
Module co-requisites | None |
NQF level (module) | 7 |
Available as distance learning? | No |
Origin date | 01/01/2019 |
Last revision date | 10/08/2020 |