Women in the Ancient Greek World (VS1) (U04055)

? Credit Points : 20 ? SCQF Level : 10 ? Acronym : HCA-3-VS1-GKWMN

The course will explore the male construction of the gendered image in Greek art and literature and place the findings alongside evidence for women’s daily life and experiences. Themes for exploration will include:

Gender theory and the study of ancient women;
Goddesses of the Greek pantheon;
The construction of Homeric womanhood;
Women in Athenian tragedy and comedy;
Religion (priestesses, ritual);
Women in sculpture and vase painting;
Barbarian women: mythic and real;
Childbirth and health;
Courtesans and prostitutes;
Women, property and legal rights;
Marriage (wedding rituals etc);
Women and eroticism;
Women and the Spartan Mirage;
Clothing, veiling, and non-verbal communication;
Chastity and Sex;
Housing and domestic space;
Hellenistic queenship.

Entry Requirements

? This course is only available to part year visiting students.

? This course is a variant of the following course : U04045

? Pre-requisites : Visiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics related subject matter (at least 2 of which should be in Classical Literature) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses.

? Special Arrangements for Entry : This course is only for visiting students in Edinburgh during the 1st Semester but NOT the 2nd Semester.
In order for a student from outwith Classics to be enrolled on this course, contact must be made with a Course Secretary on 50 3580 in order for approval to be obtained.

Subject Areas

Home subject area

Ancient History, (School of History, Classics and Archaeology, Schedule E)

Delivery Information

? Normal year taken : 3rd year

? Delivery Period : Semester 1 (Blocks 1-2)

? Contact Teaching Time : 2 hour(s) per week for 11 weeks

First Class Information

Date	Start	End	Room	Area	Additional Information
22/09/2008	17:10	18:00	Room G.01, William Robertson Building	Central

All of the following classes

Type	Day	Start	End	Area
Lecture	Monday	17:10	18:00	Central
Lecture	Thursday	17:10	18:00	Central

Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes

At the end of this course the student will be able, through written examination, coursework and seminar participation (demonstrated through the keeping of a course logbook), show:

- an understanding of the varied complexity of the large body of evidence for women in the Greek world in both a literary and a material context;
- an understanding of how the study of gender has advanced and become mainstream in recent scholarship;
- an understanding of the history of women and its importance for the political, social and cultural historian, as well as the theoretical implications for the study of ancient concepts of gender;
- an ability to use critically a variety of different methodologies and approaches to this body of material gained from a thorough interaction with scholarship and primary materials;
- a familiarity with real artefacts in a museum context;
- bibliographical research skills to enable students to find independently additional information relating to the study of women in the Greek world.

Students will also demonstrate the following transferable skills:

- written skills and oral communication skills;
- presentation skills;
- analytical skills;
- ability to recognise and focus on important aspects of a wide-ranging subject and to select specific examples;
- ability to produce a concise summary of a complex body of work.

Assessment Information

Continuous assessment, comprising:
One Essay of 2500-3000 words (25%);
a Logbook of work for seminar participation (25%).

One Take-Home examination (50%).

(The Logbook records the work done in preparation for seminar participation. Students' Logbooks are assessed at the end of the course in the same way as Essays. One marked copy is returned to the student. Another copy is retained in the Classics office. A representative selection of these is supplied to the External Examiner, and the rest are available to him/her on request.)