COURSE SPECIFICATION FORM for new course proposals and course amendments Department/School: Classics Academic Session: Valid from 2009-10 Course Value: (UG Roman History and Society: the Julio- courses = Course Title: 0.5 unit Claudians unit value, PG courses = notional learning hours) Course JACS Code: Course Code: CL1560 (Please V110 contact Data Managemen t for advice) Status: Availability: (i.e.: Core, (Please state which teaching Either Autumn or Spring term Core PR, Optional terms) Compulsory , Optional) Co- Pre-requisites: none requisit none es: Co-ordinator: Professor Boris Rankov Course Staff: Professor Boris Rankov and Visiting Tutors The course has two principal aims: Aims: to familiarize students with the history and society of the Roman world during the important period from the accession of the emperor Tiberius in AD 14 to the death of Nero in AD 68, in the course of which the empire established by Augustus was consolidated into the undisputed autocracy which was inherited by the Flavians and their successors; to introduce students to the use of ancient evidence, and in particular the literary sources. Students successfully completing the course will have developed: Learning Outcomes: some knowledge and understanding of the principal personalities, the society, and the main events of Roman history between AD 14 and AD 68; some understanding of historiographical methodology, in particular: how to approach and compare different ancient authors writing in differing genres; how to evaluate ancient texts for reliability and biases; how to sift and select significant material from the literary sources and to integrate it with other, non-literary sources of information; the principal skills required for the writing of historical essays. Lectures: Course Content: 1. Using Sources for Ancient History 2. The Origins of the Roman Empire 3. Augustus and the Imperial Constitution 4. The Military Basis of Imperial Power 5. The Administration of the Empire 6. The Accession of Tiberius 7. Tacitus and Tiberius 8. Tiberius and the Senate 9. Tiberius, Sejanus, and the Reign of Terror 10. Society and Economy of the Roman Empire 11. Who’s Who of the Julio-Claudian Dynasty 12. Caius Caligula (AD 37-41) 13. Claudius (AD 41-54) 14. Nero (AD 54-68) 15. Aftermath: the Year of the Four Emperors (AD 68-9) 16. Aftermath: the Flavians, Nerva and Trajan (AD 69-117) Seminars: 1. Augustus and the Constitution of the Principate 2. Status and Patronage in the Roman Empire 3. Gaius Caligula in the North: A Lunatic on the Loose? 4. Nero, the Fire and the Christians: a Whodunnit Teaching & Learning 20 contact hours (two per week) comprising one hour Lectures and Seminars. Students Methods: will be asked to comment in lectures, and to comment on and discuss set reading material in seminars. Details of teaching Lecture/seminar handouts, where possible, will be made available on Moodle together resources on with selected readings. Moodle: R. Alston, Aspects of Roman History AD 14-117 (Routledge, 1998) [937.07 ALS] Key Bibliography: R. Syme, The Roman Revolution (1939) [937.06 SYM] H.H. Scullard, From the Gracchi to Nero (5th ed. 1982) [937.05/06 SCU] T.J. Cornell & J.F. Matthews, An Atlas of the Roman World (1982) [937.06 COR Quarto] C.M. Wells, The Roman Empire (2nd ed. 1992) [937.06 WEL] P. Garnsey & R. Saller, The Roman Empire: Economy, Society and Culture (1987) [309.37 GAR] Various, Cambridge Ancient History Vol. X (1996) [930 CAM] Formative One 1,500 – 2,000 word essay, returned with written feedback. Informal oral feedback in Assessment & seminars. Feedback: Summative Exam: 100%; 2 hours, 3 questions from 10 Assessment: Deadlines: As determined by the department to co-ordinate with other first-year deadlines; deadlines for formative assessments are given in the course booklet distributed to students at the start of the course Version: Feb09 The information contained in this course outline is correct at the time of publication, but may be subject to change as part of the Department’s policy of continuous improvement and development. Every effort will be made to notify you of any such changes. .