ME3238 Holy Lives in Late Antiquity

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 9

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.

Planned timetable

TBC

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

Module coordinator

Prof C Humfress

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

Module Staff

Prof C Humfress

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

Module description

Self-representation tends to be something that we take for granted in today's modern world: from 'selfies' on Instagram, to lifestyle blogs on the internet, to 'kiss and tell' celebrity expos?s and published memoirs. What forms did inwardness, selfhood and self-representation take in Late Antiquity? This module examines how elite and non-elite individuals understood and represented 'the self ' between the fourth and early sixth centuries CE, with a focus on early Christian holy lives. We will explore 'the first introspective autobiography in Western letters': Augustine of Hippo's Confessions, as well as other less well-known first-person narratives / reported experiences (all in English translation), alongside visual and material evidence where relevant.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisites

BEFORE TAKING THIS MODULE YOU MUST PASS AT LEAST 60 CREDITS FROM {ME1003, ME1006, ME2003, HI2001, MH2002}

Assessment pattern

Coursework = 100%

Re-assessment

4,000-word essay = 100%

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact

1 x 2-hour seminar, plus 1 office hour.

Scheduled learning hours

20

The number of compulsory student:staff contact hours over the period of the module.

Guided independent study hours

280

The number of hours that students are expected to invest in independent study over the period of the module.

Intended learning outcomes

  • Understand the Late Antique period (fourth to early seventh centuries CE), with a special focus on social, cultural and religious history.
  • Engage with historiographical debates concerning life-writing and hagiography in pre-modern societies.
  • Evaluate a range of primary source material, developing relevant historical frameworks and approaches.
  • Work through the process of developing their own research interests at MA Honours level, including how to frame a research question; how to undertake and conduct independent research; and how to write up that research as a structured, analytical, argument