Myth and the Ancient World

Module overview

What are myths and what do they do? In “Myth and the Ancient World” you will explore how the Ancient Greeks used myths to make sense of the world and their position in it. The module covers a time span of some 900 years, from the time of Homer and Hesiod to the late Hellenistic era. You will study a selection of well-known and less well-known myths from different perspectives; this may include themes such as home and identity, suffering and loss, male and female. You will be introduced to a range of written and non-written sources and learn to analyse them as evidence of their social, cultural, and political climate. All texts will be studied in an English translation.

Aims and Objectives

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Make use of a range of primary and secondary material in your own writing
construct a clear and compelling written argument
engage in independent study and research, identifying relevant resources

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

The shifting nature of myths and how variations are created to meet the specific needs of different communities or individuals.
The key trends in modern scholarship for understanding and interpreting myths.
The political and religious context of a number of important Greek myths and variants of myths.

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

Analyse critically a diverse range of primary material pertaining to myths.
Draw connections between the use of mythology in different historical periods.
Identify and critically assess scholarly views and arguments drawn from the historiography of myth.

Learning and Teaching

Teaching and learning methods

Teaching methods will include:

lectures
seminars

Learning activities include:

reading and research in preparation for each seminar
in-depth study of textual and visual primary sources

Study time
Type	Hours
Wider reading or practice	36
Completion of assessment task	54
Lecture	12
Preparation for scheduled sessions	36
Seminar	12
Total study time	150

Resources & Reading list

Textbooks

Marcel D. (2003). The Writing of Orpheus: Greek Myth in Cultural Context. Translated by JanetLloyd. Baltimore: : John Hopkins University Press.

Clay, J.S. (2003). Hesiod's Cosmos. Cambridge.

M. Morford and R. Lenardon (1995). Classical Mythology.

J. Bremmer (1998). Interpretations of Greek Mythology.

J-P. Vernant (1983). Myth and Thought Among the Greeks. London.

F. Graf (1993). Greek Mythology: an introduction.

L. Edmunds (1990). Approaches to Greek Myth.

H. Versnel (2011). Coping with the Gods. Leiden-Boston.

R.D Woodard (2007). The Cambridge Companion to Greek Mythology.

J-P. Vernant (1980). Myth and Society in Ancient Greece. Sussex.

K. Dowden (1992). The Uses of Greek Mythology.

Assessment

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Written assignment	40%
Essay	60%

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Resubmit assessments	100%

Repeat

An internal repeat is where you take all of your modules again, including any you passed. An external repeat is where you only re-take the modules you failed.

Breakdown
Method	Percentage contribution
Essay	60%
Written assignment	40%

Repeat Information

Repeat type: Internal & External