Independent Research Essay
Word count: 1750 words, including in-text citations;
Independent Research Essay
Word count: 1750 words, including in-text citations; not including the reference list or footnotes. 10% leeway either up or down accepted.
Assignment Description
The research essay requires you to undertake independent and in-depth research on one of the topics listed below. This is an exercise in formulating a clear and well-supported response to the essay question, using evidence from both ancient texts and/or ancient material culture, as well as modern academic scholarship, to argue and support your main contentions.
A research essay is not an opinion piece, a recounting of a myth, or a mere description of the evidence. Evidence on its own is not an argument. Research essays instead involve critical analysis of ALL sources of evidence, the development of clear and well-supported arguments using that evidence, and a sustained focus on the chosen topic.
More general detail on research essays and how to develop academic arguments is provided through the ‘Essay Resources’ Module on Canvas, and the essay will also be discussed in the seminars. You will be given plenty of opportunities to ask questions about this important assignment; seminar instructors and the lecturer/coordinator are all available for one-on-one consultations by appointment.
Please note that the essay topics are drawn from across the entire semester’s themes. Some essay topics are broad-ranging, and some are more specific: this gives you a chance to research and write on a topic that excites and engages you. We encourage you to choose a topic that jumps out at you, whether or not we have covered it in class yet.
Assignment Learning Outcomes and Objectives
The research essay is the traditional academic form. The aim of this assignment is for you to develop and hone your independent thinking and research skills. This involves musing on the question you have chosen, identifying appropriate resources (both ancient and modern), undertaking research through reading and critiquing those sources, determining your main argument and approach, outlining, drafting, writing and editing your essay. Think of this assignment as a process, rather than of the essay as a destination in itself. The skills you will use and develop for this assignment are useful across a range of academic subjects, employment and life in general: critical thinking and discernment about what you read; developing an evidence-based argument and communicating this to an audience; clearly expressed and well-organised writing.
Assessment Criteria
Classics and Archaeology subjects (and Arts subjects in general) do not provide marking rubrics for assignments. We do, however, use assessment criteria that give both you and your tutors a clear but flexible set of expectations and standards. The assessment criteria for the Classical Mythology Research Essay are as follows:
1. Using appropriate evidence to support your argument.
You are expected to use at least seven (7) scholarly (secondary) texts for the research essay. These can be book chapters, journal articles or even entire books. DO NOT use websites, blogs, podcasts, Wikipedia, popular magazines or books. The Week 5 lecture will cover how to locate and select appropriate secondary sources for the essay; information is also available in the Library module on Canvas, and we will spend time on this in class. The number of ancient (primary) sources you require will differ according to the essay question, and your approach to it.
a. Ancient (or primary) source material: both textual and material culture.
Your essay must use and directly refer to primary (ancient) source material. The type and number will be determined by the essay topic—if in doubt, please speak to your seminar instructor or the subject coordinator.
In ancient world studies, archaeology and Classics, using and referring directly to primary sources in a research essay is vital. Primary sources for this subject include ancient texts, material culture (vessels, sculpture, mosaics, paintings, household objects, votive objects, tools, human and animal remains, burial goods and graves), inscriptions (such as those on grave markers or temples – this is called ‘epigraphy’), architecture, and even what we would call ‘rubbish’. Your research essay must demonstrate how the relevant primary source for your essay topic supports your arguments. This could be a line from a Greek tragedy, or an ancient epic; it could also be an image of a god or hero on a Classical Greek painted vase; it could be an inscription on a grave, or a relief sculpture on a temple. The essay questions here will normally clarify the specific primary source evidence you can or should use for that question; some questions give you a few options so that you can focus on either texts or material culture, working with your own interests and strengths. For how to cite primary (ancient) source material in your essay, please refer to the subject’s Style Guide (see ‘Essay Resources’ in Modules).
b. Secondary source material (academic scholarship)
Your research essay must also include and directly refer to the modern scholarship, which is also called secondary source material. Secondary sources are those that examine texts and material culture from the ancient past—for this subject, we mainly look to the work of scholars who research the ancient Greek and Roman worlds. By ‘modern’ we mean scholarship that has been written in the last 50 years or so. While the scholarship on ancient Greece and Rome, and on mythology in particular, has a much longer history than this, ideas, approaches and theories can become outdated very quickly. As there is so much scholarship to draw from, restricting ourselves largely to the past 50 years gives us a good framework for research that is likely to be strong, relevant and readable! If you do find earlier scholarship that you wish to use, please speak to your seminar instructor or subject coordinator.
With the modern scholarship, as with the ancient sources, you must engage critically with the arguments and ideas presented by the author. This means that you should not just state what an author’s argument is, but that you should analyse and critique it, identifying how it is relevant to your own arguments and determining how best to use it for your research essay. Using secondary sources can be a bit of a circular exercise at first: it is necessary to read the academic scholarship to build your own ideas and arguments, and to see what different arguments and ideas are being made in the scholarship, but you must then also use these works to prompt, develop and support your own ideas about the ancient material, all within the context of your chosen essay question.
How you integrate the scholarship into your essay is also important – it should be integrated with your own arguments in a seamless way. For example, instead of writing ‘author A states that Oedipus blames himself for his situation, and author B argues the opposite’, consider how the following statement takes this initial assessment and melds it into your own argument: ‘Oedipus seems to blame himself for his situation, however, it is also arguable that he is a victim of destiny’. The second sentence identifies what you have read from the scholarship, but in an oblique way; we do not always need to state a scholar’s name when using their arguments—this is what citations are for. In this example, a footnote citation would be inserted after ‘situation’ and after ‘victim of destiny’, alerting the reader that you have drawn these ideas from the scholarship. You might then include a direct reference to the play to clarify what you are arguing: ‘As Oedipus forcibly uncovers the truth about his birth and his actions (Sophocles, Oedipus the King, 97-102), it becomes clearer and clearer to the audience that blame is not actually the issue here; rather, it is self-knowledge.1’ This is where your argument both draws from and extends the scholarship, using the ancient text itself as the basis of your own analysis.
More on how to use and integrate both ancient and secondary sources is given in the Essay Writing Guide (in the ‘Essay Resources’ Module); we will also cover this in seminars, and consultations can be booked with your seminar instructors or the subject co-ordinator.
2. Undertaking independent research
A strong research essay is based on thorough and independent research into the essay topic. This means that you are expected to read more widely than the materials provided as part of the subject’s content. You will need to use relevant primary texts (and/or ancient material culture) as well as appropriate scholarly texts to inspire, develop, support and illustrate your arguments. You can begin with the texts provided in the weekly readings, but you must move beyond these. Your reference to and use of extra resources is part of how we assess you in this assignment.
For this essay, a total of at least seven (more where appropriate) scholarly sources is recommended. More information on this is provided in the ‘Essay Writing Guide’, and we will also discuss this in the seminars. The Week 5 lecture includes a visit from our wonderful specialist librarians, who will provide information on how to identify appropriate secondary sources, how to use databases, and how to conduct effective keyword searches.
The number of ancient (primary) texts, or evidence from material culture, will vary depending on the question you choose, but you will need to use and refer to at least one, and often several, primary sources.
If you are uncertain about the appropriateness of any source, please speak to your seminar tutor or the subject coordinator.
3. Developing clear and well-supported arguments
With a research essay, you are expected to develop a central argument (or contention) based on your response to the essay question (note that essay questions can sometimes be in the form of a statement, followed by a question). The most important factor here is that your main argument is a direct response to the question, and that the supporting sub-arguments are also directly related to the essay question. All arguments should be developed with reference to both primary and scholarly sources as evidence and supporting material. These sources should be integrated into your arguments.
4. Structure
You are expected to adhere to the standard academic essay structure: an introduction, several main body paragraphs, and a conclusion. The reference list follows the conclusion, on a separate page. You do not need to have sub-headings for your paragraphs. While these are not banned, it is better to rely on clear and well-defined topic sentences to indicate the purpose of each paragraph. You may include images: a list of these should be placed either at the end of the essay, after the reference list. Images themselves can be placed at the relevant points of your essay, or at the end, after the reference list.
a. Introduction
This should be around 10% of the overall word count. The standard format of an introduction is to briefly introduce the topic, provide some context or background (only as much as is necessary to clarify your approach), identify any specific theoretical approach you are taking, to state your main argument (contention) very clearly and directly, and then to provide a brief outline of the main arguments (in the order they will appear in the essay), and the main sources of evidence. It is fine to break down introductions into two smaller paragraphs, as long as this is made clear through linking statements.
b. Main body paragraphs
Each main body paragraph should focus on one main idea, as outlined in the introduction, and the paragraphs should follow the same order as that outline. The main idea should be introduced in a clear topic sentence. While you can use sub-headings for your paragraphs, this is not encouraged. Your writing skills will develop much further if you concentrate on ensuring that your writing is clear and focused, and that the reader thus understands the purpose of each paragraph without the need for sub-headings. Once the topic is set, you are free to develop your argument, with the full use of whatever primary and scholarly sources you are using. Try to achieve a balance in the lengths of your paragraphs – this will give your work overall cohesion, and ensure that each of your arguments is developed to the same depth. Use linking and other narrative devices to create logical connections between the ideas within a paragraph, and between the paragraphs themselves.
c. Conclusion
The conclusion is where you wrap up your essay. Begin by restating your main argument, and outline how you developed and supported this. Try to give a sense of your overall conclusion here – think of the final sentence as the ‘take-home’ message for your reader. Remember that you cannot introduce any new material or ideas in the conclusion.
5. Citations and the reference list (sometimes called a ‘bibliography’).
Please see the Style Guide for specific details on referencing styles for this subject, and for examples on how to insert citations for both primary and secondary sources. Essentially, we use a standard in-text citation style for all ancient texts (this is particular to ancient world studies and Classics); for secondary scholarship we use Chicago A (17th edition). Information on this footnote style can be found in the library’s Re:cite page; the subject Style Guide also contains examples of both footnote and reference list styling.
The correct and thorough use of citations is part of what we assess you on. You must include citations where necessary; this is an academic convention, as well as being part of academic ethics. Your readers need to know where your ideas have been developed from, where to follow up on the evidence you provide, what exact line of text you are referring to, and more. As this is a relatively short research essay, it is preferable to insert your citations and reference list entries manually, rather than rely on referencing software.
Research Essay Topic
Select ONLY ONE of the following essay topics (notes on how to refine the essay topic so that your essay is focused and uses specific detail are included at the end of this list):
1. Select one god or goddess from the Olympian pantheon. Analyse how they are portrayed across at least two textual and two visual sources, and why they are portrayed in a particular way or ways.
For example, what changes can you identify in their portrayal? What might these changes mean? Do the portrayals change across time, or between different social settings? You may select two texts and two visual objects from the same chronological period and geographical location, or you may vary these. Your analysis will need some consideration of the socio-historical context of the ancient sources.
2. Are the heroes in Greek and Roman mythology generic, or do they perform a variety of functions and fulfill a variety of purposes? If you think they are generic or if you think they vary, why is this the case?
Your analysis can focus on one hero (are they always portrayed in the same way in different myths?) or up to a maximum of three heroes (how do they differ from each other, or are they essentially the same?). You can include both textual and visual sources as evidence in your analysis. Again, some consideration of the socio-historical context of your ancient sources will be needed.
3. What is the function of monsters or marginal beings (such as Amazons or Centaurs) in Greek and Roman mythology? Why are monsters and marginal beings so significant in these stories?
You can select up to three examples for your analysis, and you can use both textual and visual sources as evidence. You can focus on monsters OR marginal beings or both. Some consideration of the socio-historical context of your ancient sources will be needed.
4. Can Greek and Roman myths in ancient literature tell us anything definitive about gender roles in the ancient world? Why/why not?
Your analysis can focus on the literature of a particular period and place, such as archaic Greece, classical Athens, or early Imperial Rome. You can select one text, or up to three texts, for your analysis. You will need to consider the socio-historical context of the ancient text you are analysing.
5. Analyse the forms and functions of violence in the myths of Greek tragedy: why does it play such a significant role, and what meanings might it have?
You can analyse one tragedy very closely, or you can have a thematic focus (i.e. gender-based violence) and analyse how this operates in a maximum of two tragedies. Some consideration of the socio-historical context of Greek tragedy will be needed.
6. How and why was myth used to consolidate and extend the Emperor Augustus’s power in early Imperial Rome?
Your analysis can focus on textual, visual and numismatic (coins) material, as relevant. Your answer will need to consider historical details and how the myths were used in specific ways to consolidate and extend Augustus’s power.
7. Select an example of the reception of classical mythology from contemporary popular culture. Analyse how and why it has been altered from its source myth.
Your analysis must incorporate both the ancient source for the myth, and the contemporary re-telling. For this essay, you will need to ensure that you engage with the academic scholarship on both Reception, and on the particular form of popular culture (novels, film, comics etc) you are examining. See your seminar instructor or the subject coordinator if you have any questions.
8. Develop your own essay topic, with input from your seminar instructor and/or subject coordinator.
This option is better suited to students who are very familiar and comfortable with the material, and who are perhaps undertaking a major in Classics or Ancient World Studies. The topic will need to be approved by your seminar instructor and the subject coordinator. Please email your topic to both by 5pm Monday 25 March. It is likely that some refining will be required so that the topic meets the expectations and standards of a second- or third-year essay question.
Your essay starting point
First of all, ensure that you understand what the essay topic is asking you to do. For all of these topics, you need to take an analytical approach, and not a reflective or descriptive approach. That is, you are being asked to examine the WHY and not the WHAT of the topic. Some level of description will be necessary in most essays, but the bulk of your work should be analytical.
With several of these topics, you will also need to make a few decisions about your specific focus: will you write on Greek myths or their Roman counterparts? Can you identify which are Greek and which are Roman? This can be tricky, as there is a lot of cross-over. The easiest way is to look at the author of a text: Hesiod and Homer are Greek; Ovid and Vergil are Roman. The myths themselves crossed over from Greek to Roman culture, but the Romans treat their myths quite differently, and also have their own, such as the story of Romulus and Remus (in Livy) or Aeneas (in Vergil’s Aeneid).
If you are doing Questions 1, 2 and 3, you will need to choose which god, hero or monster you will research. You will also need to decide which particular myths to examine, and the sources you will use: identifying which texts to read and what visual material (such as Greek painted vessels, or sculptures and other art) to use is part of the research process for the essay, and we will cover this in the lectures and seminars. Again, if in any doubt, speak to your seminar instructor or the subject coordinator.
Initial research tasks for the essay
You will need to refine your thinking on the topic through an initial reading of both ancient sources and modern scholarship. Most of the questions as written are quite general; however, the research essay needs to have a specific focus, one that you have developed from the general scope of the essay topic. This means that, instead of analysing ‘Greek tragedy and mythology’ in general, you would analyse ‘Medea as portrayed in Euripides’ tragedy’, for example. There will be time to discuss this with your seminar instructor or subject coordinator in class or in consultations. The research essay needs to use specific details from the primary sources in particular, and to be focused rather than general in scope.
We encourage independent and even creative thinking about how to approach your chosen topic, and we will spend some time on this during the seminars.
The process of researching and writing an essay will be covered in the seminars and in some of the resources on Canvas.
What myths can I refer to?
As this subject is concerned with the myths of ancient Greece and Rome, we cannot accept essays written on the myths of other cultures or times. You may focus your response on the myths included in the curriculum and the readings or you can use Greek and Roman myths that we do not cover—there are so many myths, it is impossible to examine them all in one semester! We are happy to discuss options in seminars. (If you choose to develop your own essay topic, it may be appropriate to compare some ancient Near Eastern mythic narratives to early Greek myths; for example, Mesopotamian cosmologies and Theogony, or the heroism of Achilles and Gilgamesh. If you are interested in this approach, please speak to your seminar instructor or subject coordinator.)