BA Classical Studies

Title:

Ancient Song

Code:

CL1SO

Convenor:

PROF Ian Rutherford

Summary:

This module introduces students to the lyric poetry of ancient Greece and Rome, studying authors from both civilisations and considering a range of thematic approaches to the surviving corpus of poetry. It is intended to be suitable for beginners and for those who have studied some ancient literature before; there is no language requirement, but there will be an opportunity for students who do have relevant skills to employ them in their coursework and exams.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Texts, Readers, and Writers

Code:

CL1TR

Convenor:

PROF Eleanor Dickey

Summary:

This module explores the history of texts, reading, and writing in the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. We shall look at literature, papyri, inscriptions, letters, Linear B, etc. Attention will also be given to the invention of the alphabet and to ancient writing materials and technologies. No knowledge of Latin, ancient Greek, or the ancient world more generally is required.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 50%, Set exercise 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Greek 1

Code:

CL1G1

Convenor:

PROF Amy Smith

Summary:

This module aims to teach students some elements of the Ancient Greek language and give them skills to read Ancient Greek at an elementary level.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Greek History: war, society, and change in the Archaic Age

Code:

CL1GH

Convenor:

PROF Amy Smith

Summary:

This module will introduce students to a period of Greek history too often neglected in first-year study, one which established the foundations of the Classical World and saw the emergence of political and social forms still influential today. Starting in the eighth century BC and ending with the Persian invasions of Greece in the early fifth, the module tracks the upheavals, innovations and conflicts of the age, across Greece and beyond.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Class test 60%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Latin 1 (C)

Code:

CL1L1

Convenor:

MRS Jackie Baines

Summary:

This module aims to teach students some elements of the Latin language and give them skills to read Latin at an elementary level.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Roman History: the rise and fall of the Republic

Code:

CL1RH

Convenor:

DR Andreas Gavrielatos

Summary:

This module investigates the mid- and late Republican history of Rome (2nd century BC to late first century BC), a period marked by profound socio-political changes which ultimately led to the crisis of the Republican institutions. It introduces students to the main types of evidence for ancient history and to modern methodological approaches.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Class test 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Introduction to Management

Code:

AP1SB1

Convenor:

PROF Julian Park

Summary:

This module provides a contemporary and comprehensive introduction to management science and its relevance to businesses. Interactive in-class activities and the use of online apps will help you learn techniques for inspiring teamwork in an organisation context, discover the importance of strategic management design for achieving an organisation's goals, and understand the roles of the manager and the responsibilities this carries. You will also have a range of opportunities to gain hands-on practising decision making through case studies. Furthermore, develop your leadership skills to motivate and guide a team towards the achievement of an organisation’s objectives.  

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt & Rome

Code:

AR1EMP

Convenor:

PROF Roger Matthews

Summary:

This module introduces the archaeology and historical context of the world’s early empires, dating from 2500 BC to AD 395. We focus on the great empires of ancient Mesopotamia (Akkad, Babylonia and Assyria), Egypt, the Persian Achaemenid Empire and the Roman Empire. We will review other imperial entities of the world, including examples from China and the Far East, and the Americas. We will examine special themes relevant to the topic of empires, including ideology, imperial cult, trade, urbanisation, warfare, agriculture and the everyday lives of imperial subjects. You will study the rise and fall of some of the greatest, and the most fearsome, socio-political entities to have existed on our planet.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Practical 10%, Report 20%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Early Empires: Mesopotamia, Egypt & Rome [10 credits]

Code:

AR1EMP10

Convenor:

PROF Roger Matthews

Summary:

This module introduces the archaeology and historical context of the world’s early empires, dating from 2500 BC to AD 395. We focus on the great empires of ancient Mesopotamia (Akkad, Babylonia and Assyria), Egypt, the Persian Achaemenid Empire and the Roman Empire. We will review other imperial entities of the world, including examples from China and the Far East, and the Americas. We will examine special themes relevant to the topic of empires, including ideology, imperial cult, trade, urbanisation, warfare, agriculture and the everyday lives of imperial subjects. You will study the rise and fall of some of the greatest, and the most fearsome, socio-political entities to have existed on our planet.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death

Code:

AR1FOR

Convenor:

DR Ceri Falys

Summary:

This module investigates the archaeological methods employed in the scientific study of the dead, both from modern crime scenes and within older archaeological contexts. You will have the opportunity to analyse skeletal remains, and carry out fieldwork in the form of a cemetery survey, learning how to analyse and interpret these results. Through a series of case studies, you will explore the role of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists (working within the context of the ethics, law and politics) behind the examination of human remains.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Report 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death [10 credit]

Code:

AR1FOR10

Convenor:

DR Ceri Falys

Summary:

This module investigates the archaeological methods employed in the scientific study of the dead, both from modern crime scenes and within older archaeological contexts. Through a series of case studies, you will explore the role of forensic archaeologists and anthropologists (working within the context of the ethics, law and politics) behind the examination of human remains.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Revolutions in Human Behaviour: 4 Million Years BC to the Present

Code:

AR1REV

Convenor:

PROF Steve Mithen

Summary:

This module investigates the development of human society from a long-term and global perspective. It traces the human journey from our earliest ancestors of c. 4 million years ago to the present day. The module considers the key revolutions and transitions that have affected human thought, behaviour and society, focussing on the evidence from material culture. Key themes include: human evolution, the development of complex societies, the inventions of metallurgy and writing, the industrial and agricultural revolutions, and globalisation. The module is taught by  a combination of online lectures, face-to-face seminars and lectures, practical classes and a field trip.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Revolutions in Human Behaviour: 4 Million Years BC to the Present [10 credits]

Code:

AR1REV10

Convenor:

PROF Steve Mithen

Summary:

This module investigates the development of human society from a long-term and global perspective. It traces the human journey from our earliest ancestors of c. 6 million years ago to the present day. The module considers the key revolutions and transitions that have affected human thought, behaviour and society, focussing on the evidence from material culture. Key themes include: human evolution, the development of complex societies, the inventions of metallurgy and writing, the industrial and agricultural revolutions, and globalisation. The module is taught by a combination of online lectures and face-to-face seminars and lectures.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Contemporary world cultures: an introduction to social anthropology

Code:

AR1SOC

Convenor:

DR Alanna Cant

Summary:

This module provides a general introduction to social anthropology, the study of human societies and cultures. It will introduce you to major themes in the discipline of anthropology through focused study on topics that may include: kinship and marriage, gender and sexuality, the roles of religion, ritual and witchcraft in modern life, the concepts of ethnicity and race, and contemporary hunting and gathering societies. The module will also consider how anthropology can help us understand key issues in today’s world, such as ethnicity, race and decolonisation, and the role that work and consumption play in forming identities. Teaching is focused on real-world case studies from different cultures and regions around the globe, including the research expertise of the lecturer(s). 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Set exercise 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Contemporary world cultures: an introduction to social anthropology [10 credits]

Code:

AR1SOC10

Convenor:

DR Alanna Cant

Summary:

This module provides a general introduction to social anthropology, the study of human societies and cultures. It will introduce you to major themes in the discipline of anthropology through focused study on topics that may include: kinship and marriage, gender and sexuality, the roles of religion, ritual and witchcraft in modern life, the concepts of ethnicity and race, and contemporary hunting and gathering societies. The module will also consider how anthropology can help us understand key issues in today’s world, such as ethnicity, race and decolonisation, and the role that work and consumption play in forming identities. Teaching is focused on real-world case studies from different cultures and regions around the globe, including the research expertise of the lecturer(s). 

Assessment Method:

Set exercise 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

The Economics of Climate Change

Code:

EC110

Convenor:

DR Stefania Lovo

Summary:

The module will offer an economic perspective on the causes and consequences of climate change. It will provide an introduction to key theoretical concepts, such as externalities and public goods, and to the policy tools available to devise adequate responses to climate change, such as command and control measures, taxation and subsidies. The module will also introduce national and international policy approaches in dealing with climate change and provide an overview of their implications for economic development.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Class test 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Approaches to Film

Code:

FT1ATF

Convenor:

DR Adam O'Brien

Summary:

How do films tell stories, make meanings, and contribute to our culture? What questions can, and should, we ask of a film?

This module includes a mix of cinema screenings, seminars and lectures, exploring a range of fiction and non-fiction films. Class discussions and assignments will challenge you to explore the meanings and cultural significance of moving images, across the 20th and 21st centuries.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Analysing Theatre and Performance

Code:

FT1ATP

Convenor:

DR Matt McFrederick

Summary:

How do theatrical stories allow us to examine and reimagine our impression of the world today?  What practical qualities do theatre makers return to - or reinvent - in creating meaning in performance?

In this introduction to theatre and performance, you will share your interpretations and expand the ways you see and think about theatre in relation to the world today. You will learn how to be a confident spectator and reader of theatre through a range of diverse and topical performances in local or in London-based venues - previous trips have included the National Theatre, RSC Live, Peking Opera, the West End and smaller, innovative fringe venues.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Oral 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Comedy on Stage and Screen

Code:

FT1CSS

Convenor:

DR Simone Knox

Summary:

This module gives you the opportunity to study comedy on stage and screen, encompassing film, television, theatre and stand-up comedy. You will engage with the relevant critical vocabulary and contextual knowledge to explore how humour is created, consumed and debated, across a range of genres and practices. Case studies may include classic and contemporary film comedies (e.g. screwball comedy, black comedy); musical comedies (e.g. The Book of Mormon); stand-up comedy (e.g. Ali Wong, Hannah Gadsby); sitcoms (e.g. Friends); or the work of specific creative practitioners (e.g. Joe Orton). 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Set exercise 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Intercultural Competence and Communication

Code:

IL1GICC

Convenor:

MS Joan McCormack

Summary:

In this module students develop skills and understanding needed for working in the multi-cultural global workplace. In the Autumn term it will consider intercultural competence and communication from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including psychology, education, inclusivity, business, language and discourse. In the Spring term students will apply their knowledge to define and explain a defined a real-world issue.

The module will be delivered at the University of Reading Whiteknights campus

Assessment Method:

Oral 10%, Portfolio 30%, Project 60%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Globalization and Language

Code:

LS1GL

Convenor:

DR Tony Capstick

Summary:

In this module students will explore the role of language in globalization. They will examine the reasons for the spread of languages around the globe historically and in the future (especially in the context of political developments such as Brexit, and the increasing importance of World languages such as English). They will also explore debates about linguistic imperialism and the political dimensions of language use and language policies. Finally, they will explore the effects of technology and migration on the linguistic situation in Latin America, New Zealand and the Middle East, including how urban centers are becoming increasingly multilingual and ‘superdiverse’, and the political and social consequences of this. Teaching is drawn from across the School of Literature and Language.

Assessment Method:

Set exercise 10%, Project 90%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Museum History, Policy and Ethics

Code:

MC1HPE

Convenor:

DR Rhi Smith

Summary:

This module explores and critically analyses the historical, political and ethical factors which influence contemporary museum practice. It investigates topics such as the origins of museums, collecting histories, social justice, repatriation, hidden voices, decolonisation, inclusivity, and the role of different audiences in curation. Case studies and museological theory are used to debate the role of museums in modern society. Students take part in lectures, seminars and museum visits and work is assessed through one coursework essay and a groupwork online resource.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Presenting the Past

Code:

MC1PP

Convenor:

DR Rhi Smith

Summary:

Museum display environments create representations of the past through a complex process of design, curatorship, and interpretation. This module uses museological theory and practice to interrogate the way that heritage organisations present the past to the public.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Introduction to Linguistics

Code:

ML1IL

Convenor:

MR Federico Faloppa

Summary:

This module aims to familiarise students with principles in general linguistics, and to give students an overall picture of what a language is, how it works, and what its main structures are, with a particular focus on French, German, Italian and Spanish. It will also provide useful meta-linguistic competence which can be applied to the study of any other language.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 20%, Set exercise 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

The Science of Climate Change

Code:

MT1CC

Convenor:

PROF Nigel Arnell

Summary:

This module provides an introduction to the science of climate change, aimed at students who do not necessarily have a scientific background.

Assessment Method:

Exam 70%, Assignment 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Inequality

Code:

PO1INE

Convenor:

DR Jonathan Golub

Summary:

Inequality is everywhere around us: different individuals earn different salaries, people of different genders and backgrounds have access to different economic opportunities, and those at the top of the income distribution have radically distinct life chances than those at the bottom. What explains rising inequality, is it fair and what are the consequences? Should anything be done to reduce inequality, and if so, what? This course aims to answer these questions by providing students with the analytical tools and knowledge to understand and explain the evolution of earnings, racial and gender inequality over time and its variation across developed countries. It also considers the economic, normative and political implications of different forms of inequality, in particular gender and racial inequality. Is inequality at the top of the income distribution (i.e. the 1% v. the rest of us) the inevitable outcome of a well-functioning market system or does it suggest problems in the way democracy works? Does inequality undermine democracy for instance by affecting political participation or increasing the appeal of non-liberal populist parties? Take the course and you will find out more about these fascinating questions and more!

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 10%, Project 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

War and Warfare

Code:

PO1WAR

Convenor:

DR Vladimir Rauta

Summary:

This is an introductory module for students seeking foundational knowledge of war in international relations. The emphasis will be on concepts and types of war, their causes, and how they relate to real world issues in international relations and international security. By thinking through and examining a subset of wars and types of warfare the ultimate objective is to have students embrace a range of theoretical arguments about both historical and contemporary examples, to apply these insights to current debates about war in international relations and to prepare students for future scholarly research and security/strategy-focused analysis. The module draws on the department’s international longstanding reputation and robust intellectual tradition in the study of war, strategy and the uses of military force, and embeds in its teaching the department’s links with the British security and defence establishment, evidenced by the links with the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Global Justice

Code:

PP1GJ

Convenor:

DR Shalini Sinha

Summary:

Global traditions of philosophy  from the Buddha and Confucius to Simone Weil, Frantz Fanon, Martin Luther King Jr., and African and Native American thinkers advocate ideas of justice and freedom that extend far beyond contemporary conceptions. This course shows how these thinkers question our  ideas of justice, and  transform how we approach injustice and freedom in the  context of race and colonialism, nature and  indigenous communities, identity  and sexuality, family and polity, through radically different conceptions of freedom and violence,  love, equality and harmony.

Some of the claims we will examine include: Justice is freedom from suffering!  Revolutionary violence is cathartic and emancipatory! Political justice  requires mental training! Nature is alive and has rights! Gender and sexual freedom are gained by  dissolving bodily boundaries!  Truth lies in pleasure! Justice is  love! Social justice comes with harmonising differences! 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Class test 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

The Meaning of Life

Code:

PP1ML

Convenor:

DR George Mason

Summary:

What is the meaning of life? This is perhaps the most important philosophical question we can ask. What is the answer? Indeed, what is the question really asking? In this module, we seek the answers. Along the way, we will consider a series of fascinating questions which promise to enlighten our understanding of ourselves and our place in the world. What makes life worth living? Is there any reason to fear death? Could life in artificial reality be better or more fulfilling than life in the real world?

Reading:

A list of required readings will be posted online. All or nearly all core readings are available electronically.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Class test 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Radical Philosophy

Code:

PP1RP

Convenor:

PROF Maximilian De Gaynesford

Summary:

From Plato and Marx to contemporaries like Judith Butler, Slavoj Zizek, and Catharine MacKinnon, there is a long tradition of radicalism in philosophy. This course is about how radical philosophy can usefully question our deepest assumptions and challenge our deepest beliefs. Poets should be outlawed from our society! We can secure knowledge by doubting everything! Capitalism will be destroyed by the very forces it creates! Gender is a social performance! Pornography silences women! Torture is permissible in extreme circumstances, e.g. post 9/11! These are some of the claims this course investigates philosophically.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Class test 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

What the font? Making and using typefaces

Code:

TY1WTF

Convenor:

DR Rob Banham

Summary:

You are surrounded by fonts. Social media, text messages, email, branding, advertising, websites, books, magazines … Human (and machine) communication relies extensively on fonts, but what do you really know about them? How and why are new fonts created? And is it ever OK to use comic sans?! This module will introduce you to the world of typeface design, exploring the history, theory, and practice of making and using fonts and giving you the opportunity to design a typeface of your own. No background in design is required.

Assessment Method:

Set exercise 50%, Project 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Epic

Code:

CL2AE

Convenor:

DR Christa Gray

Summary:

This module offers an introduction to Greek and Latin epic, centring around close study of the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid, but including discussion of other early Greek hexameter poems such as Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and the Epic Cycle. It may also cover Hellenistic epic, for example Apollonius Rhodius, or other Roman epics like Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Drama

Code:

CL2DR

Convenor:

PROF Barbara Goff

Summary:

This module examines the ancient genre of drama, with respect to its content, themes and style, and the context of performance culture which surrounded it.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Epic

Code:

CL2AE

Convenor:

DR Christa Gray

Summary:

This module offers an introduction to Greek and Latin epic, centring around close study of the Iliad, Odyssey, and Aeneid, but including discussion of other early Greek hexameter poems such as Hesiod, the Homeric Hymns, and the Epic Cycle. It may also cover Hellenistic epic, for example Apollonius Rhodius, or other Roman epics like Ovid’s Metamorphoses.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Egyptian Language and Hieroglyphs

Code:

CL2AEL

Convenor:

DR Hana Navratilova

Summary:

This module aims to teach students some elements of the Ancient Egyptian language and give them skills to read Egyptian, in the hieroglyphic script, at an elementary level.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient World on Film

Code:

CL2AF

Convenor:

DR Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps

Summary:

This module provides an introduction to key techniques and issues in the study of films inspired by the ancient world. We will consider the variety of influences that shape the re-presentation of antiquity in cinema through an examination of films inspired by ancient literature, myth and history. Students will learn how to read, research and write about cinematic texts and their relationship with antiquity.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Greek Warfare

Code:

CL2AGW

Convenor:

DR Emma Aston

Summary:

This module equips students with a broad understanding of the military methods, strategies, customs and ideologies of the Classical Greeks. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%"

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Academic Work Placement

Code:

CL2APL

Convenor:

DR Emma Aston

Summary:

This module allows students to undertake academic work placements for credit. Students on the module undertake an academic placement offered by a member of staff in the Department and related to his/her own research (or teaching). This allows students to gain experience and understanding of the work of research and teaching professionals.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Greek History: Persian Wars to Alexander

Code:

CL2CGH

Convenor:

DR Emma Aston

Summary:

Greek History 479-323 BC, from the end of the Persian Wars, through the Peloponnesian War and the fall of Sparta, to the rise of Macedon and the meteoric career of Alexander the Great.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Drama

Code:

CL2DR

Convenor:

PROF Barbara Goff

Summary:

This module examines the ancient genre of drama, with respect to its content, themes and style, and the context of performance culture which surrounded it.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Egypt and the Greco-Roman World

Code:

CL2EGR

Convenor:

PROF Ian Rutherford

Summary:

A module examining relationships between Ancient Egypt and the Greco-Roman world.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Greek 2 (I)

Code:

CL2G2

Convenor:

MRS Doukissa Kamini

Summary:

The module aims to introduce students to reading Ancient Greek authors in the original, and to develop further knowledge of grammar, syntax and vocabulary. 

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Greek 3 (I)

Code:

CL2G3

Convenor:

DR Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps

Summary:

The module aims to enable students to read Ancient Greek authors with some fluency, and to develop a sound competence in grammar, syntax and vocabulary. In addition, students will gain practice in the analysis of the literary texts studied.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

The Justinianic Plague

Code:

CL2JP

Convenor:

DR Arietta Papaconstantinou

Summary:

Adopting a strongly interdisciplinary approach, this module will study the pandemic of bubonic plague that broke out in the Mediterranean in 542, widely known as the Justinianic Plague (because it happened under emperor Justinian), or as the First Pandemic. It has often been understood as one of the factors precipitating ‘the end of Antiquity’.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 80%, Oral 20%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Latin 2 (I)

Code:

CL2L2

Convenor:

MRS Jackie Baines

Summary:

The module aims to introduce students to reading Latin authors in the original, and to develop further knowledge of grammar, syntax and vocabulary.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Latin 3 (I)

Code:

CL2L3

Convenor:

DR Andreas Gavrielatos

Summary:

The module aims to enable students to read Latin authors with some fluency, and to develop a sound competence in grammar, syntax and vocabulary. In addition, students will gain practice in the analysis of the literary texts studied.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Prospects for Classicists and Ancient Historians

Code:

CL2PR

Convenor:

DR Emma Aston

Summary:

A module designed to foster reflective and employability skills.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Rome's Mediterranean Empire; A World of Cities

Code:

CL2RME

Convenor:

DR Andrew Souter

Summary:

This module will explore the phenomenon of Roman urbanism through detailed analysis of architecture and Imperial iconography at a range of geographically-diverse sites: case studies will include those on Rome, Pompeii, Lepcis Magna, Merida and Athens, thereby providing students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of leading cities of the Roman world while addressing broad themes such as cultural exchanges and stylistic developments. We will also examine the means by which urban landscapes were used to communicate Imperial ideology and provincial munificence. Essays and group discussion will prepare students to discuss issues of chronology, technique, and style in art and architecture; we will also address overarching issues through the reading and discussion of current and previous scholarly articles in these fields.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Roman History: From Republic to Empire

Code:

CL2RO

Convenor:

PROF Annalisa Marzano

Summary:

This Roman history module covers the period from the second triumvirate in the last years of the Republic to the reigns of the emperors.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Forensic Archaeology and Crime Scene Analysis

Code:

AR2F17

Convenor:

PROF Mary Lewis

Summary:

Through lectures, activities, videos and reading students will be able to understand the theory behind certain forensic and archaeological practices, when and why they are used, and shown the process by which these are undertaken.

Assessment Method:

Report 70%, Class test 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Medieval Europe: power, religion and death

Code:

AR2M8

Convenor:

DR Gabor Thomas

Summary:

This single-term module gives students an overview of how archaeology has changed our understanding of European society over the course of the ‘Long Middle Ages’ (5th-16th centuries AD). It comprises 10 weekly sessions involving a combination of teacher-led content with student-led discussions, is assessed by an essay and site interpretation panel and has a field trip to Winchester - one of the richest medieval urban landscapes in southern England.  It will also include a formative assessment in the form of group poster presentations designed to support students in developing essay topics.  

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Set exercise 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Development of transferable skills through a school placement 1

Code:

ED2TS1

Convenor:

DR Caroline Foulkes

Summary:

This module enables undergraduate students to develop key transferable skills needed for employment, and also provides outreach experience. Following specialist training on key aspects of working in schools, five day placements in June/July in secondary schools in the Reading area will provide work experience in a professional setting.

In the autumn, students will build on the knowledge and transferable skills acquired in order to plan and deliver, with colleagues, a teaching session that shares knowledge of their degree specialism with small groups of school students. Students will reflect on, and share, their experiences with their colleagues. Assessment will be by coursework, and placement supervisor report on professionalism and engagement.

Students will be selected by application and interview.

Please be aware that once the placement has been completed in June it is not possible to switch from this module in the Autumn Term as students have completed practical activities directly relating to 50% of the mark (professionalism and portfolio) and that link to the activities in the Autumn Term.

Assessment Method:

Practical 10%, Oral 50%, Portfolio 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Wildlife Documentary: Ecology and Representation

Code:

FT2WD

Convenor:

DR Adam O'Brien

Summary:

This module gives you the opportunity to study wildlife documentaries and filmmaking addressing ecological issues. You will engage with the relevant critical vocabulary and contextual knowledge to explore how meaning is created and constructed. Case studies may include David Attenborough’s landmark BBC series, nature documentaries such as March of the Penguins and climate change films such as An Inconvenient Truth. There may be a Q&A with a guest speaker from the creative industries.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Oral 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Intercultural Competence and Communication

Code:

IL2GICC

Convenor:

MRS Daniela Standen

Summary:

In this module students develop skills and understanding needed for working in the multi-cultural global workplace. In the Autumn term it will consider intercultural competence and communication from a range of disciplinary perspectives, including psychology, education, inclusivity, business, language and discourse. In the Spring term students will identify a real-world issue, learning  to analyse and  critically evaluate the issue identified, applying concepts studied on the course.

The module will be delivered at the University of Reading Whiteknights campus

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Modern Britain Society, History and Politics

Code:

IL2GMB

Convenor:

MRS Daniela Standen

Summary:

This module aims to provide an introduction to key aspects of modern British society, politics and history, identifying past and present issues.

Topics explored include the historical and political landscape of Post war Britain, British identities, patterns of inequality, education, religion, and Britain’s relationship with Europe.

In the Summer term students will work independently to identify and research a specific topic from the range taught in Term 1, to develop critical understanding of the underlying concepts and principles and apply these to different contexts.

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Introduction to English Language Teaching

Code:

LS2LAT

Convenor:

MRS Suzanne Portch

Summary:

The course aims to provide an overview of key aspects of language teaching methodology and practice. 

Assessment Method:

Portfolio 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Language and New Media

Code:

LS2LNM

Convenor:

PROF Rodney Jones

Summary:

In this module, students will explore the ways digital media are changing the way people use language. Students will be introduced to a range of theories from sociolinguistics, media studies and discourse analysis and will learn to apply these theories to analysing authentic texts and interactions. Among the topics covered in the module are genres and registers of mediated communication, social networking and online identity, multimodal and multimedia communication, mobile communication and wearable computers, and online tracking and surveillance.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 25%, Oral 25%, Portfolio 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Curatorship and Collections Management

Code:

MC2CCM

Convenor:

DR Rhi Smith

Summary:

A practical introduction to researching, cataloguing, interpreting and displaying museum objects. The module is based on work with objects from the University of Reading's collections. Students will choose one object from the stores, and are assessed on three assignments based on researching, labelling and displaying the object.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Museum Learning and Engagement

Code:

MC2LE

Convenor:

DR Rhi Smith

Summary:

This module critically examines the learning role of museums in society. Students are introduced to learning theory, programme and event management, while also learning about resource design, evaluation, and visitor research. During the course students will hear from museum-based learning and engagement professionals and observe and evaluate learning resources and events. Interactive lectures, seminars and museum visits encourage students to contextualise and apply learning. Work is assessed through design and planned evaluation of a learning resource, evaluation of an educational event, and an analysis of a museum's learning programme.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Science, perversion, and dream in global fantastic literature

Code:

ML2GF

Convenor:

DR Alice Christensen

Summary:

This module will explore a number of key literary texts that engage the Fantastic mode of literary representation. The module aims to promote critical awareness of the ways in which French, Hispanic, Italian and German literary traditions adapted and transformed the Fantastic narrative so that it spoke to a number of specific issues such as the advances in science and technology, the changing roles of women, the pressures of modernisation, the impact of psychoanalysis, and fears related to changes brought about by colonisation, the political structure of the Nation-state, and the economy. Texts will be read in the original language if the student is taking that language to degree level, and in English translation if not.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Society, Thought, and Art in Modern Europe

Code:

ML2STA

Convenor:

DR Veronica Heath

Summary:

This module aims to provide students with a systematic historical and cross-national understanding of the key ideas, institutions and symbols that have come to constitute and represent modernity, in its original cradle in Europe and the rest of the world. The module examines the birth of modern men and women in Europe in the late eighteenth century, in the fulcrum of the Enlightenment and Romanticism, and the broad intellectual, cultural, economic, political and social conditions which have been shaping and re-shaping them since. The module further shows a) the contributions of different European nations to a common European reaction to and re-evaluation of tradition and innovation and b) the diffusion of modernity (Westernisation) from Europe to Asia and Africa and its role in the creation of a global world. Finally, it shows how art has played a leading role in the transformations of modernity - not only recording it but also constituting one of its central components.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 80%, Class test 20%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Founder Dilemmas

Code:

MM2101

Convenor:

DR Norbert Morawetz

Summary:

This is a dynamic and experiential module aiming to give students a strong understanding of key dilemmas likely to be faced by first time entrepreneurs. The module develops student's entrepreneurial skill and confidence to put plans into action. Students gain understanding of the practice of entrepreneurship as informed by theory, role play and guest lectures. This will include exposure to the experience of successful entrepreneurs. Students are given a solid understanding of the realities of business start-up.

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

The Science of Climate Change

Code:

MT2CC

Convenor:

PROF Nigel Arnell

Summary:

This module provides an introduction to the science of climate change, aimed at students who do not necessarily have a scientific background.

Assessment Method:

Exam 70%, Assignment 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

American Government and Politics

Code:

PO2AMG

Convenor:

DR Graham O'Dwyer

Summary:

This module examines the historical, ideological and constitutional frameworks of American Government and Politics. It analyses the relationship between ideas and values (such as liberty and individualism) and the ways in which these condition the expression of the American political system; it looks at intermediate institutions that connect the public to the federal government (such as elections, the media, and interest groups); it explores the central institutions in Washington (such as the Presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court), and assesses important policy areas (such as gun control).

Assessment Method:

Assignment 70%, Report 30%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Global Politics and History

Code:

PO2GPH

Convenor:

DR Kerry Goettlich

Summary:

From the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to Brexit, and from the rise of China to the ‘Clash of Civilizations’, contemporary debates in world politics, and often the practice of world politics itself, depend on particular understandings of history. Indeed, it is impossible to study politics without relying on knowledge about the past. But how accurate or convincing are the historical narratives and assumptions that underlie contemporary debates? Is it ‘natural’ for politics to be organised into nation-states? Is empire a thing of the past? Where did democracy come from? When did globalisation start? Was decolonization a success or failure? Students will come away from this module with both the historical knowledge and the analytical skills to be able to answer such questions.

Assessment Method:

Exam 40%, Assignment 60%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Modern International Relations

Code:

PO2MIR

Convenor:

DR Joseph O' Mahoney

Summary:

This module provides an advanced analysis of some theoretical approaches to international politics, including models of interstate bargaining, international order, and collective action.  Students will also learn about some of the most important  global issues, including the causes of war, globalisation, US hegemony, international cooperation to combat climate chaos, nuclear weapons, cyberwar, and terrorism. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 45%, Set exercise 5%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Politics of the Welfare State

Code:

PO2PWS

Convenor:

DR Christoph Arndt

Summary:

The course is an introduction to the politics of welfare states in the developed economies of OECD countries with a particular focus on Western Europe. It focuses on the interaction between political and economic factors in explaining the emergence and evolution of welfare states and their various forms across countries. Students learn the major theoretical approaches in the study of the welfare state and apply them to contemporary debates about the welfare state as well as the politics of welfare state reform.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 40%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Political Thinking

Code:

PO2THI

Convenor:

DR Alice Baderin

Summary:

Module in applied political theory. The course investigates the ethical issues that lie behind some important contemporary policy debates. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ethical Argument 1: Philosophy and How to Live

Code:

PP2EA1

Convenor:

DR Luke Elson

Summary:

This module introduces students to longstanding methods, issues and arguments in moral philosophy.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Global Philosophy 1

Code:

PP2GP1

Convenor:

DR Shalini Sinha

Summary:

This module introduces some key thinkers and issues in global philosophy, the philosophy of gender and race, the ethics of resistance and the epistemology of terrorism. Some of the claims we will examine include: Gender is an illusion, male and female ‘sex’ attributes are social constructions!  Race categories are racist, they should be abolished! Persons are ‘processes’; self and identity are conceptual fictions!  Self-immolation is an ethical form of political protest! Gandhi and Islamist suicide bombing share an ethics of sacrificial dying! Debt is founded on violence! We should undertake dying with full awareness, by meditative fasting!

We will engage in philosophical conversations with (i) contemporary feminist and race theorists such as Judith Butler, Sally Haslanger and Naomi Zack on performativist,  constructionist and essentialist approaches to gender and race; (ii) Buddhist philosophers on the metaphysics of self and identity; (iii) Buddhist, Gandhian and Islamic ethics of sacrificial dying and political resistance; (iv) interdisciplinary perspectives on the nature and origins of debt and money; (v) Jaina conceptions of meditative dying, suicide and euthanasia; (vi) the epistemology of terrorism and Islamic approaches to non-violence.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Hume, Kant, and Wittgenstein 1

Code:

PP2HKW1

Convenor:

DR Severin Schroeder

Summary:

This module introduces students to the ideas of three great philosophers: David Hume, Immanuel Kant, and Ludwig Wittgenstein, focussing especially on their respective conceptions of philosophy.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ignorance, Doubt, and Relativism 1

Code:

PP2IDR1

Convenor:

DR Jumbly Grindrod

Summary:

This module introduces students to a core area of philosophy – epistemology (the theory of knowledge), makes them familiar with key stances on the extent and nature of human knowledge (modal theories, reliabilist theories, virtue theories etc.), and requires them to evaluate such stances and find their place on the epistemological map. They will also be introduced to the social aspect of epistemology, by considering what role knowledge plays within a society, how we gain knowledge from others, and how we may be harmed specifically as knowers.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Meaning and the Mind 1

Code:

PP2MM1

Convenor:

DR Jumbly Grindrod

Summary:

This module introduces students to core philosophical issues about meaning and the mind, and to central connections between these issues. How could there be minds in a physical world? Are states of consciousness physical states? How do our thoughts and words come to represent the world around us? These questions are intimately related. The capacity to represent the world is a central, problematic feature of the mind. Moreover, to assess what minds are, we must pay careful attention to what our words for mental states mean, and to how they come to mean what they do. We will investigate these questions by reading and discussing recent work in the philosophy of mind and language, by authors such as David Chalmers, Hilary Putnam and John Searle, as well as classic texts by authors such as Gottlob Frege and Princess Elizabeth of Bohemia.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Oppression, Inequality, and the Enemies of Democracy 1

Code:

PP2OID1

Convenor:

DR Charlotte Newey

Summary:

In this wide-ranging module, with an emphasis on contemporary political philosophy, we will explore some of the most important concerns for society. We will ask questions such as: Do existing accounts of justice need to be amended to acknowledge, explicitly, the concerns arising from race, gender, and disability? How should political philosophy respond to intersecting oppressions? What aspects of modern life threaten democracy? What is the best method by which to develop theories of justice? Is justice a local or global concern? How should we balance loyalty to our own state with concerns for global justice?

Assessment Method:

Assignment 90%, Oral 10%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Preparation for Dissertation in Classics

Code:

CL3DP

Convenor:

DR Emma Aston

Summary:

Students will prepare for their dissertation by completing a series of workshops, an assessed proposal, which will include an annotated bibliography, and a presentation.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Anatolia and the Aegean in the Late Bronze Age. The Context for the Trojan War

Code:

CL3AA

Convenor:

PROF Ian Rutherford

Summary:

This course aims to provide students with an understanding of the civilisations of Crete, Greece and Anatolia in the Late Bronze Age (1500-1150BC), and the political and cultural interactions taking place in Western Turkey in this period that form the background to the “Trojan War”.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Biography

Code:

CL3AB

Convenor:

PROF Timothy Duff

Summary:

A study of ancient biographical writing from its beginnings to its developed form as seen in Plutarch, based on a series of case-studies of texts relating to key historical figures.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Egyptian Language & Hieroglyphs

Code:

CL3AEL

Convenor:

DR Hana Navratilova

Summary:

This module aims to teach students some elements of the Ancient Egyptian language and give them skills to read Egyptian, in the hieroglyphic script, at an elementary level.

Assessment Method:

Exam 67%, Class test 33%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Greek & Roman Painting

Code:

CL3AP

Convenor:

PROF Amy Smith

Summary:

In this module students will explore the range of styles, techniques, and contexts for painting in the Greek and Roman world, whether it was used to decorate architecture or free-standing objects.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 10%, Portfolio 30%, Report 20%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

British School at Rome Undergraduate Summer School

Code:

CL3BSR

Convenor:

DR Andreas Gavrielatos

Summary:

Students enrolled for this module will make an application to the British School at Rome for study on the School’s undergraduate summer school programme. If accepted, they can then complete two 2,000 word essays drawing on their time in Rome for academic credit within the module CL3BSR.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Dissertation in Classics

Code:

CL3DN

Convenor:

DR Emma Aston

Summary:

This dissertation should allow for in-depth research, explication, and documentation of a topic. Its result should be a piece of original research or, possibly, an original artistic production.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 15%, Dissertation 85%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

History and Culture of New Kingdom Egypt

Code:

CL3EGY

Convenor:

DR Hana Navratilova

Summary:

This module studies the historical and cultural development of Egypt over five centuries of the New Kingdom period, from approximately 1600 BCE to 1100 BCE, from being an ascendant expansionist state to becoming a divided kingdom with a significantly changed character of once pivotal royal authority. It makes intensive use of both material and written culture to elucidate this dynamic period of Egyptian history, defined as an imperial and cosmopolitan age, but exhibiting also significant social and cultural change. Egyptological historiography of the period will be also addressed to illustrate the complexity - and plasticity - of modern historiography concerned with the ancient world. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

From Classroom to Courtroom: Mastering the Art of Persuasion in the Ancient World

Code:

CL3FCC

Convenor:

DR Christa Gray

Summary:

In a world without mass media, public speech (i.e. oratory) was the main way for politicians and other ambitious individuals to reach a large audience. This means that the skills required for public speech – the techniques of rhetoric – were indispensable for the development of a public profile. This module studies the relationship between the theory of rhetoric and the practice of oratory in antiquity. It caters for students interested in history, literature, and ancient languages (or all three) as it looks in depth at the construction of ancient speeches, at the skills required for composing and delivering them, and at the methods by which they were taught.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 75%, Oral 20%, Class test 5%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Greek 4 (H)

Code:

CL3G4

Convenor:

DR Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps

Summary:

The module aims to enable students to improve their skills in reading a range of Ancient Greek authors and with greater fluency, and to develop advanced knowledge of grammar, syntax and vocabulary. In addition, students will gain practice in the analysis of the literary texts studied. Students will also practise unseen translation.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ancient Greek 5 (H)

Code:

CL3G5

Convenor:

DR Dimitra Tzanidaki-Kreps

Summary:

The module aims to enable students to improve their skills in reading a range of Ancient Greek authors with fluency, and to gain practice in the analysis of the literary texts studied. Students will also practise unseen translation.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Independent Third Year Project

Code:

CL3INP

Convenor:

DR Emma Aston

Summary:

This project should allow for in-depth research, explication, and documentation of a topic which can be best presented in a format or formats different from the traditional dissertation. Admission to this module will be at the discretion of the Programme Director.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 40%, Oral 60%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Latin 3 (I)

Code:

CL3L3

Convenor:

DR Andreas Gavrielatos

Summary:

The module aims to enable students to read Latin authors with some fluency, and to develop a sound competence in grammar, syntax and vocabulary. In addition, students will gain practice in the analysis of the literary texts studied.

Assessment Method:

Class test 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Latin 4 (H)

Code:

CL3L4

Convenor:

DR Andreas Gavrielatos

Summary:

The module aims to enable students to improve their skills in a range of Latin authors with greater fluency, and to develop advanced knowledge of grammar, syntax and vocabulary. In addition, students will gain practice in the analysis of the literary texts studied. Students will also practise unseen translation.

Assessment Method:

Exam 67%, Assignment 33%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Latin 5 (H)

Code:

CL3L5

Convenor:

DR Andreas Gavrielatos

Summary:

The module aims to enable students to improve their skills in reading a range of Latin authors with fluency, and to develop appreciation of literary style. In addition, students will gain practice in the analysis of the literary texts studied. Students will also practise unseen translation.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Late Antique Egypt

Code:

CL3LAE

Convenor:

DR Arietta Papaconstantinou

Summary:

This module studies the transformation of Egypt over four centuries, from being a province of the Roman Empire to being a province of the Caliphate, and makes intensive use of the invaluable source material represented by the papyri for the study of social history.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Modern Tragedy

Code:

CL3MT

Convenor:

PROF Barbara Goff

Summary:

From the middle of the twentieth century, writers and practitioners have turned to Greek tragedy both to reinterpret the ancient texts and to use them as springboards for investigations into contemporary society’s pressing issues.  In this module we shall read modern rewritings that deploy ancient tragedy to discuss war, colonialism, feminism, and queer identities.  The module will also provide an introduction to ‘classical reception’ as a whole.

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

‘Race’ in the Ancient Greek and Roman Worlds

Code:

CL3RA

Convenor:

PROF Barbara Goff

Summary:

Racism is frequently theorised as a modern phenomenon. This module challenges such theorisations by exploring representations of racial otherness in Greek and Latin texts, and considering how these classical representations shaped medieval and modern ideas around ‘race’. 

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

The Anthropology of Heritage and Cultural Property

Code:

AR3HCP

Convenor:

DR Alanna Cant

Summary:

This module focuses on the concepts, institutions, politics, and legal claims of heritage and cultural property in the contemporary world. You will learn about the historical development of these concepts and the national and global institutions, such as English Heritage and UNESCO, through which they are promoted. You will develop a critical understanding of the political, economic, social and environmental effects of these processes. You will also develop your understanding of how heritage has become an important global industry premised on economies of tourism and heritage site conservation. By looking at different cases of heritage and cultural property, you will investigate such questions as: What is the relationship between heritage, identity and the nation-state? What happens when culture becomes a resource? Can the concept of cultural property afford the protections that indigenous and minority groups seek? What are the consequences of natural and human made threats to heritage sites? Course materials will primarily be academic texts and documentary films about specific cases from all over the world. The module will be delivered through a series of lectures, seminar sessions (small groups and general discussions), and documentary films. It will also include presentations by guest speakers who work in the heritage industries.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Archaeology of the City of Rome

Code:

AR3R9

Convenor:

DR Philippa Walton

Summary:

The module will provide an overview of the archaeology of the city of Rome in the imperial period.  Adopting a thematic approach and using a range of archaeological, epigraphic and historical evidence, we will focus on a study of the inhabitants of the city, particularly those who are ‘without history’. 

Assessment Method:

Assignment 60%, Portfolio 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Lifestyle, Nutrigenetics and Personalised Nutrition

Code:

FB3LNPA

Convenor:

DR Vimal Karani

Summary:

The module deals with human nutrition during the life cycle in health and disease and links this to nutrigenetics, nutrigenomics, epigenetics and personalised nutrition. Throughout the module you will study a selection of current issues in nutrition which impinge on lifestyle (diet and physical activity), health, genetic susceptibility and disease and matters relevant to the interface between human nutrition and food science.

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Climate Change

Code:

GV3CC

Convenor:

PROF Maria Shahgedanova

Summary:

This course examines natural and human-induced climate change with reference to examples from different parts of the world. By the end of the module, students will gain knowledge about forcings driving climate change (e.g. greenhouse gases, solar variability, volcanic eruptions, desert dust and black carbon aerosol), impacts of climate change on natural and managed systems, methods of climate change assessment and projection, and adaptation to climate change. The course combines the science of climate change (e.g. climatic variability with emphasis on El Nino Southern Oscillation and North Atlantic Oscillation, conceptual understanding of climate modelling) with its application (e.g. investigation of impacts of climate change on glaciated environments, water resources, urban areas). It addresses interactions between climatic changes and conditions of economies and communities focusing on vulnerabilities to climate change, development of adaptation strategies and techniques, and assessments of barriers to adaptation. 

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Report 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Ecosystems Modelling

Code:

GV3ESM

Convenor:

DR Shovonlal Roy

Summary:

This module concentrates on modelling ecological dynamics with emphasis to ecosystems on land and in the ocean, which are relevant to a range of global issues, from environmental changes to food security, including the earth’s primary production, oxygen generation, and carbon fixation. The module will cover techniques and aspects required for in-depth understanding the ecosystems function and dynamics. As such this module has got some mathematical contents which is higher than usual in typical Geography modules. Lecture materials and recommended reading includebasic calculus, differential equations, logarithms and algebraic manipulations, however, these are not included in theassessments. The content, both technical and general, is suitable for  thefinal year undergraduate students with little or no experience in ecosystem modelling, but those who are interested in learning the building blocks of modelling, and applying it to the stat-of-the-art environmental and ecological systems.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 30%, Oral 10%, Report 60%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Tropical Rainforests, Climate & Lost Civilisations

Code:

GV3TRC

Convenor:

PROF Frank Mayle

Summary:

This module is delivered at the University of Reading.  It aims to unravel the long-term (multi-millennial scale) history of tropical forests and human-environment interactions using a range of complimentary approaches.  This inter-disciplinary perspective integrates physical and human geography, ecology, and archaeology.  The module focuses largely on tropical South America (in particular, Amazonia) and focuses on several key questions: 1) What have been the interrelationships between climate change, human land use, and tropical forest ecosystems through the Holocene, i.e. the last ca. 12,000 years?  2) How was Amazonia transformed from a pristine wilderness into a domesticated landscape?  3) How did ancient human societies achieve long-term environmental and socio-economic sustainability, and why did they eventually collapse?  4) What are the implications of this historical perspective for today’s global challenges of sustainable living and tropical forest conservation against the backdrop of global warming?

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Report 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Intercultural Communications

Code:

LS3IC

Convenor:

DR Erhan Aslan

Summary:

In this module, students will explore how people of different discourse systems or groups communicate with one another in various face-to-face and digitally-mediated contexts. Specifically, students will gain an understanding of how assumptions and values that have been constructed or adopted within a specific culture group influence the ways in which people successfully communicate with each other as well as experience miscommunication. Students will become familiar with a variety of topics in intercultural communication as they engage in hands-on analyses of intercultural encounters.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Set exercise 10%, Project 40%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Criminology

Code:

LW3CRY

Convenor:

PROFESSOR Jo Phoenix

Summary:

Criminology is a lecture-led module examining the nature of crime as a social phenomenon, theoretical explanations of criminal behaviour, and official responses to crime. The module will incorporate tutorial classes and a piece of assessed coursework.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Identity and Conflict in Modern Europe

Code:

ML3IC

Convenor:

DR Athena Leoussi

Summary:

This module focuses on identity and conflict in modern Europe. By examining race, gender, warfare, revolution and immigration, it explores the evolution of modern conceptions of the self, of what it is to be human. The module further examines a) the ways in which  modern identities have been pursued and realised in different European contexts, for example, through social movements and national and international legislation; b) the conflicts which new and modern visions of the self have generated and in which they have been shaped; and c) cultural expressions of identity and conflict in paintings, sculptures, monuments and films.

Assessment Method:

Exam 50%, Assignment 30%, Oral 20%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Language and Power

Code:

ML3LP

Convenor:

MR Federico Faloppa

Summary:

This module aims to familiarise students with the linguistic means by which a whole range of persuasive texts can be analysed. We will also be considering the use of language (and of a language in general) as a powerful tool in itself. We will investigate a range of discourse types and theoretical approaches, and we will for instance look at stylistic and rhetorical features, linguistic creativity and language “play”, techniques for revealing a text’s underlying ideological stance and bias, power relationships and their effect on language.

Assessment Method:

Oral 25%, Project 75%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Entrepreneurial Project

Code:

MM302

Convenor:

MR Keith Heron

Summary:

New venture start-up involves more than generating a creative idea…it involves starting-up or taking action.  

In this module we expect a student to have done something to test out their start-up hypothesis, in order to build their own and potential investor confidence, prior to venture launch. 

This module will NOT require a Business Plan but it will require students to design ‘test and learn’ cycles of their Value Proposition thinking as an integral part of their progress towards start-up.

Assessment Method:

Project 40%, Report 60%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Feminism and Political Theory

Code:

PO3FPT

Convenor:

DR Sarah Goff

Summary:

This module explores the contributions of feminism to contemporary political theory. It begins by examining theoretical controversies surrounding the definition, subject matter, and aims of feminism. It then brings these theoretical insights to bear on a range of pressing issues in feminist politics, such as abortion, surrogacy, pornography, marriage and sexist language.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 100%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

Gender and Politics

Code:

PO3GAP

Convenor:

DR Rose De Geus

Summary:

Why do women remain under-represented in politics? Are voters sexist? And do women make for better political leaders? These are examples of the types of questions that we will consider in this module. Over the course of ten two-hour seminars we will explore how gender shapes politics. Throughout this we will also consider how gender intersects with other identities of race, ethnicity and sexuality. In the module we will look at many real-world examples and students are encouraged to bring their own examples for discussion. The module also exposes students to a variety of different research methods that are used in the field of gender and politics. The course is taught through ten two-hour seminars which require active participation and preparatory work from students. 

Assessment Method:

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

International Political Economy

Code:

PO3IPE

Convenor:

DR Jonathan Golub

Summary:

The course is an introduction to International Political Economy (IPE), which focuses on the interaction between states and markets at the domestic and international levels. It covers the major theoretical approaches to IPE and applies them to study international trade, development, financial crises, and economic sanctions. It also considers the relationship between globalisation and the welfare state as well as the environment.

Assessment Method:

Exam 40%, Assignment 40%, Oral 20%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.

Title:

US Foreign and Defence Policy since 1950

Code:

PO3USF

Convenor:

DR Graham O'Dwyer

Summary:

American foreign policy matters. As the most powerful, wealthiest, and influential state in the contemporary international system what Washington thinks and does is important to understand. But how did the US come to be in such a dominant position? This module explores this question and a set of integrated ones that flow from this concerning the American foreign policy tradition, the growth of presidential power in foreign policy making since 1945, and a number of case studies that explore key events and policies across time. By exploring historical and contemporary cases, students will analyse how foreign policy decisions are made, who influences them, and how this has evolved overtime. Drawing on primary and secondary sources students will gain an understanding of crucial events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Vietnam War, US foreign policy in Latin America, and the response to 9/11. Finally, the course will explore salient challenges faced by US foreign policymakers today.

Assessment Method:

Assignment 50%, Report 50%

Disclaimer:

The modules described on this page are what we currently offer. Modules may change for your year of study as we regularly review our offerings to ensure they’re informed by the latest research and teaching methods.