GRE301: The Main Themes of Greek Literature
Key details
| Accredited towards | Diploma of Classical Languages |
| Unit type | Elective unit |
| Credit points | 6 |
| Indicative contact hours | 3 hours per week |
| Prerequisites | See below |
| Offered in | Semester 2 |
| Tuition fee | Learn more |
Overview
In this unit students study a number of works of Greek literature in class and in their own time. The choice of texts is designed to give examples of some of the themes exploited by Greek authors. Themes covered may include, but are not limited to: mortals and gods; honour and shame; supplication; guest friendship; the city; men and women; excellence of character; the search for wisdom. Students engage in close reading of ancient texts both as an end in itself, as well as to consolidate knowledge acquired in earlier units.
Learning outcomes
On completion of the unit students will have:
- An understanding of how to translate syntactically complex texts from Greek, and the problems involved in the ‘translation’ of texts.
- An understanding of the relation between language and culture, and between grammar and interpretation.
- An understanding of how to apply evidence from beyond the text, in order to interpret it successfully, and some understanding of the evidence pertaining to the texts being studied.
- A basic understanding of the principles of Greek prosody and the ability to identify the effect of metre in some cases.
- The ability to participate confidently and effectively in group work, contributing with clarity and coherence.
Prerequisites
Students may enrol in GRE301 if they have completed GRE202. Otherwise they may only enrol if they have a sufficiently advanced, and demonstrable, knowledge of ancient Greek sufficient for this unit.
Interested in other Greek units?
GRE101: Classical Greek I
GRE102: Classical Greek II
GRE201: Classical Greek III
GRE202: Classical Greek IV
GRE301: The Main Themes of Greek Literature
GRE302: The Genres of Greek Literature