Search Modules by School

Select Level:  

Select School:  

CAHA10020 - Museums and Collections
Autumn, Level 1, Credits 10

This Stage 1 core module is only for students on the Classics, Art History and Archaeology BA Humanities pathway. It provides an introduction to the historical, social, and theoretical contexts of museums and collections, as well as to the interpretive methodologies applied to so...
CAHA30010 - Dissertation
Spring, Level 3, Credits 15

This module provides a unique and exciting opportunity to carry out a piece of substantial research that builds on the knowledge, skills and methods developed over the course of the Classics, Art History and Archaeology programme. It is only for students on this degree pathway or...
GRC10130 - Ancient Rome: An Introduction
Spring, Level 1, Credits 5

This module introduces students to Roman history, literature, and culture from Rome's mythological origins to the second century AD. Precise topics and periods of emphasis will vary from year to year. In lectures and tutorials students will examine case studies informed by key fi...
GRC10140 - Classical Myth: An Introduction
Spring, Level 1, Credits 5

This module will introduce students to key figures and themes in Greek mythology by examining their roles in ancient literature, art and culture. Students will explore the roles of gods and heroes such as Apollo, Aphrodite, Heracles, Theseus, Medea, Helen and Odysseus in their an...
GRC10170 - Lost Cities of the Ancient World
Autumn, Level 1, Credits 5

The great civilizations of the ancient Mediterranean were urban societies that developed complex social and political structures and invested the profits of trade, agriculture, and warfare in the construction of fortifications, temples, palaces, tombs, and other monuments. This m...
GRC10190 - War and the Hero: The Epics of Homer and Virgil
Spring, Level 1, Credits 5

Homer’s Iliad and Odyssey (c. 700 BC), dealing with the mythical Trojan war, are the foundation of Greek and Western literature. The lectures will discuss the structure, characters, and main themes of the two works, with special reference to the epic heroes Achilles and Odysseus....
GRC10200 - Classical Greece
Autumn, Level 1, Credits 5

This module introduces students to the political, social, and economic history of ancient Greece, with particular emphasis on the 'Classical' period, c. 480-323 BC. This era spans from the Greco-Persian Wars to the death of Alexander the Great. Together we will explore sources an...
GRC20030 - Early Roman Empire
Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5

This module examines the history of the Roman Empire from Augustus to Trajan. We will explore aspects of the political, social and cultural history of the period. We will examine how emperors interacted with their people, and how they were represented in contemporary works and la...
GRC20040 - Greek Tragedy
Spring, Level 2, Credits 5

Greek tragedy has had profound influence on Western culture, and many of the 32 surviving plays are still regularly performed. This module will examine the social and theatrical context of the original performances in 5th-century Athens, and study a selection of plays in detail. ...
GRC20100 - Ovid's Metamorphoses and the Transformation of Myth
Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5

In this module we will read Ovid's great epic poem the Metamorphoses in its context of Augustan Rome. We will look at how Ovid creatively adapts and refigures already-existing stories in innovative fashion, and we will see how those stories are in turn adapted and represented in ...
GRC20130 - Study Tour of Ancient Greece
Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5

This module provides students with experience of the landscape, monuments and material culture of ancient Greece, facilitating a greater understanding of the societies that flourished in this region in the past. It consists of a 10-day study tour to mainland Greece, visiting key ...
GRC20220 - Greeks, Romans, and Barbarians
Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5

This is the core module for Stage 2 Greek and Roman Civilisation. The study of Greece and Rome has long been championed as the foundation of the 'west' and its values, yet neither civilisation existed in a vacuum, and both reflect remarkable receptivity to, and interaction with, ...
GRC20270 - The Athenian Empire
Spring, Level 2, Credits 5

This module explores the rise and fall of the Athenian empire from its beginnings in the 470s to its defeat at the hands of Sparta in 404 BC, as well as Athenian attempts to recapture such pre-eminence in the early fourth century. It reflects on the nature of imperialism in antiq...
GRC20280 - Near Eastern Myth and Religion
Spring, Level 2, Credits 5

This module explores stories passed down from Mesopotamia and other ancient near eastern/western Asian societies that were long in contact with the Mediterranean world. Lectures will situate the mythology and divine pantheon of Mesopotamia in its various historical, religious, po...
GRC20300 - Women in Ancient Greece
Autumn, Level 2, Credits 5

NB Please be aware that this module covers topics such as gender-based and sexual violence. This module explores the lives of women in archaic and classical Greece, drawing on a broad range of sources, including poetry (epic, lyric, tragedy), prose (legal oratory, histories, phil...
GRC30070 - Family Life in Ancient Greece
Autumn, Level 3, Credits 5

This module explores the history of family groups in the ancient Greek world in the Archaic (Homeric), Classical and Hellenistic periods. Topics studied include: marriage & adultery, child-rearing & education, old age & death, exposure & infanticide, gender & status divisions in ...
GRC30210 - Eating and Drinking in Classi
Spring, Level 3, Credits 5

This module examines food and drink production and consumption in ancient Greece and Rome through a combination of archaeological remains, literary sources, iconography, and anthropological theory. From daily bread to pungent fish sauce, food consumption can be linked to wider so...
GRC30290 - Magic in the Ancient World
Autumn, Level 3, Credits 5

Magic had a central place, alongside religion, in everyday ancient Greek and Roman lives. What beliefs did people in Antiquity have about magic and about how it worked? To answer these questions we will explore the descriptions of ancient witches, sorcerers, shamans, necromancers...
GRC30330 - Death and the Afterlife in the Ancient World
Autumn, Level 3, Credits 5

What happens when we die? From our earliest extant literature to contemporary pop culture, the human mind has imagined a wide range of possible destinations; each proposes an answer to one of the most profound questions of the human experience. This module examines the mythology ...
GRC30350 - Sparta
Spring, Level 3, Credits 10

This is Sparta!, or… is it? Often depicted as an exceptional polis and a secretive, warrior-society famed as much for its laws and its wit as its soldiers, Sparta continues to captivate our collective imagination. In this module you will participate in an ongoing process that see...
GRC40010 - Warfare and Society in the Ancient World
Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10

This module looks at ancient warfare in its social contexts from the era of the Homeric warriors to the early Byzantine period (c. 800 BC - AD 600). We will focus on current areas of debate among modern scholars, making extensive use of written primary sources (in translation) as...
GRC40130 - Research Skills I
Autumn, Level 4, Credits 5

Classics is a diverse discipline, covering a wide chronological, geographical, material and textual range; mastering some of these primary sources is an important first step in studying the discipline, but it is not the only one. It is essential too that we are aware of how we in...
GRC40140 - Research Skills II
Autumn, Level 4, Credits 5

This module provides training and practice in key research skills for writing a thesis in Classics, as well as providing transferable skills to enhance employability. Students will learn how to find and utilise a range of traditional and digital/online resources, how to correctly...
GRC40190 - The Epic Tradition
Spring, Level 4, Credits 10

The immense undertaking that was Virgil's Aeneid provided a mythical and historical perspective on the equally immense undertaking that was Augustus' refashioning of Rome, and established epic as the benchmark genre for later eras to offer mythological perspectives on contemporar...
GRC40290 - The Plays of Euripides
Spring, Level 4, Credits 10

Euripides (c. 485–407 BC) was the youngest of the three great Athenian tragedians, and by far the most popular in antiquity. He was associated with progressive ideas in philosophy and politics, and his plays have been thought to question the behaviour and even the very existence ...
GRC40310 - Greek Political Thought
Autumn, Level 4, Credits 10

This module examines questions as pressing today as they were for people millennia ago - how should communities be organised and governed, by whom, and why? What does good leadership entail? What are our obligations to others? What recourse do we have when our political systems f...
GRC40330 - Exploring New Worlds
Spring, Level 4, Credits 10

Exploring New Worlds from the Phoenicians to Amerigo Vespucci

At the centre of the Graeco-Roman world lay the Mediterranean Sea (or mare nostrum, ‘our sea’, as the Romans came to call it) and the inhabited regions around its periphery. From Antiquity until the discovery of th...
GRC40350 - Thesis
Summer, Level 4, Credits 30

For this module students research and write a thesis of 12,000 to 15,000 words on a topic relating to some aspect of the ancient world or its reception, selected in consultation with an appointed supervisor....
GRK10090 - Greek Language I
Autumn, Level 1, Credits 10

This module is the first stage of an introduction to ancient Greek which is designed for complete beginners. The textbook is Reading Greek (2nd edition, 2 vols., Cambridge University Press). Students read adapted Greek from the start, as well as doing language exercises. The modu...
GRK10100 - Greek Language II
Spring, Level 1, Credits 10

This module is the second stage of a beginners' course in ancient Greek. The textbook is Reading Greek (Cambridge University Press). Students read adapted Greek; learn vocabulary, grammar, and syntax; and do language exercises. The module will cover approximately sections 6-14 of...
GRK20110 - Greek Texts: Plato
Spring, Level 2, Credits 5

This module focuses on Plato's Apology of Socrates, to be studied in the original Greek. This is Plato's version of the speech which Socrates gave when on trial for his life in 399 BC, and is a key text both for Socrates' view of his philosophical mission and for the nature of At...
GRK20140 - Intermediate Greek
Autumn, Level 2, Credits 10

This module is the third stage of an introduction to the ancient Greek language. Students are expected to have taken GRK10090 Greek Language I and GRK10100 Greek Language II, or equivalent. The textbook is Reading Greek, 2nd edition (2 vols), published by Cambridge University Pre...
GRK30020 - Greek Texts: Thucydides
Spring, Level 3, Credits 5

This module studies Book 6 of Thucydides' History of the Peloponnesian War, to be read in the original Greek. The book deals with the Athenian expedition to Sicily in 415 BC, and features the glamorous and divisive Athenian politician Alcibiades. Classes will be devoted to readin...
GRK30060 - Greek Texts: Aeschylus
Autumn, Level 3, Credits 5

This module focuses on Aeschylus' Eumenides, to be studied in the original Greek. This play is the final part of the great Oresteia trilogy (458 B.C.). The module is taught in small classes, which are devoted to reading the text and discussing points of interest. Students will be...
GRK30090 - Greek Texts: Euripides
Spring, Level 3, Credits 5

This module focuses on Euripides' Medea, to be studied in the original Greek. The play, first performed in 431 BC, is one of the most famous and powerful Greek tragedies, and deals with the role of women, the problem of revenge, and Greek attitudes to foreigners. Classes will be ...
GRK30100 - Greek Texts: Herodotus
Autumn, Level 3, Credits 5

Students will translate and examine selections from the Histories of Herodotus in the original Greek. In Autumn 2023 students will engage with selections from books 1 and 3 of the Histories. In particular, this module will read and translate the Lydian Logos from Book One, as wel...
GRK30110 - Greek Texts: Epic
Spring, Level 3, Credits 5

This module studies Book 1 of Homer's Iliad, to be read in the original Greek. The book deals with the quarrel between Achilles and Agamemnon, and introduces the main themes of the Iliad including heroism, political conflict, and the role of the gods. Classes will be devoted to r...
LAT10090 - Beginners' Latin I
Autumn, Level 1, Credits 10

This module is an introduction to the Latin language aimed at beginners who want to learn Latin and develop their knowledge of Roman culture. We will explore aspects of Roman myth and history by reading adapted Latin texts. You will learn elementary Latin grammar and syntax, and ...
LAT10100 - Beginners' Latin II
Spring, Level 1, Credits 10

This module is the second stage of an introductory course in Latin. Students will complete their study of Latin grammar and vocabulary, and read passages of continuous prose and verse from a variety of Latin authors with a view to acquiring fluency in the reading of unadapted Lat...
LAT20130 - Catullus
Spring, Level 2, Credits 5

In this course students will read the poetry of Catullus, who wrote on erotic, political and mythological themes during the period of the Late Roman Republic. In parallel with a close reading of the texts, the lectures and tutorials will explore the aesthetic qualities of Catullu...
LAT20140 - Intermediate Latin
Autumn, Level 2, Credits 10

This module constitutes a final stage of introduction to the Latin language within the context of ancient Roman culture. Students will revise grammatical forms and syntax and will gradually be introduced to more complex constructions, developing their reading skills through gramm...
LAT20180 - Cicero's Political Oratory
Spring, Level 2, Credits 5

On this module students will read selections from a prescribed speech of Cicero on a political topic. The level of Latin is moderately advanced, suitable for students in their second year of studying Latin at university, or who have a Leaving Certificate qualification in Latin; i...
LAT30020 - Ovid and Lucan: Successors to Virgil
Autumn, Level 3, Credits 5

On this module we will read Ovid, Metamorphoses book 13. We will examine Ovid's poetic style of each author, and the directions in which he takes epic poetry after Virgil's Aeneid. Students will also be introduced to basic theories of intertextuality, and their application to the...
LAT30120 - Virgil's Aeneid
Spring, Level 3, Credits 5

In this module students will read selections from Virgil's Aeneid in the original Latin. As well as consolidating their skills in translating Latin, students will study the Augustan contexts of the Aeneid, and will be introduced to a variety of critical methodologies for analysin...
LAT30200 - Tacitus Histories
Autumn, Level 3, Credits 5

This module focuses on Tacitus' ‘Histories’, to be studied in the original Latin. Tacitus was one of the finest writers of Latin prose, and in the surviving sections of his ‘Histories’ he begins with the death of Nero in A.D. 68 and offers a detailed narrative of the civil war an...