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Modules

Polybios and the Challenge of Change (CLA3273)

StaffDr Emma Nicholson - Convenor
Credit Value15
ECTS Value7.5
NQF Level6
Pre-requisitesNone
Co-requisitesNone
Duration of Module Term 2: 11 weeks;

Module aims

The module aims are:

  • To investigate Polybios’ Histories as a response to the radical changes in the third and second centuries BC with the rise of Rome to power in the Greek East.
  • To reflect more generally on how historians, both ancient and modern, engage with transition and crisis.
  • To explore how Polybios interpreted, wrote about and reacted to the historical past and change, and also how his own life and experiences as a Greek under Roman rule influenced his view of the world and the way he wrote his Histories.
  • To consider through a thematic approach how he acted both as an active political agent in historical events, as well as an indirect political communicator and educator, to manage the crisis of this period and encourage reform himself.
  • To reflect on the way that modern historians, politicians, and even we ourselves, think about and respond to change and transformation. 

ILO: Module-specific skills

  • 1. Demonstrate command and critical understanding of the key aspects of Polybios and his Histories, and the history of Rome’s rise to power in the Mediterranean during the second century BC
  • 2. Demonstrate knowledge and a critical appreciation of the methods and factors involved in the writing of Polybios’ Histories
  • 3. Demonstrate knowledge of the changes facing the Greeks in the second century BC, critical awareness of Polybios’ strategies to mitigate crisis, and assessment of these approaches within both ancient and modern contexts

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

  • 4. Demonstrate critical and analytical skills which can be applied to the analysis of ancient texts
  • 5. Develop advanced academic and library skills specific to Classics and Ancient History as well as a critical ability in evaluating published literature
  • 6. Demonstrate advanced appreciation of the issues involved in using historiographical texts as evidence, and relate texts to their socio-historical context

ILO: Personal and key skills

  • 7. Demonstrate the ability to think critically and independently on a range of crucial issues and to construct an interesting and consistent argument
  • 8. Demonstrate independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers
  • 9. Demonstrate the ability to articulate ideas clearly, engage in public debate and respond critically to observations and objections

Syllabus plan

While the content may vary from year to year, it is envisioned that it will cover some or all of the following topics:

  • Introduction: Historians and Change
  • Polybios in Context: Witness to World Transformation
  • Communicating Change: Polybios’ Didactic Intentions
  • Framing Change: Universal and Specialised Histories
  • Predicting Change: Patterns in History
  • Accommodating Change: Contingency in Polybios’ Histories
  • Changes for the Worse: Polybios and Decline
  • Constructing Change Revisited: The Case of Philip V of Macedon
  • Polybios as Agent of Change
  • Change: Ancient and Modern Approaches
  • Review

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching ActivitiesGuided independent studyPlacement / study abroad
221280

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

CategoryHours of study timeDescription
Scheduled Learning and Teaching22Weekly 2 hour seminars; student presentations
Guided Independent Study128Private study

Formative assessment

Form of assessmentSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Discussion and feedback in seminars and online forum Continuous1-6, 8-9Written and oral

Summative assessment (% of credit)

CourseworkWritten examsPractical exams
70030

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment% of creditSize of the assessment (eg length / duration)ILOs assessedFeedback method
Presentation3015 minutes1-6, 8-9Written and oral
Essay703000 words1-8Written and oral
0
0
0
0

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Original form of assessmentForm of re-assessmentILOs re-assessedTimescale for re-assessment
Recorded presentationRecorded presentation1-6, 8-9Referral/Deferral period
EssayEssay1-8Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

  • Polybius, Histories, vols. 1-6, transl. W.R. Paton, revised by W.F. Walbank and C. Habicht, 2011-12, Loeb Classical Library.
  • Derow, P. S. (2014) Rome, Polybius, and the East, Oxford University Press. 
  • Gibson, B. and T. Harrison (2013) Polybius and his World, Oxford University Press. 
  • McGing, B. (2010) Polybius’ Histories, Oxford University Press. 
  • Walbank, F. W. (2002) Polybius, Rome and the Hellenistic World, Cambridge University Press.

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

Indicative learning resources - Other resources

  • Champion, C. (2004) Cultural Politics in Polybius's Histories, Cambridge University Press. 
  • Grethlein, J. (2013) Experience and Teleology in Ancient Historiography, Cambridge University Press. 
  • Smith, C. and Yarrow, L. (2012) Imperialism, Cultural Politics, and Polybius, Oxford University Press 2012. 

Available as distance learning?

No

Origin date

01/09/2018

Last revision date

17/03/2022

Key words search

Polybios, Challenge, Change, Greek Historiography, Hellenistic History