CLU22200 Writing the Past
Who we think we are, what sense we make of ourselves and of our present, to a significant extent depends upon what we choose to remember. To remember, in turn, is always to construct. This module explores Herodotus’ Histories, the first written prose account of the past that explores the entire known world in a series of interweaving stories that ultimately aim to explain the Greco-Persian Wars and answer a question at the heart of history: why?
- Module Organiser:
- Dr Susannah Ashton
- Duration:
- Semester 2
- Contact Hours:
- 27 (22 lectures, 5 seminars)
- Weighting:
- 10 ECTS
- Assessment:
- 50% coursework, 50% written examination
- Course Open To:
- Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology; TJH Classical Civilisation; Columbia Dual Degree; Ancient and Medieval History and Culture; Visiting; Open Module
Learning Outcomes
On successful conclusion of this module, students should be able to:
- Show knowledge of the content and context of Herodotus’ Histories as a literary and political text and as the first work of history in the Western tradition
- Critique existing scholarly approaches to and readings of Herodotus
- Produce analytical close readings and trenchantly argued essays
- Interpret different ways of conceiving of and using the past in Greek antiquity on their own terms