Women in Ancient Greece
Choose a start date
- Course Code: RC032
- Dates: 28/06/24 - 28/06/24
- Time: 11:00 - 17:00
- Taught: Fri, Daytime
- Duration: 1 session
- Location: Keeley Street
- Tutor: William Sterling
Course Code: RC032
Choose a start date
Duration: 1 session
Please note: We offer a wide variety of financial support to make courses affordable. Just visit our online Help Centre for more information on a range of topics including fees, online learning and FAQs.
What is the course about?
Using literary sources and the British Museum, as well as other artefacts, we compare and contrast the attitude of Ancient Greeks to women in society, as figures in mythology, and as goddesses.
What will we cover?
The contrasting roles of women in Ancient Greece from other ancient societies and the difference in class. The numerous female goddesses will be examined and how their attributes reflected the view of men. These goddesses will include Athene, Hera, Aphrodite, Artemis, Hestia and Demeter along with some of the lesser goddesses such as Persephone, Thetis and Leto. Some famous women such as the poet Sappho, Lysistrata and Hellenistic queens such as Cleopatra VII will be looked at as well as mythical figures such as Helen of Troy, Cassandra, Clytemnestra, Electra, Medea, Ariadne, Iphigenia, Penelope, and Pandora.
What will I achieve?
By the end of this course you should be able to...
- Understand the attitudes of the Ancient Greeks to women in society.
- Understand the attitudes of the Ancient Greeks to goddesses.
- See how these attitudes to women contrasted from other societies and society today and how they were reflected in literature.
What level is the course and do I need any particular skills?
This is an `introductory` course and does not assume any previous study or reading although you will need a good grasp of English to keep up with the course. As with most of our history and current affairs courses, an open mind and a willingness to listen to and think about views with which you do not always agree are more important than specific levels of skills.
How will I be taught, and will there be any work outside the class?
Illustrated lectures, discussions, questions, reading and analysis of original texts (in translation), museum visit.
Are there any other costs? Is there anything I need to bring?
Please bring pen and paper to make notes. A good pair of shoes for the museim visit.
When I've finished, what course can I do next?
Other Classics history or art history classes. See prospectus or online for details.
After a BA in History & Geography at Keele with Music, Education and Greek Studies as subsidiaries, William Sterling taught History full-time before becoming a Civil Servant working for the Departments of Transport and Education. This allowed him to study part-time for his MA from Birkbeck and PhD from King’s College, London. From 1992, he lectured in Adult Education at a number of colleges before joining the City Lit in 2008. Since 1994 he has been an official Gallery Guide at the British Museum, covering the whole museum but specialising in the Ancient Greeks, Romans and Etruscans, the Medieval & Modern European and Enlightenment Galleries. As a lecturer, he specialises in those same areas as well as Royal History (especially British Monarchs from 1603 to 1910), Composers’ Lives and other Cultural, especially interdisciplinary, topics. He also lectures on Cruise Ships on subjects ranging from Vikings to Shakespeare. He runs a website offering free resources on the subjects he teaches.
Please note: We reserve the right to change our tutors from those advertised. This happens rarely, but if it does, we are unable to refund fees due to this. Our tutors may have different teaching styles; however we guarantee a consistent quality of teaching in all our courses.
