Unit name | The Greeks and the Supernatural |
---|---|
Unit code | CLAS10046 |
Credit points | 20 |
Level of study | C/4 |
Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 1 (weeks 1 - 12) |
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 |
Why did the ancient Greeks have so many gods? What did a nymph do? What did ancient Greek ghosts look like?
This unit uses a range of evidence to examine how ancient Greek men and women imagined gods, heroes, daimons, nymphs, ghosts, etc. The unit will explore the array of supernatural entities; the contexts and activities of their worship; and the ways in which they were involved in different areas of life, such as medicine and politics. Students will be introduced to, and encouraged to evaluate, a range of relevant scholarship and comparative material from ancient and modern cultures.
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
1 x two-hour lecture per week
1 x two-hour seminar per week
One 2000-word essay (60%) [ILOs 1, 2 and 4].
One group project (producing a poster and digital presentation), which will include contributions from each student analysing a relevant ancient source. The mark for the group project will be split into two components:
Buxton, Richard ed. 2000. Oxford Readings in Greek Religion. Oxford.
Eidinow, Esther and Kindt, Julia. 2016. The Oxford Handbook of Ancient Greek Religion. Oxford.
Larson, Jennifer. Ancient Greek Cults: A Guide.
Parker, Robert. 2005. Polytheism and Society at Athens. Oxford.
Sourvinou-Inwood, Christiane. ‘Further Aspects of Polis Religion?’, AION 10: 259–74.
Stratton, Kimberly. B. 2007. Naming the Witch: Magic, Ideology, and Stereotype in the
Ancient World. New York.
Vernsel, Henk. Coping with the Gods. Wayward Readings in Greek Theology. Leiden.