Course Details in 2024/25 Session

Module Title	LI Research Seminar B: Homer and the world of Odysseus
School	History and Cultures
Department	Classics, AH and Archaeology
Module Code	09 36926
Module Lead	Dr Ken Wardle
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	10
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites	LI Research Seminar A: Homer and the world of Odysseus - (09 36925)
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Seminar-20 hours Guided independent study-80 hours Total: 100 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module and its co-requisite (Research Seminar A: Homer and the world of Odysseus) will allow students to engage in research into a topic relating to a member of academic staff’s research expertise. This module will test the students on their ability to compare different source materials (primary literary, visual, historical or archaeological data) relating to their topic. Working under the guidance of their module co-ordinator, students will be able to develop their own research topics into a fully-fledged research essay/report. It has long been fashionable to explore Bronze Age Greece with Homer in hand, as Schliemann did 130 years ago. Archaeological research, however, especially in the last 30 years has given us a much clearer picture of life and achievement in Homer's own time – the 8th and 7th centuries BC – a picture which helps us to understand much better the background Homer used for his epics, particularly the Odyssey. Taking Homer and his near contemporary Hesiod in hand, you too will be able to explore the evidence for architecture and burials, for ironworking and craftsmanship for adventure and colonisation, and for trade and warfare. These aspects of everyday life shaped the experience of Homer's audiences and enabled his resounding epic poetry to be accepted as real history by his hearers – even if his cast of characters belonged to a much more distant epoch.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Formulate a robust argument on the basis of the analysis of relevant primary sources; Engage with major scholarly debates on a topic; Analyse data with awareness of possible biases; Synthesise and articulate complex ideas in an independent essay.
Assessment	36926-01 : Essay of 2,500 words : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 2500 word essay (100%) Reassessment: Resubmission of failed component(s)
Other
Reading List