| Unit name | The Hellenistic World |
|---|---|
| Unit code | CLAS20071 |
| Credit points | 20 |
| Level of study | I/5 |
| Teaching block(s) |
Teaching Block 2 (weeks 13 - 24) |
| Unit director | Dr. Sandwell |
| Open unit status | Not open |
| Units you must take before you take this one (pre-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you must take alongside this one (co-requisite units) |
None. |
| Units you may not take alongside this one |
None. |
| School/department | Department of Classics & Ancient History |
| Faculty | Faculty of Arts |
Why is this unit important?
This unit explores the political and social developments in the Mediterranean world in the Hellenistic Era (approximately the fourth to the second centuries BCE). This period saw the emergence and growth of new empires (catalysed by the conquests of the Macedonian kings Philip and Alexander), and the dissemination of Greek culture around the Mediterranean and beyond: among the major themes covered are the rise of the Macedonian Empire, the conquest of Western Asia, and Alexander’s Successors. In exploring this period, we will investigate some of the main features and characteristics of the Hellenistic kingdoms and the world that Alexander and the Successors created, as well as the intercultural contacts between the Greeks and the peoples of Egypt and Western Asia. We will also focus on historiographical issues around how the Hellenistic world has been presented and studied, such as the relationship between interpretations of Alexander's conquests in the East and ideas around Hellenization and Orientalism, and consider changing attitudes to the Hellenistic world in scholarship and beyond.
How does this unit fit into your programme of study?
This unit builds on and complements other historically focused units in the programme by offering an in-depth study of an important period not covered elsewhere; it demonstrates the continuing importance and inherent interest of Greek history beyond the end of the Classical period. The unit will help you understand how the Archaic and Classical Greek world of independent city-states became a world of kingdoms and empires, and how Greek culture continued to spread beyond mainland Greece and interacted with other cultures. It will also introduce you to the study of broader historical themes and issues (for example around cultural change) against a rich and complex historical case-study, and prompt you to consider the importance of changing attitudes and perspectives to historical study more generally.
An overview of content
The unit will start with the rise of Macedonian power under Philip and Alexander, and the transformative change this brought on the Greek world; we will then explore Alexander’s conquests, and the complex legacy left by his death. We will trace the establishment of the Seleucid, Ptolemaic, Antigonid and Attalid kingdoms out of the remains of Alexander's empire, before turning to a number of thematic classes exploring the distinctive nature of the Hellenistic world: themes treated will include the nature of Hellenistic monarchy, the issue of what it meant to be Greek in this new world, and issues around how Greeks related to non-Greeks. We will discuss both literary evidence (such as the writings of Plutarch, Arrian and Polybius), and visual and material evidence (such as the art of the Attalid kingdom and the rich epigraphic and numismatic evidence for the period); we will also pay attention to historiographical issues, and the ways in which the period has been studied and framed in earlier historical scholarship.
How will students, personally, be different as a result of this unit?
You will have developed a knowledge of some key developments and themes in the Hellenistic period, including its main players and characteristics. You will have gained an understanding of the range of sources available for this particular historical period, and with the problems with using those sources as evidence. You will have developed your skills in historical analysis more generally, by detailed consideration of this complex period; you will also have developed an awareness of how wider social attitudes shape debates on historical subject-matter, using the Hellenistic World as a case study.
Learning outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, students will be able to:
This unit will involve a combination of independent investigative activities, long- and short-form lectures, and discussion. Students will be expected to engage with materials and participate on a weekly basis. Feedback will be provided for both formative and summative assessments, and this will be supported by meetings with tutors.
Tasks which count towards your unit mark (summative):
Essay, 1,500 words (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
Exam, 90 minutes (50%) [ILOs 1-4]
When assessment does not go to plan
When required by the Board of Examiners, you will normally complete reassessments in the same formats as those outlined above. However, the Board reserves the right to modify the format or number of reassessments required. Details of reassessments are confirmed by the School/Centre shortly after the notification of your results at the end of the academic year.
If this unit has a Resource List, you will normally find a link to it in the Blackboard area for the unit. Sometimes there will be a separate link for each weekly topic.
If you are unable to access a list through Blackboard, you can also find it via the Resource Lists homepage. Search for the list by the unit name or code (e.g. CLAS20071).
How much time the unit requires
Each credit equates to 10 hours of total student input. For example a 20 credit unit will take you 200 hours
of study to complete. Your total learning time is made up of contact time, directed learning tasks,
independent learning and assessment activity.
See the University Workload statement relating to this unit for more information.
Assessment
The assessment methods listed in this unit specification are designed to enable students to demonstrate the named learning outcomes (LOs). Where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, schools will make reasonable adjustments to support a student to demonstrate the LO by an alternative method or with additional resources.
The Board of Examiners will consider all cases where students have failed or not completed the assessments required for credit.
The Board considers each student's outcomes across all the units which contribute to each year's programme of study. For appropriate assessments, if you have self-certificated your absence, you will normally be required to complete it the next time it runs (for assessments at the end of TB1 and TB2 this is usually in the next re-assessment period).
The Board of Examiners will take into account any exceptional circumstances and operates
within the Regulations and Code of Practice for Taught Programmes.
