Unit information: The Greeks and the Supernatural in 2019/20

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

Description including Unit Aims

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.

Intended Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:

1. recognise the diverse ways in which the ancient Greeks imagined and related to supernatural entities; and demonstrate an awareness of how these changed over time;
2. describe and analyse an appropriate range of primary sources (material and literary) for the study of the ancient Greek supernatural realm, making connections between these sources, and situating them within their wider historical context;
3. evaluate and employ a range of critical and theoretical approaches to the study of these sources;
4. construct coherent, relevant and persuasive arguments on different aspects of the subject, applying skills in critical thinking and oral and written communication appropriate to level C;
5. demonstrate skills in individual and group work, including planning and organisation, communication, and, actively contributing (by both taking responsibility for an individual contribution and collaborating with other members of the group).

Teaching Information

1 x two-hour lecture per week

1 x two-hour seminar per week

Assessment Information

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:

1. One group poster, marked on 500 words of text (20%) [ILOs 1-3]
2. Digital presentation (20%) [ILOs 4-5]

Reading and References

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.