Undergraduate Handbook 2026-2027
Module CLAS1731: The Craft Of The Ancient Historian
Department: Classics and Ancient History
CLAS1731: The Craft Of The Ancient Historian
| Type | Level | Credits | Availability | Module Cap | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tied | 1 | 20 | Available in 2026/2027 | None | Durham |
Tied To
- LA01: Liberal Arts
- LMV0: Combined Honours in Social Sciences
- Q801: Classics
- Q820: Classical Civilisation
- V101: Ancient, Medieval and Modern History
- V110: Ancient History
- VA01: Visual Arts and Film
- VF14: Ancient History and Archaeology
- VQ48: Archaeology and Ancient Civilisations
Pre-requisites
- None
Corequisites
- None
Excluded Combinations
- None
Aims
- To provide an introduction to ancient historiography; to develop critical skills in handling the information conveyed in ancient texts.
Content
- The course will offer a broad sketch of the development of ancient historiography. Authors studied may include (but need not be limited to) Herodotus, Thucydides, Sallust, and Tacitus.
Learning Outcomes
Subject-specific Knowledge
- A good grasp of the specific characteristics of ancient historiography.
- A basic knowledge of key ancient historians to be read in translation only.
- A clear understanding of the main issues in the scholarship on the subject.
Subject-specific Skills
- Ability to evaluate ancient sources in the light of the genre and of the prejudices, declared or otherwise, of the author.
- Ability to handle a range of complex and diverse texts in such a way as to engage with their common features and idiosyncrasies.
- Ability to apply different modes of interpretation to the target texts.
Key Skills
- Ability to compare and evaluate evidence from different sources: the student should be able to appreciate the problems associated with evaluating evidence from other cultures.
- Appreciation of the importance of contextualization and precise expression in the analysis of data.
- Ability to think critically about other people's interpretation of evidence.
- Ability to construct a clear and logical argument in support of a given case.
Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module
- Most of the teaching will be done in plenary lectures, to ensure a wide basis of shared knowledge. These will be supplemented by seminars in which the students will be encouraged to explore contrasting views and evidence.
- Assessments test the students' ability to locate, exploit and discuss sources available to them, their assimilation and understanding of material across the breadth of the course, and their ability to construct clear and logical arguments on the basis of the evidence available.
Teaching Methods and Learning Hours
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total Hours | Attendance Monitored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lectures | 20 | 1 per week | 1 hour | 20 | |
| Seminars | 5 | Delivered across Michaelmas and Epiphany terms | 1 hour | 5 | Yes |
| Preparation and Reading | 175 | ||||
| Total | 200 | ||||
Summative Assessment
| Component | Component Weighting | Element | Length/Duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50% | Essay | 2000 words | 100% | Essay |
| Commentary exercise | 50% | Commentary | 1500 words | 100% | Commentary exercise |
Formative Assessment
Students who do not attend monitored activities shown under Teaching Methods
and Learning Hours, or who fail to complete the summative or formative
assessment(s) specified above, may be subject to the Academic Progress
procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be
required to leave the University.