Admission requirements
This course is open to and compulsory for Research Master students in Classics and Ancient Civilizations (all specializations).
Description
Fragmentation is a key feature of the postmodern age: fragments appear in social media (Tiktok, Twitter), in traditions from our cultural heritage and in personal memories from our childhood. Yet, fragments are dangerous: interpreting something fragmentary always requires making decisions about the missing context, and these decisions are frequently based on shaky assumptions or prejudices (biases).
In this Common Course, we shall explore the fragmentary from a historical and multidisciplinary perspective and address the following topics and problems: materiality of fragments; techniques of reconstructing fragments: psychological aspects, ideological obstacles and biases; processes of fragmentizing textual and material objects, collecting & editing fragments; the ‘aura’ of fragments: values of the fragmentary, fragments and authenticity, fake and forgery of fragments.
Course objectives
Knowledge:
Knowledge of fragmentary texts and objects; editions
Knowledge of the history of scholarship: techniques of reconstructing and editing fragments
Knowledge of psychological aspects, hermeneutics within the process of reconstructing
Knowledge of some theoretical concepts and paradigms that help us to understand the processes and techniques of working with fragments – ancient fragments as well as fragments and the fragmentary in our modern world.
Understanding and skills:
Research skills: formulation of a complex research question, collecting materials, analyzing results, constructing arguments, formulating conclusions; developing an approach within an interdisciplinary context
Reading skills: interpreting primary sources in at least one ancient language (Akkadian, Sumerian, Hittite, Egyptian, Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek or Latin);
Critical assessment of secondary literature according to the standards of academic debate;
Communication skills: communicating a complex research question and a discipline’s discourse to a multidisciplinary audience
Oral presentation: prseenting a clear and well-argued interpretation, making effective use of a handout or other presentation devices;
Written presentation: developing a clear and well-structured written presentation of original research; demonstrating the ability to assess recent scholarly contributions by confronting them with the original source material.
Timetable
The timetables are available through My Timetable.
Mode of instruction
Seminar
Assessment method
Assessment
Oral presentation (30%)
Active participation in class (20%)
Written paper (5000 words) (50%)
The final mark for the course is established by determining the weighted average. To pass the course, the weighted average of the partial grades must be 5.5 or higher.
Resit
If the overall mark is unsatisfactory, the student can revise the paper (after consultation with the instructor). The exact form of the resit of an unsufficient oral presentation must be agreed upon with the instructors. There is no resit for the participation.
Inspection and feedback
How and when an exam review will take place will be disclosed together with the publication of the exam results at the latest. If a student requests a review within 30 days after publication of the exam results, an exam review will have to be organized.
Reading list
Burdorf, D. 2020. Zerbrechlichkeit. Über Fragmente in der Literatur. Göttingen.
Dillenbach, L., C.L. Hart Nibbrig edd. 1984. Fragment und Totalität, Frankfurt am Main.
Falk, R., Mattenklott, G. edd. 2007. Ästhetische Erfahrung und Edition. Tübingen.
Gumbrecht, H.U. 1997. Eat Your Fragment! About Imagination and the Restitution of Texts. In: Most, G.W. ed., Collecting Fragments/ Fragmente sammeln, 315-327.
Most, G.W. ed. 1997. Collecting Fragments/ Fragmente sammeln. Göttingen.
Goldschmidt, N. 2023. Fragmentary Modernisms: The Classical Fragment in Literary and Visual Cultures 1896-1950. Oxford.
Steiner, G. 1984. ‘Das totale Fragment’, in Dillenbach, L., C.L. Hart Nibbrig edd., 18-29.
Stephens, S. 2002. Commenting on Fragments, in: Gibson, R., Kraus, C.S. edd. The Classical Commentary. History, Practices, Theories. Leiden, 67-88.
Tronzo, W. ed. 2009. The Fragment. An Incomplete History. Los Angeles, CA.
Registration
Enrolment through MyStudyMap is mandatory.
General information about course and exam enrolment is available on the website.
Contact
For substantive questions, contact the lecturer listed in the right information bar.
For questions about enrolment, admission, etc, contact the Education Administration Office: Arsenaal.
Remarks
Participation at all classes is compulsory.