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Module

CAC2069 : Ancient Biography

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Richard Marshall
  • Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 1 Credit Value: 20
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

From Suetonius and Plutarch to the death of Socrates and early Christian martyrologies, ancient biographical writing holds an enduring fascination. The course will examine the genre of biography from its origins in Classical Greece to Late Antiquity, investigating the main features of the genre and the historical circumstances of composition. We will also study the form and function of biography in the philosophical and religious writings of antiquity, and ask why turning lives into literature was (and is) so popular.

Outline Of Syllabus

Covering a variety of Greek and Roman authors and works (in translation), including Xenophon, Cornelius Nepos, Tacitus, Suetonius, Plutarch, and comparative material from the Judeo-Christian traditions (including biblical and hagiographical sources), discussion will centre on issues such as the tension between entertainment and moral purpose, ancient depictions of character and theories of character development, the importance of comparison, the significance between chronological and thematic arrangement of material, and the relationship of biography to ethical philosophy, historiography, and rhetoric.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion891:0089:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture251:0025:00Lectures introduce and discuss new content.
Guided Independent StudyDirected research and reading361:0036:00N/A
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching61:006:00Seminars for student-led discussion
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesDrop-in/surgery21:002:00Drop-in for individual discussions of essay topics and essays.
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study421:0042:00N/A
Total200:00
Jointly Taught With
Code Title
CAC3069Ancient Biography
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The lectures introduce relevant authors and texts, major literary themes and concepts, and some of the key secondary literature and methodological approaches. The analyses presented in the lectures are intended to model the kinds of investigation that students are expected to conduct in their commentary and coursework essay. The seminars provide a forum for more detailed discussion of particular passages and concepts, an opportunity for students to practice their team-work and oral presentation skills, and structured peer feedback. Seminars are organised such that everyone will be actively engaged in the learning process, whether presenting, providing critical feedback, leading questions, or producing a summary of the discussion for circulation. The drop-in sessions provide a space for discussion of essay topics and any other aspects of the course.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Essay1M25750 word close reading exercise
Essay1A752,000-word essay (including footnotes, excluding bibliography).
Formative Assessments

Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.

Description Semester When Set Comment
Essay1MEssay plan (500 words)
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Students will demonstrate their skills in close reading and the critical analysis of a text by writing a short (750-word) commentary on a set passage. They will produce a draft plan of the argument they intend to present in their coursework essay for formative feedback. The coursework essay will allow students to demonstrate their knowledge and ability to think critically about one or more of the texts and / or themes studied.

Reading Lists

Timetable