Introduction to Ancient Rome
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P a g e | 1 Introduction to Ancient TEACHING TEAM + OFFICE HOURS Rome INSTRUCTOR OFFICE HOURS Dr. Joann Gulizio Spring 2021 // CC302-WB, Unique: 33885 (she/her/hers) M, W, Th COURSE EMAIL: [email protected] 1-2pm and by [email protected] appt. TEACHING ASSISTANTS M 10-11am Amber Kearns F 10-11am Supplementary Instructor (she/her/hers) SI Meetings [email protected] Tu 4-5pm W 10-11am Theofilos Kyriakidis Th 11:30-12:30 (he/him/his) F 1-2pm [email protected] Caolán Mac An Aircinn W, F 9-10am (he/him/his) SYLLABUS CONTENTS [email protected] 1. Course description Ethan Warren Tu 12-2pm 1. Required course materials and platforms (he/him/his) 2. A note on challenging course material [email protected] 2. Contacting the teaching team PRESENTER & DESIGNER by email appt. 1. Announcements from the teaching team Dr. Steve Lundy (he/him/his) 2. How and when to contact us [email protected] 3. Assessment 1. Assessment activities and policies 2. Assessment activity details REQUIRED COURSE MATERIALS 3. Grade reporting • There is NO required textbook for this course. All 4. Late work policy course readings will be provided through Perusall, an 5. Final grade allocations online annotation application which you will access 4. Provisional dates via Canvas 5. Etiquette • Reliable access to high speed Internet and a laptop, 6. Course policies tablet, or phone with access to our course platforms 1. Academic honesty (more information under section 6.3.) 2. Add/drop policies • Canvas: You must have an email account connected 3. Technical requirements to Canvas, and you are responsible for any 4. Students with disabilities announcements posted on Canvas. 5. Religious holidays 7. COVID-19 Policies 1. Student Bereavement Policy 8. Additional resources P a g e | 2 1. COURSE DESCRIPTION Ancient Rome has long been a source of inspiration for artistic, architectural, and literary creativity, political thought and military strategy, philosophical and religious beliefs, and social norms across the globe. So entrenched is its influence that we often fail to see how deeply indebted the Americas, Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East are to this ancient past. By some estimates, for instance, nearly 60% of English vocabulary is Latin—the language of the Romans. Moreover, Roman political and social institutions, as well as their artistic and architectural styles, serve as a basis and model for many modern cultures, including our own. This introductory-level online course covers the cultural and political history of Ancient Rome, beginning with the mytho-prehistory of the city’s origins in the Iron Age (c. 800 BCE); the rise of the city from a rural town to an imperial capital under Augustus; the rule of emperors in the 1st and 2nd century CE; and ending with the crisis of the 3rd century CE and the reign of Constantine the Great. Students will have the opportunity to learn about Rome’s evolution from a small, hilltop settlement to the head of a world empire, followed by the collapse of Rome as an imperial power in western Europe -- and its long afterlife in the East. We will also examine Rome’s colonial and imperial interactions with foreign cultures which helped shape “Roman” identity and consider its cultural legacy up to the present day. By the end of the course, students will be able to: • Understand and discuss major topics in the study of ancient Rome, including imperialism, the military, religion and mythology, the rise of Christianity, and the fall of Rome • Describe the basic framework for the periodization of Roman history and discuss the causes and consequences of major events in Roman history • Understand the experiences of non-elite and often marginalized members of Roman society, including women, slaves and freedmen, provincials, and Christians • Engage with and analyze critically ancient literature (in translation) and material culture that inform us about Roman culture • Interpret and criticize ways we represent and describe the Romans in the modern period, both in academic scholarship and in pop-culture Ridley Scott’s 2000 movie Gladiator Stanley Kubrik’s 1960 movie Spartacus The course is made up of textbook readings, primary source readings, and highly interactive, multimedia content modules. The first week of each module we will focus on a chronological period in Roman history, and the second week will examine a specific social group within Roman society. At the end of each week, you will engage with and interpret primary and secondary sources where you can “choose your own adventure” from a selection of short assignments called case studies. There are no prerequisites for this course. This course fulfills the Global Cultures and Visual and Performing Arts requirements. It addresses the following four core objectives established by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board: communication skills, critical thinking skills, teamwork, and social responsibility. P a g e | 3 1.1 Required course materials and platforms • Greg Woolf, Rome: An Empire’s Story (Oxford University Press, 2013) o Many of our readings will come from this text, but you are NOT required to purchase it unless you choose to o This course text is available through all major book retailers and online FOR FREE through UT Libraries o In addition, pdfs of this text will be provided as needed via Perusall • All other course readings will be made available within Canvas • Reliable access to high speed broadband and a laptop, tablet, or phone with access to our course platforms (more information under section 6.3) • Canvas: You must have an email account connected to Canvas, and you are responsible for any announcements posted on Canvas. Canvas now requires multi-factor identification in order to log in. See website for details. • Zoom: All office hours and supplementary instruction sessions for this course will be hosted via Zoom unless otherwise noted. Make sure you have set up your Zoom account with your utexas.edu email. • Perusall: An online annotation application that will be integrated into your Canvas assignments (i.e. (you do not need to acquire this platform on your own). • Padlet: An online application where students share images and written content. This platform will be integrated into your Canvas assignments (i.e. you do not need to acquire this platform on your own). 1.2 A note on challenging course material Roman history and culture contains many stories depicting violence, including sexual violence, warfare and civil violence, and systemic oppression and brutalization. Roman art and literature (as well as modern representations of Roman material) also contain frequent references to human sexuality, including depictions of nudity. Many students understandably have concerns about these aspects of courses, and should be forewarned that these aspects will be a regular part of course materials. P a g e | 4 Students will not be required to directly analyze, write about, or participate in discussions pertaining to these episodes as part of their grade, but they may be required to demonstrate an awareness of these episodes as part of the broader inquiry of the course. We have done our best to provide content warnings for certain material, and in our first module we will provide more information on opting out of potentially triggering material. Students who do wish to discuss these episodes should do so in full awareness of the course etiquette policy, displaying respect and sensitivity towards other course participants at all times. Students with concerns related to these topics may wish and are encouraged to consult the following resources: • UT Counselling and Mental Health Center: https://cmhc.utexas.edu • Voices Against Violence: https://www.cmhc.utexas.edu/vav/index.html • SAFE (Stop Abuse For Everyone) Austin: http://www.safeaustin.org • Please also see the resources on the last page of this syllabus, the Canvas orientation module, and contact the instructor with any other questions or concerns. 2. CONTACTING THE TEACHING TEAM 2.1 Announcements from the teaching team This course uses several platforms (Canvas, message board, emails, etc.) to communicate information to students. All key information (for example—relating to assignments, deadlines, exams, etc.) will be sent through Canvas announcements. Students are responsible for information in these announcements. We recommend that you turn on notifications for them. 2.2 How and when to contact us • Have a question that pertains to you individually? Need to communicate an urgent or sensitive matter? Need to ask about a grade? Email the teaching team at [email protected]. We will check email for this course during designated email hours (M-F, 8am-5pm). Under normal circumstances, we will respond within 24 hours to emails that are received during those times. Emails sent on weekend days and holidays may not receive an answer until Monday at the earliest. We will do our best to be responsive to emails concerning urgent matters. You are also encouraged to come to office hours via Zoom. P a g e | 5 • Have a general or logistical question (e.g. what’s on the exam, when is the homework due, etc.)? 1. First, make sure you've read the syllabus. There's a lot of key information in here. 2. Then, check the Canvas announcements and Chatter message board Someone may have already answered your question. 3. If you still have a question, post it on the Chatter message board. If your question can be answered by the syllabus, Canvas, etc., we will direct you back to that resource. • Is there a tech issue? Since this is a fully online course, technology-related issues can sometimes be a problem. We invite students who are affected by technology-related issues to first report them to the Canvas techs (who can be reached from the course homepage).