RETKLA4020 – 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 and treat them in written and/or oral form
By working with the course essay (semesteroppgave), the student acquires 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.
Students enrolled in other Master's Degree Programmes can, on application, be admitted to the course if this is cleared by their own study programme.
If you are not already enrolled as a student at UiO, please see our information about admission requirements and procedures.
All students admitted to master programmes at the University of Oslo may apply. If the course has many applicants the following groups of students will be prioritized:
- UiO-students from the master programme in language, major in rhetoric
- UiO-students from the master programme in classical studies
- Exchange students at master level with majors in rhetoric, history of ideas, philosophy, classics or other areas of study relevant to the course content
Overlapping courses
10 credits overlap with RETKLA2020 – 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 10 pages(à 2300 characters without spaces).
You make your own research question. Research question and outline of your semester essay must be approved by the teacher in order for you to be qualified for final examination.
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.