Course syllabus
Exams moved online November 13th.
In case you haven't heard, the university has just moved exams online. The university's official announcement about online exams is here: https://www.auckland.ac.nz/en/news/notices/2020/move-to-online-exams-for-the-remainder-of-semester-two.html. Please have a read of that link. You'll see that exams are moving online except in very specific circumstances - we do not fit into those circumstances, so the CLASSICS 316 exam will be held online.
I'm very sympathetic to the disruption this might cause to you. Please remember that the exam is still the exact one that you have been preparing for, with the same questions, in the same format.
Your online exam will start at the scheduled time, but you'll have an extra 30 minutes to allow for reading time and for starting and submitting exams. (You can check for exam timetable for all your exams here: https://cdn.auckland.ac.nz/assets/auckland/students/academic-information/exams-and-final-results/before-your-exams/1205%20Exam%20Timetable%20(007).pdf )
To complete your exam online, you will need access to a computer and internet (to download the question paper, and upload/submit your typed-out answers), and a quiet space to work. Please note that if you aren't able to access these things, you can go to the university and sit your exam there. This is the message from the university on that topic (from the link right up the top): "If you do not have access to a suitable computer, internet connection or quiet location, you are able to use one of the computer workstations or study spaces in the Kate Edger Information Commons, and Tai Tonga and Epsom campuses, or one of our libraries to sit your exam."
Please also note that if your performance or preparation is affected by this situation, you may be able to apply for an aegrotat and the fee for that application is supposed to be waived for COVID-19 related issues.
And, if you have any issues during the exam, here is the official word:
The Contact Centre will be open 8am–9.45pm Monday to Friday and 8am–5.45pm Saturday, throughout the Exam period.
If you wish to raise concerns during the Online Exam, please call Auckland: 09 373 7513, New Zealand: 0800 61 62 63, or International: +64 9 373 7513.
If you have an issue with Canvas, live chat is available 24/7 with Canvas Support, via the Help button within your Canvas left-hand side bar. If you are in New Zealand, you can also call the Canvas Support Hotline on 0800 005 205.
It is your responsibility to ensure your assessment is successfully submitted on time. Please don’t leave it to the last minute to submit your assessment.
If any corrections to the Online Exam are made you will be notified by a Canvas Announcement. Please ensure your notifications are turned on during this period.
In terms of how I can help if you have any problems... I am not allowed to answer any emails from students during the exam window. However, if you have any issues, once you have already contacted the Exam centre, you could email me and explain the situation to me on the understanding that I'm not allowed to answer you during the exam, but that I would then have the information to take into account later, if you put in an aegrotat application.
Kia kaha,
Maxine
TEACHER
Dr Maxine Lewis
Room: Room 810, Level 8, Humanities Building (University building 206)
Email: maxine.lewis@auckland.ac.nz
Office hour: Monday 12.30pm-1.30pm
Please note: I work part-time. I'm available on campus or via email Monday-Thursday.
ANCIENT HISTORY & CLASSICS TUĀKANA MENTOR:
Faataualofa So'olefai
email: fsoo210@aucklanduni.ac.nz
Alofa's cohort includes all Maori and Pacific students enrolled in stage 1 through to stage 3 courses in Ancient History and Classics.
Course Description
The ancient society of Athens gave humanity democracy, theatre, philosophy; it also put slaves in chains and women behind doors. The great civilisation of Rome 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 some of the greatest achievements of Greece and Rome – their literature – 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, revolution, 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, such as epic, didactic poetry, lyric (sung) poetry, tragedy, history, and medical treatises. 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.
We will consider questions such as:
- How did ancient authors depict gender identities, sexed bodies, and sexual practices?
- What tools and techniques did writers and singers use to construct identities of “men” and “women”? How did writers think of and describe people whose gender identity fell outside the binary categories of “woman” or “man”?
- How closely did Greeks and Romans link ideas about sexuality to their understanding of gender roles?
- How did factors such as class, ethnicity, access to language, and whether one was free or slave, intersect with gender and sexuality? How did authors depict these intersections?
- Which authors replicated existing social norms about gender, and why? Who challenged norms and what led/allowed them to do so?
- (How) do male-authored and female-authored texts from antiquity depict different views on gender, sexuality, power, and society?
- How did Greco-Roman ideas about gender and sex develop and change in antiquity, and how do the ideas from antiquity differ from (or relate to) our own?
We will answer these questions by studying a range of literature from antiquity and placing it in its historical context.
All texts will be read in translation.
EXPECTED OUTCOMES
Students will:
- Read and become familiar with a wide variety of texts from antiquity to understand their representation of gender.
- Develop a strong understanding of how gender and sexuality is depicted differently in particular genres.
- Read texts by female authors and consider the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding gynocriticsm.
- Read and discuss scholarship to understand how academic work on gender and sexuality in antiquity has been shaped by and has shaped norms in our own society.
- Develop your written presentation skills, skills of poetic analysis, collaborative skills, and essay-writing skills.
- Learn to provide effective feedback on draft written work.
- Take an active role in discussion groups, modelling both collaboration and communication skills for the stage II students.
COURSE DELIVERY
2x 1 hour "Lectures".
These are classes with the whole group, stage II/III combined. They are scheduled as “lectures” but I like to teach as interactively, as possible to keep you engaged. This means that the whole group sessions will not usually run as slab of me talking. In these sessions I like to use a combination of lecturing, question and answer discussion, small group- or pair-work, etc. I will often use Canvas to pre-post questions or items for discussion in class.
1 x 1 hour tutorial by stage
Stage II students and stage III students have their own dedicated discussion class, which will cover distinct material.
LEARNING MATERIALS/TEXTS
All the ancient sources are provided online through Canvas. Each ancient source is listed in the relevant module. Some secondary sources will be linked to as well in the relevant modules, however part of the expectation for the coursework assessments and preparation for the exam is that students will conduct their own research and find appropriate, peer-reviewed scholarship.
Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:
The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by course convenors and will be advertised in course material. You should submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you may be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension may be penalised by loss of marks – check course information for details.
Capabilities Developed in this Course Relating to the Graduate Profile of the Bachelor of Arts
Capability 1: Disciplinary Knowledge and Practice
Capability 2: Critical Thinking
Capability 3: Solution Seeking
Capability 4: Communication and Engagement
Capability 5: Independence and Integrity
Capability 6: Social and Environmental Responsibilities
Learning Outcomes
- Explain and critically evaluate the theoretical and methodological issues surrounding gynocriticsm. (Capability 1.1, 1.3 and 2.3)
- Articulate and demonstrate an understanding of how and why gender and sexuality was depicted differently in particular Greek and Roman genres. (Capability 1.2 and 2.2)
- Explain and critically evaluate how academic work on gender and sexuality in Greco-Roman antiquity has been shaped norms in later times (including our own), via assessment. (Capability 2.1 and 3.1)
- Articulate and demonstrate 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)
- Identify and articulate possible future directions for the study of gender in Greek and Roman antiquity. (Capability 3.2 and 6.3)
Course summary:
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