GK4129 Picture This: Intermediality in Ancient Greek Literature and Culture

Academic year

2024 to 2025 Semester 1

Further information on which modules are specific to your programme.

Key module information

SCOTCAT credits

30

The Scottish Credit Accumulation and Transfer (SCOTCAT) system allows credits gained in Scotland to be transferred between institutions. The number of credits associated with a module gives an indication of the amount of learning effort required by the learner. European Credit Transfer System (ECTS) credits are half the value of SCOTCAT credits.

SCQF level

SCQF level 10

The Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) provides an indication of the complexity of award qualifications and associated learning and operates on an ascending numeric scale from Levels 1-12 with SCQF Level 10 equating to a Scottish undergraduate Honours degree.

Availability restrictions

Available to General Degree students with the permission of the Honours Adviser

Planned timetable

TBC

This information is given as indicative. Timetable may change at short notice depending on room availability.

Module coordinator

Dr A Schoess

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module Staff

Dr Ann-Sophie Schoess

This information is given as indicative. Staff involved in a module may change at short notice depending on availability and circumstances.

Module description

This module explores the relationship between visual and textual media in ancient Greece through a variety of texts and objects. We look at ancient definitions of ekphrasis and its place in rhetorical and literary traditions, and discuss examples in epic and tragedy. We discuss ekphraseis of images based on epic and tragedy in Philostratus’ Imagines, and consider the ways in which literary, performative, and artistic traditions influence textual treatments of images. We examine objects that speak for themselves alongside epic objects whose storied past imbues them with value. Finally, we look at modern receptions of ancient artworks and consider how language influences the way we view objects. Throughout the module, we address questions such as: How do you ‘read’ an image? What is lost and what is gained in ‘verbalising’ an image? Can we think about objects without words? What cultural frameworks are shared by artist and writer and how do they inform the exchange between the two media?

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

40 CREDITS FROM GK2001, GK2002, GK2003, GK2004, INCLUDING ONE PASS AT 11 OR BETTER, OR A PASS IN LT3018, OR EVIDENCE OF EQUIVALENT LINGUISTIC ACHIEVEMENT.

Assessment pattern

2-hour exam (40%), and coursework consisting of class test (15%), 2 essays (2500 words, 22.5% each, 45% total).

Re-assessment

3-hour Written Examination = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

2 Seminars (1-hour, x11 weeks)

Intended learning outcomes

  • By the end of the module, students will have improved their knowledge of Greek through detailed reading of passages from a variety of verse and prose authors.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to discuss the relationship between image / object and text in Greco-Roman antiquity and its reception.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to examine critically literary and rhetorical descriptions of images and objects, taking into consideration their cultural contexts.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to work with and apply theoretical frameworks concerning the relationship between image and text in Greco-Roman antiquity and beyond.
  • By the end of the module, students will be able to discuss the reception of Greco-Roman images and ekphraseis in the context of art historical analysis.