CLST 276: The World of Classical Rome Spring Semester 2018 Mondays & Wednesdays | 9:30–10:45 am | Section A03 Dr. David Lambert Email: [email protected] Office hours by appointment Course Description The World of Classical Rome explores the history of Rome in the last century of the Roman Republic and in the reign of Augustus, the first Roman emperor. During the second and first centuries BC, the Romans conquered almost the entire Mediterranean world. The wealth of the Roman empire produced the public baths, gardens, libraries, circuses, theatres and amphitheatres whose ruins have fascinated the world ever since. This was the period which saw the creation of many of the greatest works of ancient art and literature. Yet it was also an age of corruption, violence, civil war, and intrigue. While Rome conquered the world outside Italy, its political system came under increasing strain and eventually collapsed into seemingly endless civil wars, ending under Augustus with the transformation of the Roman Republic into an autocratic monarchy. In this course, major issues in Rome’s political history, the study of the city of Rome, and the wider Roman world in this period are examined by means of primary sources and secondary literature from a variety of perspectives, to explore the drama of the history, society, and culture of Classical Rome and its empire, one of the most turbulent periods of history. Learning Outcomes This course is a survey of Roman history from about 133 BC to 14 AD. By the end of the course, students should be able to: • Demonstrate knowledge of the events, institutions, trends, significant political, cultural and social accomplishments of the age, and of its major figures. • Show awareness of the problems and debates concerning key themes from this period of history. • Demonstrate an understanding of the working of historical mechanisms. They need to be able to scrutinize, evaluate and critically analyze the available source material, and be sensitive to the problems of interpreting evidence. Required Textbook • Christopher S. Mackay, The Breakdown of the Roman Republic: From Oligarchy to Empire (Cambridge University Press). • Additional primary and secondary material will be made available on Sakai. 1 Attendance Policy In accordance with the JFRC mission to promote a higher level of academic rigor, all courses adhere to the following absence policy: For all classes meeting once a week, students cannot incur more than one unexcused absence. For all classes meeting twice a week, students cannot incur more than two unexcused absences. For all classes meeting three times a week, students cannot incur more than two unexcused absences. This course meets twice a week, thus a total of two unexcused absence(s) will be permitted. Unexcused absences beyond these will result in a lowering of your final grade. Assessment Final grade assessments will be based on the combination of two exams, one mid-term and one final, and one large essay concerning a topic of free choice and based on primary sources and secondary literature. A small percentage of each student’s grade will be derived from attendance and participation. Participation 10% Midterm Exam 30% Essay 30% Final Exam 30 % The two exams will test your knowledge and understanding of material in the textbook (Christopher S. Mackay, The Breakdown of the Roman Republic), the topics dealt with in the lectures and seminars, and the additional literature prescribed for each class. The textbook provides a general outline of the developments of Roman history, society and culture in the period. Grading 94-100: A 90-93: A- 87-89: B+ 84-86: B 80-83: B- 77-79: C+ 74-76: C 70-73: C- 67-69: D+ 60-66: D 59 or lower: F 2 Written work and examinations meriting the grade of “A” (excellent) must: • address the assigned question or topic directly and intelligently; • demonstrate a careful and considered reading of the texts at hand; • present a lucid thesis and a reasoned argument in its defense; • use correct grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction; • make appropriate use of quotations from the texts; • reveal thoughtfulness, originality and insight. Written work and examinations awarded the grade of “B” (good) adequately fulfil a majority of these criteria, with areas of improvement indicated by grading remarks and comments. The grade of “C” (average) is given when written work and examinations fail to meet most criteria, therefore indicating to the student that an appointment should be made with the professor, before the next assignment, to discuss methods for improvement. Finally, the grade of “D” is assigned to written work and examinations that are unacceptable, according to the criteria outlined above, in which case an appointment must be made with the professor and arrangements determined for re-submitting the assignments in an acceptable form. The Essay Students are free to choose their own essay topic (within the general subject matter of the course), in consultation with the instructor. All essay topics must be approved by the instructor, and students must produce a rough draft of their essay for review before final submission of the essay. Students are expected to base their essay on suitable reading, consisting of relevant primary sources and appropriate modern scholarly literature (books, journal articles, and scholarly reference works, whether in printed or online form). They must show that they have made a reasonable effort to read and engage with any reading for their essay suggested by the instructor. Essays have a word-limit of 3,000 words, including footnotes/endnotes. Essays submitted after the final deadline will be penalized by a grade. A timetable with the various deadlines relating to the essay (proposing a topic, submitting a draft, final submission) will be provided by the instructor at the beginning of the semester. Academic Honesty Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are unacceptable at the JFRC and will be dealt with in accordance with Loyola University Chicago’s guidelines. Please familiarize yourself with Loyola’s standards here: http://www.luc.edu/academics/catalog/undergrad/reg_academicintegrity.shtml. You are responsible for understanding what constitutes plagiarism according to the LUC Student Handbook. 3 Disabilities Students with documented disabilities who wish to discuss academic accommodations should contact the instructor during the first week of class, as well as the Senior Academic Services Advisor. 4 Course Program Week 1: The Rise of Rome • Christopher S. Mackay, The Breakdown of the Roman Republic, 10-30, 405-412. • G.J. Bradley, ‘The Roman Republic: Political History’, in E. Bispham (ed.), Roman Europe (Oxford, 2008), 32-68: pp. 32-60. • Mary Beard & Michael Crawford, Rome in the Late Republic, 2nd ed. (London, 1999), 40-59. • Edward Bispham, ‘Literary Sources’, in N. Morstein-Marx and N. Rosenstein, A Companion to the Roman Republic (Oxford, 2006), 29-50. Week 2: Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus • Mackay, Breakdown, 30-83. • Stephen L. Dyson, Community and Society in Roman Italy (Baltimore/London, 1992), 23-55. • Saskia T. Roselaar, Public Land in the Roman Republic (Oxford, 2010), 221-256. Week 3: Gaius Marius and Popular Politics • Mackay, Breakdown, 84-133 • Fergus Millar, ‘Politics, Persuasion and the People before the Social War (150–90 B.C.)’, Journal of Roman Studies 76 (1986), 1-11. Reprinted in Fergus Millar, Rome, the Greek World, and the East, vol. 1, The Roman Republic and the Augustan Revolution, edited by H.M. Cotton and G.M. Rogers (Chapel Hill/London, 2002), 143-161. • Alexander Yakobson, Elections and Electioneering in Rome (Stuttgart, 1999), 13-19. • Henrik Mouritsen, Italian Unification: A Study in Ancient and Modern Historiography (Bulletin of the Institute of Classical Studies Supplement 70; London 1998)’, 109-127. Week 4 Sulla and the Reaction • Mackay, Breakdown, 134-195. • Arthur Keaveney, Sulla: The Last Republican, 2nd ed. (London, 2005), 45-63, 140-167. • P.A. Brunt, ‘The Army and the Land in the Roman Revolution’, in P.A. Brunt, The Fall of the Roman Republic and Related Essays (Oxford, 1988), 240-275. Week 5: Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus and the return of popular politics • Mackay, Breakdown, 196-228. • Robin Seager, Pompey the Great: A Political Biography, 2nd ed. (Oxford, 2002), 30-62. • Fergus Millar, The Crowd in Rome in the Late Republic (Ann Arbor, 1998), 73-93. Week 6: Cicero • Mackay, Breakdown, 229-237. • Kathryn Tempest, Cicero: Politics and Persuasion in Ancient Rome (London, 2011), 71-100. • Catherine Steel, Reading Cicero (London, 2005), 21-48. • Anthony Corbeill, ‘Cicero and the intellectual milieu of the late Republic’ in C. Steel (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Cicero (Cambridge, 2013), 9-24. • Ann Vasaly, ‘The political impact of Cicero’s speeches’, in C. Steel (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to Cicero (Cambridge, 2013), 141-159. Week 7: Roman Imperialism • John Rich, ‘Fear, Greed and Glory: The Causes of Roman War Making in the Middle Republic’, in J. Rich & G. Shipley (eds.), War and Society in the Roman World (London 1995), 38-68. • Lea Beness and Tom Hillard, ‘Rei militaris virtus ... orbem terrarum parere huic imperio coegit: The 5 Transformation of Roman imperium’ in D. Hoyos (ed.), A Companion to Roman Imperialism (Leiden 2013), 141-153. • John Serrati, ‘Imperialism and the Fall of the Republic: Post hoc ergo propter hoc?’, ibid. 155-168. Week 8: Caesar • Mackay, Breakdown, 238-303. • Erich S. Gruen, ‘Caesar as a Politician’, in Miriam Griffin (ed.), A Companion to Julius Caesar (Chichester, 2009), 23-36. • Robert Morstein-Marx, ‘Caesar's Alleged Fear of Prosecution and His Ratio Absentis in the Approach to the Civil War’, Historia 56/2 (2007), 159-178. Week 9: From the Ides of March to Actium • Mackay, Breakdown, pp. 304-361. • Andrew Lintott, ‘The Assassination’, in Miriam Griffin (ed.), A Companion to Julius Caesar (Chichester, 2009), 72-82. • Josiah Osgood, Caesar’s Legacy: Civil War and the Emergence of the Roman Empire (Cambridge, 2006), 62-106.