From Republic to Empire: Introduction to Roman History, Society & Culture 218-31BC

CAHE10021 From Republic to Empire: Introduction to Roman History, Society & Culture 218-31BC 20 Semester 1 Undergraduate Level 1 Mary Beagon Unit coordinator Classics, Ancient History, Archaeology & Egyptolog 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' First part HE study/Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 From its origins as a city-state republic, Rome grew into a Mediterranean-spanning empire in the course of just two centuries. In the process the republic collapsed and was replaced with a system of emperors that would transform world history for the next millennium. This course introduces students to Rome in the period of its transformation from republic to empire from the city's first imperial ventures outside Italy in 264 BC down to the final struggle in 31 BC between Octavian and Mark Antony for supremacy over the Roman world. Through a wide range of evidence we will study some of the principal historical figures in this period, such as the Gracchi brothers, Marius, Sulla, Pompey the Great, and Caesar, as well as the gradual expansion of the Roman world, changes in Roman society, and the collapse of its political structures.   From its origins as a city-state republic, Rome grew into a Mediterranean-spanning empire in the course of just two centuries. In the process the republic collapsed and was replaced with a system of emperors that would transform world history for the next millennium. This course introduces students to Rome in the period of its transformation from republic to empire from the city's first imperial ventures outside Italy in 264 BC down to the final struggle in 31 BC between Octavian and Mark Antony for supremacy over the Roman world. Through a wide range of evidence we will study some of the principal historical figures in this period, such as the Gracchi brothers, Marius, Sulla, Pompey the Great, and Caesar, as well as the gradual expansion of the Roman world, changes in Roman society, and the collapse of its political structures. This course aims to provide a broad knowledge of the main events of Roman history from 264 to 31 BC and a basic understanding of the structures of Roman society and its political, religious and cultural life; awareness of the nature and content of the main primary sources, and familiarity with some major areas of current debate and controversy By the end of this course students will have developed the following abilities:<ul> <li> understanding of the political structures of the middle and late Roman republic and their decline;</li> <li> understanding of the expansion of Roman power and its internal and external effects;</li> <li> understanding of the main social forces acting on Rome  in this period;</li> <li> show familiarity with a range of types of ancient evidence, and an awareness of the strengths and weaknesses of these different types of material.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will have developed the following abilities:<ul> <li> evaluation of competing forms of evidence, critical reading of ancient literary material, critical reading of historical accounts of the period;</li> <li> demonstrate the ability to construct an argument in written and oral form and to present the arguments in a professional manner with appropriate reference to sources and modern published scholarship.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will have developed the following abilities:<ul> <li> oral presentation;</li> <li> writing of cogent, coherent English.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will have developed the following abilities:<ul> <li> oral presentation;</li> <li> writing of cogent, coherent English;</li> <li> critical evaluation of evidence;</li> <li> library use.</li></ul> Other The course involves a large number of important employment skills, most notably an ability to analyse and examine a large amount of often difficult information, an ability to see both sides of an argument, the ability to synthesise an argument in a cogent form, the ability to retrieve information from complex sources and present it in a compelling and cogent fashion. 1 Written exam 60% 2 Written assignment (inc essay) 40% <ul> <li>  Written feedback on formative and summative assessment (see above); all summative coursework feedback is designed to contribute formatively towards improvement in subsequent assignments. Students are encouraged to seek formative feedback ahead of the first assignment of the unit by discussing work plans and approaches during seminars (where appropriate)</li> <li> Additional one-to-one feedback </li></ul> Y <ul> <li style="margin-left: 18pt;"> P A Brunt, Social Conflicts in the Roman Republic (London l97l)</li> <li style="margin-left: 18pt;"> H H Scullard, From the Gracchi to Nero (4th ed., London l982)</li> <li style="margin-left: 18pt;"> M H Crawford, The Roman Republic (2nd ed., London l992)</li></ul> Lectures 22 Seminars 11 0 167