Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LI Athenian Drama
School	History and Cultures
Department	Classics, AH and Archaeology
Module Code	09 27279
Module Lead	Dr Gideon Nisbet
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1 or 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-10 hours Tutorial-10 hours Project supervision-5 hours Practical Classes and workshops-4 hours External Visits-1 hours Guided independent study-170 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	From its beginnings around 500 BC, tragic and comic drama was central to the democratic culture of ancient Athens, and plays rooted in ancient Greek drama continue to fascinate audiences around the world. In this module, we study drama in its ancient contexts of myth, history, politics and philosophy, and explore individual plays through the medium for which they were created: theatrical performance. We reflect both on their role in ancient democratic citizenship and on the qualities which make them such compelling models for playwrights and audiences today.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students will be able to: show understanding of the place of drama, both tragic and comic, in ancient Athenian society; conduct research into the context, themes, distinctive theatrical qualities and performance history of individual plays; synthesise this research and use its findings to develop, realise, analyse and reflect on a performance based on a scene or scenes from Athenian drama; present this practical and interpretive work in the form of a written portfolio.
Assessment	27279-01 : Practical Drama Piece : Coursework (10%) 27279-03 : 2,500 word commentary : Coursework (55%) 27279-04 : 1,500 word review : Coursework (35%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 3,000-word coursework (100%) Reassessment: Resubmission of failed component(s)
Other	None
Reading List