CLA1508 - Ancient World: Roman Philosophy
2012/3 Module description
| Staff | Christopher Gill - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 15 |
| ECTS Value | 7.50 |
| NQF Level | 4 |
| Pre-requisites | None. |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 1: 11 weeks; |
Module description
This module aims to offer a chance for students from various backgrounds to explore a period of philosophy that is less often studied than Greek philosophy but which is rich in its intellectual and cultural interest. It shows how Roman Philosophy emerged against the background of later Greek (Hellenistic) Philosophy and how Roman thinkers gave a distinctive character to philosophical thought. It offers a chance to explore fundamental philosophical questions about human values and happiness, ethics and nature, mind and body, death and the gods, as these are treated by important Roman thinkers such as Lucretius, Cicero, and Marcus Aurelius.
Module aims
This module provides an introduction into Roman Philosophy. It is concerned with Hellenistic and Roman thinking on fundamental issues about human values and happiness, mind and body, death and nature. Students will learn how to use and analyse Hellenistic and Roman philosophical texts and modern scholarly discussions as sources for understanding Roman philosophy.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. Students should, with guidance, be able to describe and evaluate a number of key features of Roman philosophy.
- 2. They should also have assimilated a basic understanding of some important texts by Lucretius, Cicero and Epictetus, together with selected readings on Hellenistic philosophy.
- 3. They should also, with guidance, be able to use the sources to examine a set of key issues and debates in Roman philosophy.
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. Students should be able to use, analyse and evaluate Hellenistic and Roman philosophical texts as historical sources.
- 5. They should also develop basic academic and library skills as well as a critical ability in assessing published literature on selected texts in Hellenistic and Roman philosophy.
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 6. Students should demonstrate independent and group study skills in guided research and presentation of findings.
- 7. They should also be able to select and organise relevant material and to present this in connected oral and written form, and to discuss issues in a peer group.
- 8. They should be able to manage their own time and meet deadlines.
Syllabus plan
1. Hellenistic and Roman Philosophy. 2. Epicureanism: Lucretius on Death, Body and Soul: Nature and Human Civilisation. 3. Stoicism: Cicero on Ethics and Social Commitment. 4. Epicureanism and Stoicism on Nature and the Gods
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 27 | 123 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 22 | 11 x 2-hour lectures |
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | 5 | 5x 1-hour seminars/study-groups |
| Guided independent study | 123 | Private study |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 30 | 60 | 10 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | 10 | 10 mins | 1-8 | Written and verbal |
| Essay | 30 | 2000 words | 1-8 | Written and verbal |
| Exam | 60 | 2 hours | 1-8 | Written and verbal |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral presentation | Oral presentation | 1-8 | Refer/Defer period |
| Essay | Essay | 1-8 | Refer/Defer period |
| Exam | Exam | 1-8 | Refer/Defer period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Basic reading: Primary Reading (to be bought).
Lucretius, On the Nature of Things, trans. M. F. Smith (Hackett)
Cicero, Selected Works (Penguin Classics), esp. On Duties 3.
Cicero, The Nature of the Gods, trans. P. G. Walsh (World’s Classics)
Marcus Aurelius, Meditations, trans. R. Hard, ed. C. Gill (World’s Classics)
(Also, Long, A. A. and Sedley, D. N., The Hellenistic Philosophers, vol. 1: extracts;
distributed by C. Gill: no charge)
Secondary Reading (introductory)
Morford, M. The Roman Philosophers (Routledge)
O’Keefe, Tim, Epicureanism (Acumen)
Sedley, D. (ed), Cambridge Companion to Greek and Roman Philosophy (Cambridge University Press)
Sellars, J., Stoicism (Acumen Press)
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Available as distance learning?
No
Last revision date
2012
Key words search
Hellenist, Roman, Ancient World
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