Public Engagement in Classics and Ancient History
Module Summary
This module is for anyone with an interest in what good Public Engagement in Classics looks like and wants to develop these skills themselves. Picturing Public Engagement as a kind of storytelling, this module will focus on the practical application of Engagement, looking at what good engagement is, how engagement can be assessed, different methods of engagement for different audiences, and why engagement is a crucial skill for any Classicist. As the central core to this module, students will undertake their own engagement project and have the opportunity to work with institutions outside the University in developing their project.
Module aims
The aims of this module are to provide students with an outline of the importance of Public Engagement in Classics, a working knowledge of the different types and methods of Public Engagement depending on project and audience, and practical experience of running a Public Engagement project.
The module gives students practical experience which will be of use in their future careers, especially for those interested in entering the heritage and educational sector or those wishing to enter academia. Overall this module will provide a strongly vocational element to student learning, providing skills of central importance to many different fields of employment after university.
Key Information
| Module Lead | Paul Grigsby |
Credits | 15 CATS |
| Host Dept | Classics & Ancient History | Level | UG Level 2 and Level 3 |
| Module duration | 10 Weeks | Typical student numbers | 20 |
| Year of launch | 2021/22 | Assessment | 100% coursework |
| Teaching | 10 x 2 hour seminars (plus Term 3 group work) |
Teaching Structure/ Pedagogical approach
The module is formed from a combination of theoretical and practical components. Students are given a background in public engagement theory and these elements are then put to use in the assessments and group project. Homework before each lecture allows students to be familiar with some of the academic thinking and examples of that week's topics. But the real emphasis is linking the academic thinking on Public Engagement and its best practice with real world examples - especially in the field of Classics - giving the students time to understand and critique these examples and practical experience of creating content themselves. Their own practical experience advances through the assessments towards the final group projects.
Week 1: What is Public Engagement in Classics and why does it matter?
Week 2: Who are the ‘public’? Different ‘publics’ and types of engagement in Classics
Week 3: The work of the WCN, WIE and introduction to URSS
Week 4: Public Engagement with Research
Week 5: Engagement video techniques, skills, and planning events
Week 7: Engaging with schools and museums
Week 8: Digital engagement and creation of online resources
Week 9: Public Engagement in film and media
Week 10: How do we assess Public Engagement?
Learning Outcomes
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
- Have an understanding of the importance of Public Engagement in Classics and what good PE is
- Have an understanding and experience of the different types of engagement used for engaging different audiences
- Have developed a range of practical engagement skills
- Have developed experience of working within a team on an engagement project
- Have developed practical knowledge of assessment methods in engagement
- Have experience of developing and carrying out an engagement project
- Have developed skills in undertaking research and presenting this to a non-academic audience
- Help you better articulate the relevance of your own subject area to society, and identify to which parts of society your subject area has most relevance
- Have developed transferable skills in critical thinking, problem solving, communication, information literacy, professionalism, teamwork, and time management
- Have gained experience in vocational sectors (such as heritage and education) which will be beneficial for their future career
- Have developed confidence in working with organisations and institutions outside the University setting
- Have developed confidence in communicating their own research to groups of differing interest/knowledge
Assessment Structure
Blog (20%)
- Students write a 750-word reflective blog post on a general area of Public Engagement in Classics.
Video (30%)
- Students record a 5 minute video on a specific question in Classics Public Engagement. This is worth 30% of their final mark. The vlogs will be posted on the ‘Public Engagement in Classics’ page of the WCN website’s Student Engagement section.
Group Project (50%)
Students undertake a Public Engagement Project which develops throughout the course and involves any aspect of Public Engagement
- The Public Engagement Project is a group project.
- Each person writes a reflective piece of 1,500 words on their project, and 75% of the project marks are awarded for this reflective piece which reveals individual contribution to group work as well as success and scope of the project as a whole.
- 25% of the project assessment is for the public engagement live event presentation (18th May 2022). Working in groups students will present for 30 minutes on their project to a public/student audience. Not every member needs to present on the day but all need to be involved in the delivery, production or hosting of the event.
- In the event of failure in the group presentation (25% component), students are offered the chance to do an individual presentation 5-10mins long as remedy of this failure.
Student Feedback
'I took the Public Engagement module on a whim, not expecting it to be one of the most useful modules I have taken in my degree so far. It has completely changed my view on classics, helping me realise that its lack of popularity and understanding as a subject is because of how out of touch we are with what people would want from it and, most importantly, how we can change that.'
Áine Nikookam (2nd Year Classics Undergraduate)
Further Links
- If you want to find out more about the module contact Dr Paul Grigsby
- Access our reading list
- View module proposal - CX276 and CX376