UNIVERSITY OF KENT
MODULE SPECIFICATION TEMPLATE
1. The title of the module Myth into Tragedy (CL578 at level I, CL560 at level H)
(available October 2001 onwards)
[Adapted from CL560, Myth into Tragedy,
approved 14.v.1998. Revised 2009]
2. The School which will be responsible for management of the module SECL
3. The Start Date of the Module N/A – revision of current module
4. The cohort of students (onwards) to which the module will be applicable 2009 onwards
5. The number of students expected to take the module
Target intake 15; Optional Module in Lists A and B (Modules in Classical Literature and Culture; Modules in Ancient History).
6. Modules to be withdrawn on the introduction of this proposed module and consultation with other relevant Schools and Faculties regarding the withdrawal
None
7. The level of the module (e.g. Certificate [C], Intermediate [I], Honours [H] or Postgraduate [M])
I/H
8. The number of credits which the module represents 30 credits
Note: undergraduate full-time students take modules amounting to 120 credits per year and postgraduate full-time students take modules amounting to 180 credits per year for a Masters award
9. Which term(s) the module is to be taught in (or other teaching pattern) year long
10. Prerequisite and co-requisite modules
Students must have satisfied the Part I prerequisite requirements.
11. The programmes of study to which the module contributes
Offered as a literature module in the Classical Studies and Classical & Archaeological Studies Degree Programmes [& in the CLS programme] in accordance with the rubrics; also available as a wild module.
12. The intended subject specific learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to programme learning outcomes
By the end of this module the students will have:
SSLO1 studied the nature of Tragedy as performance, ritual observance, and literature in its own right, as well as special characteristics of the four dramatists Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Seneca. (PLO A2, A3)
SSLO2 viewed the genre against its historical and social background in fifthcentury BC Athens, and the early Roman Empire; and to examine more specifically the ways in which tragedians treated their common heritage of Greek myth. (PLO A1)
SSLO3 made a mainly chronological study of Greek and Roman tragic texts, prefaced where possible with readings of the myth treated in other versions (PLO A2, A3, A4)
SSLO4 been acquainted with the treatment of mythical outlines as major statements of aspects of the human condition and explorations into such topics as justice, fate, the gods, and the nature of the polis. It also examines the role of rhetoric as an aesthetic feature, especially of Seneca's dramas. (PLOA2)
SSLO5 been acquainted with the concept of ethical and religious teaching through drama; with elementary comparative techniques in relating mythological source material in Epic, lyric, or other genres to tragic handling of the same themes; and with the problems surrounding the origins and literary criticism of tragedy.(PLOA2, A3; B2)
SSLO6 analysed the popularity of a limited number of stereotypical themes (such as the punishment and suffering of the innocent or the ambiguity of divine action). (PLOA2, A3, B2)
SSLO7 been equipped with a map of the development of Tragic techniques; (PLOA2, A3)
SSLO8 – been made aware of the relationships of the dramatists with one another, the performing conditions of the Greek theatre, and the changing tastes of the audiences which received them. (PLOA1, A3)
SSLO9 – been made aware of standard literary techniques, such as the use of the chorus, and dramatic peripateia; and of basic social values and theological premises prevailing in fifthcentury Athens and firstcentury Rome. (PLOA1, A3, B1, C1)
SSLO10 – been made familiar with current scholarship in Tragedy and in mythology, including interdisciplinary readings of the Oedipus story, and the contributions of stagecraft and gender studies to our understanding of the tragedians (PLOA3, B1, C3)
SSLO11 examined a number of aesthetic problems independently for themselves, including the relationship between popular and sophisticated forms of the treatment of myth; the presence of lighthearted material in the repertoire of tragedy and satyrdrama, and the relationship between tragedy and philosophy. (PLOA3, B1-6; C1-4)
In addition, H level students will approach the material in this module at a higher level and in a more critical fashion than I level students. H level students will be expected to write and discuss whilst paying attention to articles, books and ideas, commensurate with advanced undergraduate study.
13. The intended generic learning outcomes and, as appropriate, their relationship to programme learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will:
GLO1 be able to construct arguments, orally and in writing, which demonstrate the generic skills of analytical ability, independence of thought and clear presentation, and show knowledge of the ancient sources, literary, historical, and religious. . (PLO A4, B1-8; C1-6; D1)
GLO2 have developed the generic skills of documentary and textual analysis, independence of thought, group work and oral and written presentation of arguments. .(PLO B1-8; C1-6; D1)
These outcomes will be interpreted and tested at levels appropriate to I and H level students.
14. A synopsis of the curriculum
This module looks at Greek and Roman Tragedy in its historical and intellectual context, and covers a substantial crosssection of the work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Seneca. It examines in particular the use of myth as the lifeblood of Tragedy, and as a means through which tragedians look at fundamental problems of the world, the supernatural, and human nature.
Seminar and Lecture Topics will normally include the following:
The Origins of Tragedy
The Trojan War in mythical tradition
Aeschylus' Oresteia
Euripides' Hecuba and Trojan Women
Comic interlude: the Cyclops theme in folktale and SatyrDrama
Heracles in Epic and mythological Tradition
The Madness of Heracles in Tragedy
The Oedipus myth in popular tradition
Sophocles and the Oedipus Plays
Medea in Epic and Tragedy
Romance into Tragedy: Helen and Iphigenia
Tragedy and prose paraphrase: Philoctetes in Sophocles and Dio
The mockery of Tragedy: the Frogs and the Tragedy of Gout
The Lost and the Found: reconstructing fragments
Historical Drama: The Persae and the Octavia
The Tragic Tradition in Aristotle, Horace, and Longinus.
15. Indicative Reading List
Required:
A Lesky Greek Tragedy, Benn, 1967
O Taplin Greek Tragedy in Action, Methuen, 1978
B Vicker Towards Greek Tragedy, Longman, 1973
K Dowden The Uses of Mythology, Routledge, 1992
Recommended:
S Goldhill Reading Greek Tragedy, Cambridge, 1986
P Easterling The Cambridge companion to Greek tragedy, Cambridge 1997
16. Learning and Teaching Methods, including the nature and number of contact hours and the total study hours which will be expected of students, and how these relate to achievement of the intended learning outcomes
There will be 16 seminars and up to 16 lectures over the autumn and spring terms.
Size of seminar groups: 1215 students. Number of essays: four of c.1500 words
Total study hours: 300
The course will be taught by two-hour seminars, with a flexible content which will include lectures, discussion of documents and student presentations. The relationship to the SSLOs and GLOs above is as follows: the main mode of teaching will be the seminar discussion, to encourage the acquisition of critical awareness, confidence and skill in debate through oral presentation and discussion. This will be supplemented by group project work, to develop team skills, by document classes, to develop the specialised skills of the study and analysis of evidence, and by lectures (where required by the nature of the material, e.g. for the treatment of specialist sources or to impart background information not easily available). Essay writing and return will play a central role in developing and confirming the acquisition of these skills. Students will submit two essays (each worth 25% of the overall mark; level I students will write 2000 words per essay, while level H students will write 2500 words per essay), and will be practised in the skills of critical discussion, the analysis of different kinds of document and the presentation of written arguments with appropriate scholarly apparatus.
17. Assessment methods and how these relate to testing achievement of the intended learning outcomes
Method of assessment: 50% exam (lasting 3 hours); 50% coursework (made up of two essays of equal weighting). Level I students will write 2000 words per essay. Level H students will write 2500 words per essay. Certain essay questions will be set aside for the I level students. I and H levels will be distinguished in the examination through different questions at each appropriate level.
The essays will be sampledouble marked (at least 25% of the essays) across the whole range of marks with the exception of all firstclass and failed pieces which will automatically be doublemarked.
The various assessment methods are designed to develop different skills (see SSLOs and GLOs above): the coursework essay is concerned with the critical analysis and assessment of prescribed reading material, including reference to documentary sources, in correspondence with the mode of teaching; the presentation develops the skills of exposition to a seminar group, and the unseen examination used in conjunction with coursework develops the skills of learning, revision and concentrated writing over a limited period
Preparation of the essays and preparation for examination will give further practice in skills, especially the techniques of presenting argument and of presenting and comparing different kinds of evidence on literary and historical topics, and in the assimilation and articulation of ideas and data discussed in oral presentations, and the paper and the essay questions will be designed to test and enhance the acquisition of these skills. The examination and the revision sessions prior to it offer further practice in the analysis and interpretation of complex questions and their ramifications. Emphasis is less on testing a body of acquired knowledge than on being able to construct and support arguments against a general background of familiarity with the two literary areas covered in this course.
18. Implications for learning resources, including staff, library, IT and space
The module will use the existing library resources for CL560. The cost of materials required for purchase from the bookshop will not exceed £50
19. A statement confirming that, as far as can be reasonably anticipated, the curriculum, learning and teaching methods and forms of assessment do not present any non-justifiable disadvantage to students with disabilities
As far as can be reasonably anticipated, the curriculum, learning and teaching methods and forms of assessment do not present any non-justifiable disadvantage to students with disabilities