Ancient Popular Topoi and Motifs in Culture and Literature 03-APT-22CEBSDL

Course learning content:
- concepts and ideas: motif, commonplace, theme, symbol, archetype, myth,
- classical motifs reworked in modern culture,
- Homeric epic about war and travelling: short history of the universal metaphors of human life,
- ancient bestiary and modern posthuman reflections,
- astral imagination, ancient and modern,
- ancient poleology in modern guise: motif of the city (and its ruins) in contemporary art and literature,
- ancient motifs in contemporary cinema.

Module learning aims

Course aims: - to obtain state-of-the-art knowledge of the subject matter of the lecture, - to deepen one’s knowledge of selected problems of classical culture, - to obtain knowledge of the coexistence of methodological trends, - to obtain the knowledge of basic terminology and methods typical of several methodologies, - to develop the ability to recognize and assess methods used in earlier and recent research, - to develop skills at applying the tools typical of specific methodological trends.

Major

Central European and Balkan Studies

Methods of teaching for learning outcomes achievement

Lecture with a multimedia presentation, interactive lecture, problem-based lecture, discussions, text-based work.

Student workload (ECTS credits)

Cycle of studies

1st cycle

Module type

compulsory

Year of studies (where relevant)

Year 2

Pre-requisites in terms of knowledge, skills and social competences

General familiarity with classics; basic familiarity with the terminology of history of arts and theory of literature; having read a number of classical texts, original or translated; attending other lectures on classical culture.

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this course, a student will be able to:
- understand the research problems and the recent achievements in the field covered by the lecture,
- be able to present the crucial research methodologies (both contemporary and earlier) and their mutual influence and relationships,
- know how to critically evaluate the importance and usefulness of various methodological perspectives applied to analysing and interpreting the relationship between ancient and modern culture,
- have extensive factual knowledge in the field covered by the lecture,
- have the basic bibliographic information necessary to further research the subject matter of the lecture.

Assessment criteria

Assessment criteria:

very good (bdb; 5,0): very good familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; very good understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

good plus (+db; 4,5): as above, except for minor deficiencies and inaccuracies.

good (db; 4,0): good familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

satisfactory plus (+dst; 3,5): satisfactory familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; average understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

satisfactory (dst; 3,0): basic familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; shallow understanding and ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

unsatisfactory (ndst; 2,0): unsatisfactory familiarity with the problems and methodologies discussed in the lecture; no understanding or ability to interpret the facts from a number of perspectives.

Bibliography

Reading list:
To be announced in class (e.g. E. Curtius, European Literature and the Latin Middle Ages. Oxford 2013 [1953]; M. Beard, J. Henderson, Classics. A Very Short Introduction. Oxford 1997; Classical Myth and Culture in the Cinema. Ed. M.M. Winkler. Oxford 2001; Living Classics: Greece and Rome in Contemporary Poetry in English. Ed. S.J. Harrison. Oxford 2009; Classics for All: Reworking Antiquity in Mass Culture. Ed. D. Lowe, K. Shahabudin. Newcastle 2009).

Additional information

Additional information (registration calendar, class conductors, localization and schedules of classes), might be available in the USOSweb system:

Description of 03-APT-22CEBSDL in USOSweb