Module CLAS3451: TRAVEL LITERATURE IN ANCIENT GREECE

Department: CLASSICS AND ANCIENT HISTORY

CLAS3451: TRAVEL LITERATURE IN ANCIENT GREECE

Prerequisites

• Ancient History: Sources and Methods (CLAS1111) OR The Athenian Empire (478-404 BC) (CLAS1121) OR The Myths and Art of Ancient Greece (CLAS1131) OR The Narrative Voice (CLAS1011) OR The Speaking Voice (CLAS1021) OR Greek and Roman Society (CLAS1031) OR Beginners' Greek (CLAS1302) OR Intermediate Greek (CLAS1022), OR Advanced Greek 1 (CLAS1032).

Corequisites

• For students in the Classics Department, please refer to the Regulations for your degree programme. For students from other Departments, there are no corequisites.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None.

Aims

• To study representative examples of Greek travel literature from the archaic, Hellenistic and Roman periods (Homer Odyssey, Apollonius Argonautica, Heliodorus Aethiopica).
• and to explore the ways in which they relate to other texts and to historic conditions of travel in the Mediterranean.
• The course builds on knowledge of Greek literature and history acquired in the first two years.

Content

• The ancient Greeks are famous not only for their travels, but also for their stories about travelling.
• How did they conceptualise travel in their literature? This course examines the question from a number of angles and in a variety of contexts.
• The course considers the Archaic, Hellenistic and Roman periods, (ca.
• 700BC - 300AD).
• The emphasis is on literature, but historical and archaeological evidence will also be taken into account.
• Texts covered include Homer's Odyssey, Apollonius of Rhodes' Argonautica and Heliodorus' Aethiopica.
• The course is divided into three sections, each centred around one of the three core texts.

Learning Outcomes

• Students are expected to apply a variety of approaches to the study of ancient Greek travel literature and to discuss the development of the genre across time.
• Successful students will be able to place the set texts in the tradition of travel narrative that starts with the Odyssey, to understand how the historical context conditions each text's approach to travel, and to discuss the changing relationship between imaginary geography, travel and storytelling in each of the set texts.

• An ability to apply a variety of approaches to a set of complex and diverse texts; to place those texts in their historical and cultural context; and an ability to grasp and express the ways in which ancient Greek authors from different periods construct cultural and geographical space.

• An ability to engage in an informed and sophisticated way with a range of texts from an alien culture; an ability to compare and assess different interpretative approaches and methodologies; a capacity to sustain a clear, well-structured and well-defended argument in written form.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The lectures focus on the main texts and topics covered in the course: The Odyssey, the Argonautica and the Aethiopica and their contribution to the tradition of Greek travel literature.
• Students are introduced to a variety of critical approaches to the topic.
• Seminars enable students to discuss and develop their ideas in an interactive environment.
• Tutorials provide an opportunity to give specific feedback on written work and discuss any other matters of individual interest.
• The modes of assessment ensure that students engage with the issues discussed in the course both in submitted essays (formative as well as summative) and under timed conditions.
• The examination requires students to comment on specific passages as well as answer broader questions of interpretation.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

Essay/Seminar contributions for the tutorials/seminars.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University