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CC 302: Introduction to Ancient Rome (Unique #33015 and 33940 )

 

Spring, 2012; TTh 12:30-2, WEL 1.316

Timothy Moore, WAG 113, Office hours M 3-5, Th 11-12:15, and by appointment

(timmoore@mail.utexas.edu, 232-4161)

 

TAs:

Don Carlo Goduto, WAG 14C, Office hours T 11AM-12, Th 2-3 PM, and by appointment (dcgoduto@gmail.com, 471-2376)

Miriam Tworek-Hofstetter, WAG 13, Office hours M 8-9 AM, 12-1PM,  and by appointment (twor0004@gmail.com, 471-7890)

 

Course homepage: http://www.laits.utexas.edu/moore/rome 

 

Course description: The ancient Romans are both fascinating in their own right and uniquely useful for contemporary Americans.  Because Rome has been so influential on our own institutions and culture, the Romans offer us invaluable perspectives on the modern world.  At the same time, the Romans were in many ways frighteningly different from us.  The study of Rome thus helps us to appreciate how cultural differences can determine how humans think and act.  Our aim in this course is to gain a fuller understanding of Rome—its similarities to, and its differences from, us—in order to understand better who we are, both as humans and as modern descendants of the Romans.  We will reach this goal through reading and discussion of works written by the ancient Romans and secondary works on Roman history and culture.

 

Texts:

Mary T. Boatwright, Daniel J. Gargola, and Richard J.A. Talbert, A Brief History of the Romans.  Oxford University Press; ISBN 0195187156 

Vergil, Aeneid, translated by Stanley Lombardo. Hackett Publishing Co.; ISBN 0872207315

Petronius, Satyricon, translated by William Arrowsmith. Meridian Classics; ISBN 0452010055

Plautus and Terence: Five Comedies, translated by Deena Berg and Douglass Parker; Hackett Publishing Co.; ISBN 087220362X

Additional readings are on Blackboard

 

Grading:

2 midterm exams: 30% each

Comprehensive final exam: 40%

 

Grade scale

A: 93-100; A-: 90-92.9; B+: 87-89.9; B: 83-86.9; B-: 80-82.9; C+: 77-79.9; C: 73-76.9; C-: 70-72.9; D+: 67-69.9; D: 63-66.9; D-: 60-62.9

 

Missed and late work

Exams may not be made up except in the case of a religious holiday (see below), or a documented medical or family emergency.  Missed work must be made up within two weeks.

 

Attendance
Please do not think that because this class is large, attendance is not important.  It is absolutely imperative that you attend class each day, except in the case of emergencies.  Much of each exam will be based on material only covered in class, and no amount of help you can get from the TAs, the web, your colleagues, or the instructor can substitute for attendance in class.

 

Reading Assignments
It is vitally important that you read the assigned readings before class.  Lectures and discussions will take for granted that you are familiar with the readings assigned for the day.

 

Common courtesy:
As you see, our class is a very large one.  We must therefore all follow the following rules religiously:

1. Cell phones must be turned off during class.

2. No talking (even in a whisper) during class: it is simply too distracting.

3. No reading of other material (especially newspapers) during class.

4. Class lasts until 1:45: Please remain still in your seats until that time.  It is impossible for anyone to learn when 250 people are closing notebooks, shuffling papers, and getting up to leave.

5. Equally distracting are people walking in and out.  Get to class on time, and stay until the lecture is completed except in the case of emergencies.

6. Many students find laptop computers useful for taking notes.  If you use a laptop in this class, however, it is expected that you are using it only for taking notes.

Infringement of these rules may lead to expulsion from class, confiscation of electronic devices, or a policy forbidding use of laptop computers in class.

 

Please do not take this class if you are unwilling or unable to do the following:
1. Attend class each day, except in the case of medical or family emergency (“I slept late,” “It’s the week before spring break,” “I had a test in another class” are not medical or family emergencies).

2. Remain quiet and attentive throughout class.

3. Read and think about assigned readings before class.

4. Review class notes and readings carefully before exams.

 

Scholastic dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty on any graded assignment will result in a 0 on the assignment. Scholastic dishonesty includes any kind of cheating, including plagiarism. For more information, contact Student Judicial Services at 471-2841, or go to http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis.php.

 

Academic disabilities
The University of Austin provides upon request appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with disabilities.  For more information, contact Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259, or go to http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/index.php.

Note:
I am not able to address requests for accommodations at the podium after class.  Please bring these to me during my office hours or make an appointment.

Religious holidays
You may make up work missed because of a religious holiday if you bring me documentation of the holiday fourteen days ahead of time.

UT Honor Code
The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom, leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the university is expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect toward peers and community.

Flag
This course carries the Global Cultures flag. Global Cultures courses are designed to increase your familiarity with cultural groups outside the United States. You should therefore expect a substantial portion of your grade to come from assignments covering the practices, beliefs, and histories of at least one non-U.S. cultural group, past or present.

Behavioral concerns
If you are worried about someone who is acting differently, you may use the Behavior Concerns Advice Line (BCAL) to discuss by phone your concerns about another individual’s behavior. This service is provided through a partnership among the Office of the Dean of Students, the Counseling and Mental Health Center (CMHC), the Employee Assistance Program (EAP), and The University of Texas Police Department (UTPD). Call 512-232-5050 or visit http://www.utexas.edu/safety/bcal.

 

 

Schedule

 

January

17 Introduction to course; The Romans and Us; Sources for Our Knowledge of Rome; Start Vergil, Aeneid

19 Early Rome: A Brief History of the Romans (hereafter BHR) Chapters 1-2

24 The Early Republic: BHR Chapter 3

26 The Middle Republic: BHR Chapters 4-5

 

31 Plautus, Double Bind (=Menaechmi)

February

1: Last day to add a course or drop a course for possible refund

2 Terence, Adelphoe (=The Brothers)

 

7 The Late Republic I: BHR Chapter 6

9 The Late Republic II: BHR Chapter 7

 

14 Exam I

16 The End of the Republic: BHR Chapter 8

 

21 Selected poems of Catullus (on Blackboard) 

23 Lucretius, On the Nature of Things, Book 3 (on Blackboard)

 

28 Cicero, First Oration Against Catiline (on Blackboard)

March

1 Augustus: BHR Chapter 9

 

6  Livy, From the Founding of the City, Selections from Books 1-2 (on Blackboard)

8 Selections from Horace’s Odes and Satires (on Blackboard)

 

12-16: Feriae Vernales

 

20 Vergil I: Complete Vergil’s Aeneid by today

22 Vergil II

 

27 Exam II

29 The Julio-Claudians: BHR Chapter 10

 

April

2 Last day an undergraduate student may, with the dean’s approval, withdraw from the University or drop a class except for urgent and substantiated, nonacademic reasons.

3 Perspectives on Nero I: Suetonius, Nero (on Blackboard)

5 Perspectives on Nero II: Tacitus, Annals, selections (on Blackboard)

 

10 Petronius, Satyricon, pp. 38-84

12 Rome, 69-138 CE: BHR Chapter 11

 

17 Juvenal, Satires 3 and 10 (on Blackboard)

19 Rome, 138-235 CE: BHR Chapter 12

 

24 Art and Architecture in Imperial Rome: R.J.A Wilson, “Roman Art and Architecture,” in The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World, pp. 361-400 (on Blackboard)

26 Daily Life in Imperial Rome: Roger Ling, “The Arts of Living,” and John Matthews, “Roman Life and Society,” in The Oxford Illustrated History of the Roman World, pp. 308-360 (on Blackboard)

 

May 

1 Rome, 235-476 CE: BHR Chapter 13

3 Pondering Rome’s Fall and Rome’s Legacy: G. Karl Galinsky, Classical and Modern Interactions: Postmodernism,  Decline, and Other Issues, pp. 53-73 (on Blackboard)

 

Final Exam: Thursday, May 10, 9 AM - 12 Noon