University of St Andrews

Key information

SCOTCAT credits : 30

ECTS credits : 15

Level : SCQF level 10

Semester: 1

Availability restrictions: Available to General Degree students with the permission of the Honours Adviser

Planned timetable: TBC

The late antique period was marked by dramatic developments in the religious history of the Mediterranean, such as the decline of pagan cults, the rise and establishment of Christianity, and the spread of Islam. This module will approach these developments from the perspective of local communities, asking how they responded to and helped to shape these wider processes, considering religious change in its proper social and cultural context. Issues such as the definition of religious identities, the construction of religious authority, and the role played by religion in urban life will be considered in a comparative perspective, through the analysis of specific cases from around the Mediterranean.

Relationship to other modules

Pre-requisite(s): As stated in the School of Classics Undergraduate Handbook

Learning and teaching methods and delivery

Weekly contact: 1 x 2 hour lecture and seminars

Assessment pattern

As used by St Andrews: 2-hour Written Examination = 35%, Coursework = 65%


Re-assessment: 3-hour Written Examination = 100%

Personnel

Module coordinator: Dr C A Ribeiro Machado
Module teaching staff: Dr C Machado

Intended learning outcomes

• Discuss modern scholarly approaches to religion and religious history and their applicability to the study of late antiquity
• Identify and discuss at least five religious developments that characterized this period, justifying explaining their importance
• Analyse and formulate arguments about the relationship between religion and social identity in ancient and modern times
• Interpret the diversity of sources available to the historian dealing with the period, showing awareness of the problems that they pose to scholars