Course Catalogue

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The course examines a period of enormous influence in the history of poetry: the final years of the Roman Republic and the beginning of the Empire. It centres on Propertius and Tibullus, and will also include Catullus, Virgil, and Horace. It focusses on the relationship between love poetry and war, and on the strong sense of poetic identity that was the enduring legacy of the poetry of this period.

5 x 1 hour lectures on the historical, social, and literary background to the texts

5 x 1 hour seminars exploring the period in which the texts were produced, and other literature that relates to them.

10 x 1 hour seminars centred the study of the translated poems of Tibullus, Propertius, Catullus and Virgil

Standard entry to Masters at College level.

CLASSIC4094

None.

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Oral Presentation (10 minutes) - 30%

■ Written commentary on a poem (1200 words) - 30%

■ Essay (2000 words) - 40%

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

■ Recorded Presentation OR Written script of equivalent length OR Power point with substantial notes as an alternative to the oral presentation

■ There is no alternative to the commentary, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

■ There is no alternative to the essay, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (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.

This course aims to:

■ Provide students with the opportunity to focus on a crucial period in Rome's cultural development and explore its literature

■ Foster students' awareness of the importance of gender and sexuality as expressions of political and social environments

■ Develop skills in close reading and analysis of poetry, studied in translation

■ Develop students' exploring an important body of literature from a variety of different perspectives, reflecting the key themes of the course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Produce detailed readings of poetry in both oral and written form

■ Show evidence of understanding the social, historical, and literary contexts of the poetry studied

■ Present their own research relating to the themes of the course in a coherent and scholarly form

■ Show awareness of the interrelated nature of literature with political and social forces