| Unit name | Women and the Family in Ancient Greek Tragedy |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS30027 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | H/6 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
| Unit director | Dr. Lyndsay Coo |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Co-requisites |
None |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Wives, mothers, daughters and sisters play pivotal roles in many central stories of Greek mythology. This unit will investigate the representation of female family relations, in particular the concepts of motherhood and sisterhood, with a focus on ancient Greek tragedy. We will ask why the all-male genre of tragedy so often concerned itself with women’s relationships and female family dynamics, and explore how these texts, including Aeschylus’ Oresteia trilogy, Sophocles’ Antigone and Euripides’ Medea, reflected the social and intellectual attitudes and concerns of ancient Athenian society. We will also place these dramas in a wider perspective by examining the representation of women in selections from other genres, and by considering how the reception of these mythological women continues to the present day in feminist criticism and political theory.
Aims:
To introduce students to a range of key tragic texts, and to consider the relationship between these texts and their conditions of production, performance and reception;
To provide an overview of scholarly approaches to the study of women and the family;
To develop critical interaction with primary and secondary materials;
To develop written presentation skills through the course assessment.
On successful completion of the unit students will be able to:
(1) demonstrate in-depth knowledge and critical understanding of key texts from ancient Greek tragedy.
(2) interpret a dramatic text within its broader contexts of production, performance and reception.
(3) to interpret and analyse scholarly approaches to the study of women and the family, and to apply these approaches to their interpretation of the set texts.
(4) demonstrate skills in critical thinking and in written communication appropriate to level H.
This unit will involve a combination of independent investigative activities, long- and short-form lectures, and discussion. Students will be expected to engage with materials and participate on a weekly basis.
Summative Assessments:
1 x 3,000 word essay (100%) [ILOs 1-4]
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. CLAS30027).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the Faculty workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. If you have self-certificated your absence from an
assessment, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (this is usually in the next assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any extenuating circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
