The Epics of Greece and Rome

Subject 107-221 (2009)

Note: This is an archived Handbook entry from 2009. Search for this in the current handbook

Credit Points: 12.50
Level: 2 (Undergraduate)
Dates & Locations:

This subject is not offered in 2009.

Time Commitment: Contact Hours: A 1.5-hour lecture and a 1-hour tutorial per week
Total Time Commitment: Not available
Prerequisites: None
Corequisites: None
Recommended Background Knowledge: None
Non Allowed Subjects: None
Core Participation Requirements:

For the purposes of considering request for Reasonable Adjustments under the Disability Standards for Education (Cwth 2005), and Student Support and Engagement Policy, academic requirements for this subject are articulated in the Subject Overview, Learning Outcomes, Assessment and Generic Skills sections of this entry.

It is University policy to take all reasonable steps to minimise the impact of disability upon academic study, and reasonable adjustments will be made to enhance a student's participation in the University's programs. Students who feel their disability may impact on meeting the requirements of this subject are encouraged to discuss this matter with a Faculty Student Adviser and Student Equity and Disability Support: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/disability

Subject Overview:

This subject focuses on the epics of Homer (the Iliad and the Odyssey), Virgil and Ovid, and the cultural context in which they were created. Myth and history, war and love, the human and the divine are all intertwined in these works to produce complex explorations of their contemporary society and the psyche of the individual. This subject enables students to place these literary texts within their sociopolitical context and identify the insights they provide into the dynamics of Greek and Roman culture. Students, on completion of the subject, should have acquired an understanding of what constitutes the epic genre in its ancient literary context; have an appreciation of Greek and Roman epic through the reading of primary texts; have developed an understanding of the principal critical approaches and cultural contexts of ancient epic.

Assessment: A seminar report of 500 words 12.5% (due during semester), essay of 1500 words 37.5% (due during the semester), and a take-home exam of 2000 words 50% (due in the examination period).
Prescribed Texts: Prescribed Texts:A subject reader will be available from the Bookroom at the beginning of semesterThe Iliad (Homer, Lattimore (trans)), Harper Perennial The Odyssey (Homer, Lattimore (trans)), Harper Perennial The Aeneid (Virgil), M West (trans) Penguin 1991 Metamorphoses (Ovid), A D Melville (trans) Oxford World Classics 1986
Breadth Options:

This subject potentially can be taken as a breadth subject component for the following courses:

You should visit learn more about breadth subjects and read the breadth requirements for your degree, and should discuss your choice with your student adviser, before deciding on your subjects.

Fees Information: Subject EFTSL, Level, Discipline & Census Date
Generic Skills:
  • be skilled in critical thinking and analysis;

  • possess effective written communication skills;

  • have an understanding of social, ethical and cultural context.

Notes:

This subject may be included in a major in English.

Related Majors/Minors/Specialisations: Ancient World Studies
Ancient World Studies
Ancient and Medieval Studies
Ancient and Medieval Studies
Ancient, Medieval && Early Modern Studies Major
Classical Studies and Archaeology
Classical Studies and Archaeology

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