CL1GH: Greek History: war, society, and change in the Archaic Age

Module code: CL1GH

Module provider: Classics; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Professor Emma Aston, email: e.m.m.aston@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 21 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module aims to equip students both with a secure historical framework of benefit to the rest of their studies, and in-depth understanding of major social and cultural themes. Vital experience will be gained of the historian’s craft at its most exciting and challenging, using often fragmentary evidence to reconstruct events and practices which are the subject of ongoing scholarly debate. 

This module will introduce students to a period of Greek history too often neglected in first-year study, one which established the foundations of the Classical World and saw the emergence of political and social forms still influential today. Starting in the eighth century BC and ending with the Persian invasions of Greece in the early fifth, the module tracks the upheavals, innovations and conflicts of the age, across Greece and beyond. 

Students on this module will develop their IT skills through the production of written work and of seminar presentations. Seminars will enhance team-work and collaborative abilities. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to: 

1. demonstrate knowledge of the historical framework of the period, with key events and phases; 
2. analyse and describe the social and cultural developments of Archaic Greece; 
3. examine critically the ancient evidence relevant to the period, both textual and material, through awareness of major scholarly trends and theories; 
4. locate and assemble material on the subject of study, with guidance, organising them and presenting effectively written arguments.

Module content

This module combines a framework of narrative history with the systematic consideration of social and cultural themes. 

Topics to be covered may include the following: 

• Preamble to the Archaic Period: Mycenaean civilisation, and the nature and implications of the Dark Age. 
• The rise of the polis as the dominant model of Greek political life. 
• Modes of political representation and their evolution. 
• The development of sanctuaries on the local, regional and inter-regional level. 
• Travel and contact within Greece and beyond. 
• Military life and major conflicts from the Lelantine War to the Persian invasions. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

Lectures set out the historical framework of the module, while seminars allow for detailed student-led discussion of relevant themes. 

Study hours

At least 26 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

In the third and sixth seminars, students will complete two short tests on the historical information covered in the course to date. 

Reassessment

Additional costs