What do texts from antiquity tell us about the societies in which they were written? What did the ancient Greeks and Romans think about identity and the world in which they live? How were these ideas incorporated into their literature? By introducing you to some of the major works of ancient Greek and Roman literature such as tragedy, the epic, satire, the novel, and poetry, we develop their ability to understand and critically assess how the Greeks and Romans dealt with concepts such as love, violence, and justice. These ideas have shaped and informed many cultural aspects of today’s society on topics such as gender, politics, and sexuality. Through this study, you gain knowledge of foundational ideas and thinkers, and how to construct arguments able to defend your own thinking to crucial questions about the purpose of literature.
Lecture - 16 hours
Seminar - 16 hours
Main Assessment Methods:
Written
Primary Source Critique (1,000 words). Assessment Details: Students choose a primary source to analyse, using some key interpretive tools (40%).
Essay (1,500 words). Assessment Details: Students interpret question using primary sources and the secondary literature on a topic (60%).
Reassessment Method:
Single instrument 100% written assessment (1,500 words)
The University is committed to ensuring that core reading materials are in accessible electronic format in line with the Kent Inclusive Practices. The most up to date reading list for each module can be found on the university's reading list pages: https://kent.rl.talis.com/index.html
On successfully completing the module, students will be able to:
1. Evaluate and interpret different genres (poetry, drama, narrative) of ancient Greek and Roman literature.
2. Describe recurring thematic preoccupations and their cultural context, both in antiquity and the modern world.
3. Assess major classical myths and mythical figures, and their significance.
4. Identify the origins of some of the major genres in Western literature, including tragedy, comedy, and the epic, and how these were theorised in antiquity
5. Evaluate classical literature through close readings of works in different genres (poetry, drama, narrative).
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