Unit Outline

Taking 'erotic text' in a broad sense, this unit explores the many functions - but especially the malfunctions - of desire in ancient literature. We will read some of Ovid's Heroides, fictional verse-letters written by heroines of Greek myth to their unfaithful lovers; a selection of love poetry ranging from Sappho to Roman elegy, in which erotic desire is represented as physical distress, as madness and disease; and Longus' second-century novel, Daphnis and Chloe, an ironic and playful study of human maturation and sexuality. We will also look at Plato's influential writings on the philosophical uses of desire, and some responses of later writers.

Intended Learning Outcomes

As per the Assessment and Results Policy 1.3, your results will reflect your achievement against specified learning outcomes.

On completion of this unit, you will be able to:


1	Describe and explain the key features of different types of ancient Greek and Latin texts concerning love and desire and situate them in their historical contexts.
2	Distinguish between primary and secondary sources of evidence for ancient life and thought, and explain how these sources are used in the study of ancient culture.
3	Critically evaluate a range of primary sources for ancient Greek and Roman love and desire (e.g. literary and philosophical texts).
4	Use primary and secondary sources to support an independent argument about the changes in ancient thinking about love, gender and sexuality.

Requisites


REQUISITE TYPE	REQUISITES
Pre-requisite	25 credit points at Introductory level or higher

Alterations as a result of student feedback

Some of the translations have been changed for greater readability. Assessment load has been slightly reduced.

How will I be Assessed?

For more detailed assessment information please see MyLO.

Assessment schedule


ASSESSMENT TASK #	ASSESSMENT TASK NAME	DATE DUE	WEIGHT	LINKS TO INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES
Assessment Task 1:	Essay	Week 12	40 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 2:	Final Project	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3, LO4
Assessment Task 3:	Weekly Reading Activities	Refer to Assessment Description	30 %	LO1, LO2, LO3

Assessment details

Assessment Task 1: Essay

Task Description:

A selection of essay topics will be provided in MyLO.

Task Length:

2500 words

Due Date:

Week 12

Weight:

40 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Essay demonstrates awareness of features of ancient thinking on love, desire and sexuality, and their historical contexts	LO1
2	Essay makes effective use of sources to support its argument	LO2, LO4
3	Essay demonstrates ability to use appropriate methodologies to evaluate primary sources	LO3
4	Essay is clearly written	LO4

Assessment Task 2: Final Project

Task Description:

The Final Project is a reflective exercise at the end of semester which seeks to draw together the themes and significances of the unit's materials. A selection of prompts will be provided towards the end of semester (refer to MyLO).

Task Length:

2000 words or equivalent

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Responses demonstrate knowledge of ancient attitudes to love, desire and sexuality, and their historical and social contexts	LO1
2	Analysis of primary sources demonstrates awareness of the nature of the source	LO2
3	Demonstrated awareness of interpretive issues in source analysis	LO3, LO4
4	Responses are clearly expressed	LO4

Assessment Task 3: Weekly Reading Activities

Task Description:

These weekly activities involve a variety of short responses to weekly primary and secondary readings.

Task Length:

2000 words across the semester

Due Date:

Refer to Assessment Description

Weight:

30 %

CRITERION #

CRITERION

MEASURES INTENDED

LEARNING OUTCOME(S)


1	Responses demonstrate valid interpretation of the provided sources	LO1, LO2, LO3
2	Responses demonstrate awareness of the historical and cultural context of the source	LO3

How your final result is determined

To pass this unit, you need to demonstrate your attainment of each of the Intended Learning Outcomes, achieve a final unit grade of 50% or greater, and pass any hurdle tasks.

Academic progress review

The results for this unit may be included in a review of your academic progress. For information about progress reviews and what they mean for all students, see Academic Progress Review in the Student Portal.

Submission of assignments

Where practicable, assignments should be submitted to an assignment submission folder in MYLO. You must submit assignments by the due date or receive a penalty (unless an extension of time has been approved by the Unit Coordinator). Students submitting any assignment in hard copy, or because of a practicum finalisation, must attach a student cover sheet and signed declaration for the submission to be accepted for marking.

Academic integrity

Academic integrity is about acting responsibly, honestly, ethically, and collegially when using, producing, and communicating information with other students and staff members.

In written work, you must correctly reference the work of others to maintain academic integrity. To find out the referencing style for this unit, see the assessment information in the MyLO site, or contact your teaching staff. For more detail about Academic Integrity, see Important Guidelines & Support.

Requests for extensions

If you are unable to submit an assessment task by the due date, you should apply for an extension.

A request for an extension should first be discussed with your Unit Coordinator or teaching support team where possible. A request for an extension must be submitted by the assessment due date, except where you can provide evidence it was not possible to do so. Typically, an application for an extension will be supported by documentary evidence: however, where it is not possible for you to provide evidence please contact your Unit Coordinator.

The Unit Coordinator must notify you of the outcome of an extension request within 3 working days of receiving the request.

Late penalties

Assignments submitted after the deadline will receive a late penalty of 5% of the original available mark for each calendar day (or part day) that the assignment is late. Late submissions will not be accepted more than 10 calendar days after the due date, or after assignments have been returned to other students on a scheduled date, whichever occurs first. Further information on Late Penalties can be found on the Assessments and Results Procedure.