CLU33212 Social Media in the Ancient World
To write a letter – whether a formal, public composition or a private letter to a friend – is to create an image, consciously or unconsciously, of oneself as writer and of one’s relationship with the letter’s recipient. In this sense, Roman letter-writing can be seen as a partial equivalent of interaction via social media in our contemporary world. This module explores aspects of self-presentation through published and unpublished letters and other media of communication surviving from the Roman world.
- Module Organiser:
- Prof. Anna Chahoud
- Duration:
- Semester 2
- Contact Hours:
- 16 (11 lectures and 5 seminars)
- Weighting:
- 5 ECTS
- Assessment:
- 100% coursework (two written assignments)
- Course Open To:
- Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology; TJH Classical Civilisation; Ancient and Medieval History and Culture; Visiting; Open Module
Learning Outcomes
On successful conclusion of this module, students should be able to:
- Describe and analyse selected ancient letters and other forms of communication
- Examine the prescribed sources, both as documents in the intellectual history of the ancient world and as literary texts, with a particular emphasis on authorial self-representation
- Comment critically on select passages from the prescribed texts, both orally and in writing
- Evaluate and apply recent critical approaches to epistolarity and self-representation in general, and to the prescribed texts
- Critically evaluate similarities and differences between ancient forms of self-representation and modern social media