Introduction to the Study of Antiquity [ LGLOR1410 ]

Course entry requirements: basic knowledge of at least one of the two Classical languages.

 

The Ancient culture, the different kinds of primary sources and the sciences related to these, modern bibliography and academic writing will constitute the successive main themes of the course.se modern works dealing with classical studies, particularly modern reference works and collections

By the end of the course, the student should master the procedures necessary to the knowledge and use of sources of information relative to Greco-Roman Antiquity, and (s)he should be able to express his results of research in a rigorous and pertinent way. The student should be able to produce a scientifically correct status quaestionis about a chosen subject relating to the Antiquity.

Evaluation: written work (starting from a Classical passage, short status quaestionis about the content and transmission of the text) and oral examination, each for the half of the mark.
 

The course is alternately taught by the two teachers. Special sessions will be organized proposing a visit of the library and an introduction to the use of on-line catalogues.

The course will give a general introduction to the various primary sources relevant for the study of Antiquity (literary, epigraphical, papyrological, archaeological, and numismatic documents), putting the stress on the history of their transmission through the centuries and on the ways for the modern researcher to access them (through the reference editions and main collections) and to study them (through a range of specific sciences). It will also deal with various sides of Ancient culture proving useful for the good understanding and interpretation of the sources (like mythology, chronology or literary genres). Moreover, the course will help the student with the use of secondary sources and with the effective use of a library in order to find the necessary documentation for the study undertaken. Finally, the student will be introduced into academic writing, with special attention paid to the usual conventions in Classical scholarship (e.g. current abbreviations).

.

Course material: the course framework, a reference bibliography and the useful documents will be, if necessary, posted on i-campus in the course of the year.