ANCIENT 216 Sex and Power in Greece and Rome - Course Outlines

Course Prescription

Many Greek and Roman literary works and historical sources deal with sex and power. This course will explore a range of ancient literary representations of women, men, femininity, masculinity, sexual practices and sexual prejudices. Students will study how ancient authors were influenced by the socio-political context and the constraints of different literary genres. All texts will be read in translation.

Course Overview

The ancient society of Athens generated forms of democracy, theatre, philosophy; it also put slaves in chains and free women behind doors. The Roman empire brought the world aqueducts, underwater concrete and the alphabet you’re reading right now; Rome, too, sat on a foundation of social inequality.

In this course we study the literature of ancient Greece and Rome to understand how sex, gender and sexuality interconnected with power in the ancient world. Literature played a key role in societies in antiquity just as it does now, in shaping minds, ideas and public debate about social problems and morality. Some writers, singers, playwrights, and poets of Greece and Rome used their writing to reinforce dominant ideologies about women’s weaknesses/roles and the corresponding rights of men. Other writers challenged mainstream ideas and questioned the existing power imbalances between men and women, free people and slaves, citizens and foreigners.

The texts in the course deal with war, justice, love, religion, murder, marriage, same-sex desire, slavery, and more. We will pay particular attention to how literature enables political and social interventions; how it can either uphold, shape, or challenge the status quo. We will examine the depiction of gender and sexuality across a wide range of genres (e.g. epic, tragedy, medical writing). We will consider how the constraints of genre shape what authors can say about a topic and what tools they can use to say it. We will read literature by both men and women and discuss the possible historical and literary values in gynocriticism (the study of women writers). And we will contextualise the study of women, gender, and sexuality in antiquity in the changing world of the academy, exploring how this field went from being marginal to accepted within our discipline(s).

As well as developing their understanding of the ancient world, students will consider how sex and/or power remain relevant to today’s world and their experiences now.

All texts will be read in translation.

Course Requirements

Prerequisite: 15 points at Stage I in Ancient History, Classical Studies, Classical Studies and Ancient History, Gender Studies, or GREEK 101 or LATIN 101, and 30 points passed Restriction: ANCIENT 316, CLASSICS 216, 316

Learning Outcomes

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

Examine and assess the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding gynocriticsm. (Capability 1.1, 1.3 and 2.3)
Develop an understanding of how and why gender and sexuality was depicted differently in particular Greek and Roman genres. (Capability 1.2 and 2.2)
Identify and describe how academic work on gender and sexuality in Greco-Roman antiquity has been shaped norms in later times (including our own). (Capability 2.1 and 3.1)
Research, analyse and communicate your knowledge and understanding of the ancient sources in formal academic English. (Capability 2.3 and 4.1)
Communicate effectively with peers to provide feedback on draft assessment work. (Capability 4.3 and 5.1)

Assessments

Assessment Type	Percentage	Classification
Coursework (to be advised)	60%	Individual Coursework
Final Exam	40%	Individual Examination
2 types	100%

Workload Expectations

This course is a standard 15 point course and students are expected to spend 10 hours per week involved in each 15 point course that they are enrolled in.

We will meet 3 times per week, for 1 hour each week.

You will also be expected to spend up to 7 hours per week completing tasks outside class, such as reading, contributing to any online activities, and completing assignments.

Delivery Mode

Campus Experience

Classes will be recorded, but discussion occurs in class which is not recorded.

The activities for the course are scheduled as a standard weekly timetable.

Learning Resources

Course materials are made available in a learning and collaboration tool called Canvas which also includes reading lists and lecture recordings (where available).

Please remember that the recording of any class on a personal device requires the permission of the instructor.

Ancient sources (all translated) and modern scholarship will be provided.

Student Feedback

At the end of every semester students will be invited to give feedback on the course and teaching through a tool called SET or Qualtrics. The lecturers and course co-ordinators will consider all feedback and respond with summaries and actions.

Your feedback helps teachers to improve the course and its delivery for future students.

Class Representatives in each class can take feedback to the department and faculty staff-student consultative committees.

Teaching staff have used student feedback to adapt and adjust all prior versions of this course. During the semester, you will have the chance to give feedback in various fora.

Academic Integrity

The University of Auckland will not tolerate cheating, or assisting others to cheat, and views cheating in coursework as a serious academic offence. The work that a student submits for grading must be the student's own work, reflecting their learning. Where work from other sources is used, it must be properly acknowledged and referenced. This requirement also applies to sources on the internet. A student's assessed work may be reviewed against online source material using computerised detection mechanisms.

Class Representatives

Class representatives are students tasked with representing student issues to departments, faculties, and the wider university. If you have a complaint about this course, please contact your class rep who will know how to raise it in the right channels. See your departmental noticeboard for contact details for your class reps.

Inclusive Learning

All students are asked to discuss any impairment related requirements privately, face to face and/or in written form with the course coordinator, lecturer or tutor.

Student Disability Services also provides support for students with a wide range of impairments, both visible and invisible, to succeed and excel at the University. For more information and contact details, please visit the Student Disability Services’ website http://disability.auckland.ac.nz

Well-being always comes first
We all go through tough times during the semester, or see our friends struggling. There is lots of help out there - for more information, look at this Canvas page https://canvas.auckland.ac.nz/courses/33894, which has links to various support services in the University and the wider community.

Special Circumstances

If your ability to complete assessed coursework is affected by illness or other personal circumstances outside of your control, contact a member of teaching staff as soon as possible before the assessment is due.

If your personal circumstances significantly affect your performance, or preparation, for an exam or eligible written test, refer to the University’s aegrotat or compassionate consideration page https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/during-exams/aegrotat-and-compassionate-consideration.html.

This should be done as soon as possible and no later than seven days after the affected test or exam date.

Learning Continuity

In the event of an unexpected disruption, we undertake to maintain the continuity and standard of teaching and learning in all your courses throughout the year. If there are unexpected disruptions the University has contingency plans to ensure that access to your course continues and course assessment continues to meet the principles of the University’s assessment policy. Some adjustments may need to be made in emergencies. You will be kept fully informed by your course co-ordinator/director, and if disruption occurs you should refer to the university website for information about how to proceed.

Student Charter and Responsibilities

The Student Charter assumes and acknowledges that students are active participants in the learning process and that they have responsibilities to the institution and the international community of scholars. The University expects that students will act at all times in a way that demonstrates respect for the rights of other students and staff so that the learning environment is both safe and productive. For further information visit Student Charter https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/students/forms-policies-and-guidelines/student-policies-and-guidelines/student-charter.html.

Disclaimer

Elements of this outline may be subject to change. The latest information about the course will be available for enrolled students in Canvas.

In this course students may be asked to submit coursework assessments digitally. The University reserves the right to conduct scheduled tests and examinations for this course online or through the use of computers or other electronic devices. Where tests or examinations are conducted online remote invigilation arrangements may be used. In exceptional circumstances changes to elements of this course may be necessary at short notice. Students enrolled in this course will be informed of any such changes and the reasons for them, as soon as possible, through Canvas.

Capability 1:	Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2:	Critical Thinking
Capability 3:	Solution Seeking
Capability 4:	Communication and Engagement
Capability 5:	Independence and Integrity

ANCIENT 216 : Sex and Power in Greece and Rome

Arts

2023 Semester Two (1235) (15 POINTS)