Unit name | Futures Thinking in the Ancient World |
---|---|
Unit code | CLAS30042 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | H/6 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 4 (weeks 1-24) |
Unit director | Professor. Eidinow |
Open unit status | Not open |
Pre-requisites |
None |
Co-requisites |
None |
School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Do you believe in Fate or Luck? How people think about the future can tell us a lot about their culture. This unit examines evidence for both the theories and the practices of divination in the ancient world and explores what they reveal about ancient society. As well as activities such as oracle consultation, we will explore the beliefs and ideas that shaped them, including concepts of Fate and Luck. Comparative material will include anthropological case studies, literary sources and visual culture, as well as a range of modern approaches to thinking about and planning for the future.
Students will be expected to deliver a formative group presentation.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1 x two-hour seminar per week
1 x one-hour seminar per week
One summative 3,000-word Essay (50%). [ILOs 1-6]
One summative 120-minute exam (50%). [ILOs 3, 4, 6]
Barton, Tamsyn. 1994. Ancient Astrology. London: Routledge.
Bowden, Hugh. 2005. Classical Athens and the Delphic Oracle: Divination and Democracy. Cambridge.
Curry, Patrick. and Angela Voss, eds. 2007. Seeing with Different Eyes: Essays in Divination and Astrology. Newcastle.
Eidinow, Esther. 2007. Oracles, Curses, and Risk Among the Ancient Greeks. Oxford.
Eidinow, Esther. 2011. Fate, Luck and Fortune: Antiquity and its Legacy. London.
Johnston, Sarah I. Ancient Divination.