CL3APP: Aristotle: Philology, Philosophy, Politics

Module code: CL3APP

Module provider: Classics; School of Humanities

Credits: 20

Level: Level 3 (Honours)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1

Module convenor: Dr Doukissa Kamini, email: doukissa.kamini@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: No

Last updated: 11 November 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module provides a close analysis of the language, themes, and significance of Aristotle’s philological, political, and philosophical works. It contextualises them within ancient contexts and discusses their reception in the Renaissance, Humanism, and 20th-century history and philosophy of language, literature, and politics (Saussure, Genette, Derrida). It explores the contribution of Poetics and Rhetoric to the history, philosophy, and theory of language (structure, semantics, pragmatics) and literature (context, genre, argument).  It examines political and ethical language and concepts in Nicomachean Ethics and Politics (government, moderation, causality, reason) and contextualises them within ancient and modern political/philosophical discourse. It explores the origins of philosophy and its relation to science by discussing On the Soul, Physics, Metaphysics. The students will revisit ancient genres from an interdisciplinary and intertextual perspective which highlights the versatility of language and the diversity of Classical contribution to human thought while forging them as Classicists in the round. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Interpret, contextualise, and compare Aristotle’s political, philosophical, and philological writings within their contemporary historical, political, literary, and philosophical background and context as well as in their reception in modern literary theory, politics, and philosophy
2. Focus on particular aspects of Aristotle’s work and articulate effective arguments which illustrate how the interaction among philology, philosophy, and politics shaped ancient Greek society as a whole based on evidence from primary sources and secondary sources
3. Recognise and criticise key arguments made in recent scholarship on specific aspect of Aristotle’s works and trace how such findings highlight the diversity and versatility of Classics as a vital part of Humanities and the development of human thought
4. Select, critically analyse, interpret and compare passages from Aristotle’s works from a specific point of view which indicates the students’ engagement with primary sources in depth and independent research while allowing them to form intertextual and applied theoretical points with other ancient and modern political, philosophical, and literary sources

Module content

Topics covered in this module may include the philosophical, political, scientific, ethical, linguistic, and literary context of Aristotle’s writings, the interaction between his works and the philosophical, political, scientific and literary ancient Greek tradition, the formation of his philological argumentation and its employment in Roman literary works and treatises, and the use of such models in Roman philosophy and modern philosophy, political thought, and literary theory. Ancient texts that may be discussed will include (but will not be limited to) Aristotle’s Metaphysics, Nicomachean Ethics, Politics, On the Soul, Poetics, and Rhetoric. In addition, references to ancient epic, lyric, and tragic poetry as well as to rhetoric and other philosophical writings in both ancient Greece and Rome will be made across the module. The lectures will discuss each aspect of Aristotle’s contribution (philological, political, philosophical) and will encourage comparative readings among them. They will conclude with an exploration of the ways in which such concepts developed in modern philosophy, literary, and political theory. The reading list will include multiple works on Aristotle based on the three aspect under examination while students will be prompted to employ introductory works, such as the Cambridge Companion to Aristotle’s Politics, Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek and Roman Philosophy, the Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Political Thought, and scholarship on modern political philosophy and literary theory, at the beginning of their engagement with the module and its content. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

One 2-hour lecture per week for the weeks 1-5; one 1-hour seminar and one 1-hour visit to the Manuscripts in UMASCS for week 7; one 2-hour seminar per week for the weeks 8-11; no classes in week 12: students will submit their work in week 12 of the semester and the dedicated time for this module will derive from their independent study time. In addition, in week 12, students will be offered the chance to have individual feedback sessions with the lecturer to discuss any final drafts and/or the feedback from their optional formative assessment in week 9.

Employment of digital material: use of BlackBoard, PowerPoint slides, learning enhancement material and guidance on assignments which will be discussed in class and will be made available online. All lectures will be recorded so that students can be informed in case of absence or revisit any material they need for their preparation for their assignments. The recorded lectures will be available on BlackBoard through YuJa. 

Study hours

At least 20 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

The module will also have an optional formative assessment due at the end of week 9 of the semester in which the module is taught. Students can submit a draft of their work to receive specific feedback.

In addition, group discussions and presentation in seminars, and individual discussion of coursework with staff for feedback, will provide formative assessment.

Reassessment

Additional costs