UNIVERSITY OF KENT
MODULE SPECIFICATION TEMPLATE
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]
1. The title of the module
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 Modules to be withdrawn on the introduction of this proposed module and consultation with other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 fifth-century 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)
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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
fifth-century Athens and first-century 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 light-hearted material in the repertoire of tragedy and satyr-drama, 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
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This module looks at Greek and Roman Tragedy in its historical and intellectual context, and
covers a substantial cross-section of the work of Aeschylus, Sophocles, Euripides and Seneca.
It examines in particular the use of myth as the life-blood 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 Satyr-Drama
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
O Taplin
B Vicker
K Dowden
Greek Tragedy, Benn, 1967
Greek Tragedy in Action, Methuen, 1978
Towards Greek Tragedy, Longman, 1973
The Uses of Mythology, Routledge, 1992
Recommended:
S Goldhill
P Easterling
Reading Greek Tragedy, Cambridge, 1986
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: 12-15 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
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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 sample-double marked (at least 25% of the essays) across the whole range
of marks with the exception of all first-class and failed pieces which will automatically be
double-marked.
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