RETKLA2020 – Ancient rhetoric: theory and practice
Course description
Course content
The course focuses sharply on Greek and Roman rhetoric. In ancient times, eloquence was practiced and discussed by politicians, philosophers, and teachers alike. A focal point in the course is the interrelation between rhetorical theory and practice. Do classical speakers follow the rules of rhetorical theory? How does rhetorical theory reflect historical developments in politics, philosophy, and culture?
Course materials are ancient and modern rhetorical texts as well as secondary literature.
Learning outcome
After completing this course you will be able to:
? analyse texts which reflect ancient rhetorical theory and/or practice and situate them in their historical, literary, and philosophical background
? formulate questions about ancient rhetorical theory guided by the course teacher and treat them in written and/or oral form
By working with the course essay (semesteroppgave), you acquire in-depth understanding of one particular area of ancient rhetorical theory and its modern interpretations.
Admission
Students who are admitted to study programmes at UiO must each semester register which courses and exams they wish to sign up for in Studentweb.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
If the course has may applicants the following groups of students will be prioritized:
- students with majors in rhetoric, history of ideas
- students with minor (or major) in ancient culture and classical languages (40-group – Antikk kultur og klassiske spr?k (40ANT) (this course group no longer admits students))
Prerequisites
Recommended previous knowledge
RETKLA1101 – Klassisk retorikk or equivalent. We strongly recommend that you have studied at least one year prior to this course.
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with RETKLA4020 – Ancient rhetoric: theory and practice (discontinued)
Teaching
Seminars two hours pr week for 10 weeks.
Seminars require that students participate actively. We expect students to be prepared for seminars.
Compulsory tuition activity In order to be qualified for the final exam, you must submit an outline of your semester essay for academic supervision in Fronter and the outline must be approved (accepted as satisfactory) by the teacher.
Examination
Semester essay 8-10 pages(à 2300 characters without spaces).
The semester essay must be submitted in Fronter
Grading scale
Grades are awarded on a scale from A to F, where A is the best grade and F is a fail. Read more about the grading system.