A level Targeted Blog
Sunday, 15 November 2020, 9:55 PM
by Callum Fielding
During A level studies, it can sometimes be difficult to get a grip on how to find resources without referring to the information that has already been presented by a teacher or that is provided by quick usually unsubstantiated sources of information. Mythology is one such subject, as you are given access to sources directly from the source material, usually with some commentaries, but without the ability to access some scholarship directly it can lead to being disheartened in your study as you can never be sure if what you have learned is the correct interpretation of events or whether you just reiterate upon what has already been said. This complication persists in not just mythological studies, but also within the broader studies of the ancient world. 

When it comes to learning mythology or brushing up on facts Theoi Is a great website to visit as it provides information on most if not all deities in the Greek mythos and also provides insight into perhaps more obscure, less mainstream topics for research and also provides both primary source quotations and references, as well as providing direct analysis from scholarship also accompanied by references allowing any student of any level to find what they are looking for in regards to mythology and to a lesser extent art as the website also features images alongside the main bodies of text which also have their own references to allow the reader to find the database they belong to, (If they do belong to one) this applies to finding any mention of gender and then using the information and references as a starting point to studying the topic. 

Finding databases for scholarship is essential for any further learning on any topics as it collates many existing papers and studies which students may use without having to do massive amounts of self-analysis as you should find the opinions of existing scholars and use and organize that information to reach your own conclusions whether that can agree or disagree with existing scholarship can create the basis of further discussion with added interaction with the primary sources cited within the texts. By engaging with the scholarship and primary information to create a conclusion that is based upon an individual opinion should then be supported with links to scholarship and coinciding primary sources. 

When it comes to gender and sexuality, it can be difficult to find the scholarship that relates to the specific topic that you wish to discuss because of how scholarship has developed. In addition to this gender and sexuality is a topic that can sometimes be difficult to navigate and therefore having access to the correct databases to help in research is key in finding the proper discourse and study for the topic. This is because of how difficult it can be to separate modern concepts of both Gender and sexuality of how those in history, especially ancient, may have viewed it, and while comparisons may serve a purpose, it is rare for anything other than to offer some perspective rather than as an actual explanation as to how it is viewed. The concept of sexuality, for example, is one that offers a variety of different responses which varies from region to region. 

So then it is important that using the database to narrow a search for those topics that have a connection to the question of gender and sexuality in the broader context of the ancient world as to attempt to approach an individual conclusion on the subject may lead to a multitude of issues as a result of misinterpreting or misrepresenting certain phrases and terms because of not understanding exactly how a word is translated, and whether its translation is literal or not and what that translation actual means if it does not have a modern comparative. So, it is important to remember to take the same concerns when reading scholarship and use multiple sources of information (and make sure there are multiple references supporting the scholar's conclusion) and then concluding that way. If it happens that independent analysis is needed, being open to interpretation and disagreement is something that will be needed because of the lack of consensus on the analysis of the subject.