Course Catalogue

Gender And Sexuality In Ancient Rome CLASSIC4013

  • Academic Session: 2026-27
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 4 (SCQF level 10)
  • Typically Offered: Either Semester 1 or Semester 2
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes
  • Collaborative Online International Learning: No
  • Curriculum For Life: No

Short Description

The course examines the roles of men and women in different literary genres and social classes, as well as in the areas of both public and private life in ancient Rome.

Timetable

Two one-hour lectures per week over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus; This is one of the honours options in Classics and may not run every year. The options that are running this session are available on mycampus

Requirements of Entry

Available to all students fulfilling requirements for Honours entry into Classics, Greek or Latin, and by arrangement to visiting students or students of other Honours programmes.

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

The standard assessments for this course are: 

 

■ Essay (2,000 words) - 30% 

■ Examination (90 minute duration) - 70% 

 

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available: 

■ There are no alternatives to assessments, but flexible deadlines/extra time can be offered as reasonable adjustment (Students should follow the usual process for extensions). 

 

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.  

 

Main Assessment In: April/May

Course Aims

This course will provide the opportunity to:

■ present and evaluate our surviving evidence on the perception of the "male" and the "female" in Roman society

■ examine the roles of men and women in different social classes and in the areas of both public and private life in ancient Rome

■ consider what we term as homosexuality, bisexuality, and heterosexuality in their Roman social and historical contexts.

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of the course students will be able to

■ situate, in all forms of assessment, the sources for gender and sexuality in Rome within their literary, cultural, and social context

■ assess how men and women functioned in the social, political, and religious hierarchy of Roman society

■ evaluate how the attitude of the Romans towards sexuality developed, if at all, from ancient Greek moral ideas

■ identify the value of modern scholarly approaches on the sources studied during the course and apply knowledge of secondary literature to their interpretation

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

No exceptions