The Roman Empire 31BC - AD313 Rome's Golden Age

CAHE20052 The Roman Empire 31BC - AD313 Rome's Golden Age 20 Semester 2 Undergraduate Level 2 Christian Laes Unit coordinator 1 FHEQ level (Framework for Higher Education Qualifications) ' Middle part of Bachelors ' European Credit Transfer & Accumulation System Rating : 10.0 <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">This course-unit examines the political system established at Rome by Octavian at the end of the Roman "Republican" period which is normally known as the "Principate" or "High Empire" until the reforms of Emperor Diocletian and the Edict of Milan which granted the Christians freedom of religion.  We will look at the tensions and development in the structures of the state in this period, the role of the army and foreign policy, life in the provinces of the empire, and social issues including religious practices and the rise of Christianity. <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">This course-unit examines the political system established at Rome by Octavian at the end of the "Republican" period which is normally known as the "Principate" or "High Empire" until the reforms of Emperor Diocletian and the Edict of Milan which granted the Christians freedom of religion . We will look at the tensions and development in the structures of the state in this period, the role of the army and foreign policy, life in the provinces of the empire, and social issues including religious practices and the rise of Christianity. <span style="font-size: 11pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: Calibri, sans-serif; background-image: initial; background-position: initial; background-size: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-attachment: initial; background-origin: initial; background-clip: initial;">This course is designed to give a thorough knowledge of the period of Roman history known as the principate and also give students the skills to access and interpret the various forms of evidence available for this period. By the end of this course students will  have:<ul> <li>acquired a comprehensive knowledge of the history of the Roman empire in the period from 31 BC to AD 235.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will have:<ul> <li> developed critical skills in dealing with primary sources and solving the problems presented by such material;</li> <li> acquired considerable ability to carry out independent research, managing the information obtained, and communicating their findings in a coherent and scholarly way.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will have:<ul> <li> participated in activities which involve group discussion as well as individual effort;</li> <li> developed further their computer literacy.</li></ul> By the end of this course students will  have:<ul> <li> developed critical skills in dealing with primary sources and solving the problems presented by such material;</li> <li> acquired considerable ability to carry out independent research, managing the information obtained, and communicating their findings in a coherent and scholarly way;</li> <li> participated in activities which involve group discussion as well as individual effort;</li> <li> developed further their computer literacy.</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% <div> <div> <ul> <li> When the course is half-way, the students will be offered the possibility of solving a ‘mock’ exam, which follows exactly the same pattern as the exam at the end of the term. Written feedback on this will be given. .</li> <li> Additional one-to-one feedback (during the consultation hour or by making an appointment).</li> </ul> </div></div>  Y A handbook and a syllabus with texts in translation will be provided on Canvas.The recommended books for this unit are:<ul><li style="margin-left:18pt;">C Wells, The Roman Empire (Fontana)</li><li style="margin-left:18pt;">Tacitus, Annals (Trans. J Yardley, Oxford University Press)</li><li style="margin-left:18pt;">Suetonius, The Lives of the Caesars (Trans. C Edwards, Oxford University Press)</li></ul>Other, indicative reading:<ul><li style="margin-left:18pt;">Translations of the major works of other ancient writers such as Pliny the Younger, Cassius Dio and Herodian (among others)</li><li style="margin-left:18pt;">O. Hekster, Caesar Rules. The Emperor in the Changing Roman World (C. 50 BC- AD 565) (Cambridge, 2023)</li><li style="margin-left:18pt;">D S. Potter (ed.), A Companion to the Roman Empire (Malden, 2006). </li><li style="margin-left:18pt;">M. Beard, Emperor of Rome. Ruling the Ancient Roman World (London, 2023)</li></ul> Lectures 22 Seminars 11 0 167