Unit information: History of Thought in 2011/12

Unit name	History of Thought
Unit code	CLAS22366
Credit points	20
Level of study	I/5
Teaching block(s)	Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24)
Unit director	Dr. Lampe
Open unit status	Not open
Pre-requisites	None
Co-requisites	None
School/department	Department of Classics & Ancient History
Faculty	Faculty of Arts

Description including Unit Aims

This unit introduces students to four fundamental texts in western intellectual history, and to the modes of thinking and writing which characterize them. We'll begin with five weeks on the study of Reality or Nature and its uses (Plato, Lucretius). We'll then spend five weeks studying two approaches to personal and social excellence (Aristotle, Cicero). Students should acquire a basic grasp of these texts' most important themes and of the recurring debates about nature, rationality, wisdom, human excellence, and the nature of the divine which run through them. Lectures will also touch on the influence of these authors beyond antiquity. Students will have opportunities to question, synthesize, and comprehend these authors through small-group work, class discussions, formal and informal writing assignments.

Aims:

The aim of this unit will be to explore the emergence and transmission of a number of ancient modes of thought, studying a number of key texts and engaging with issues related to the development of knowledge and its movement through cultures and time.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, all students should:

• Have read and analysed a number of classical texts important in the history of thought

• Have become familiar with a range of modes of thought developed in the classical period which remain important in the modern world

• Have engaged with a number of important issues concerning the production, transrnission and reception of ancient modes of knowledge and thought

• Have had the opportunity to develop their skills in oral cornmunication

(through discussion and questions) and in written communication (through essay work and examinations)

• In addition, second year stUdents will be expected to have developed more sophisticated analytical skills, as demonstrated in their formal assessment and in their participation in class discussions.

Teaching Information

Lectures, but with the use of small-group work for discussion and of informal presentations by students.

Assessment Information

One continuous assessment essay (Level 1: 2000 words, Level 2: 2500words): 50 marks

One written examination of 90 minutes, consisting of:

(a) Comment on two out of four passages (2 x 15 marks)

(b) Write on one out of four essays (20 marks)

Total: 50 marks

Reading and References

• Thucydides 2 and 3
• Plato Gorgias
• Aristotle Rhetoric 1
• Lucretius 1 and 2
• Cicero On Obligations 3
• Seneca Selected Letters