MDS1TRW: The Roman World

(This has changed since 2012. But I imagine the flow of the subject is still similar).

One 1000-word essay - 20%

See below.

One 1500-word essay - 40%

The essays are fairly straightforward. Harvard style referencing is used in this subject so I strongly recommend you learn the trivial matters in the lead up to the essays.

One 1.5-hour examination (1,500 Words) - 40%

I know this has changed since 2012. The subject guide for 2014 now states: "One in-class test (1,200-word equivalent)- 30%"

This was a nightmare. Three essays in 90 minutes. In a lecture theatre.

This subject deals with the cultural history of ancient Rome - its literature, its mythology, its art and architecture, and its political and civil institutions. The period covered is the mid republic into the early empire (including the periods of Julius Caesar and Augustus Caesar). The subject explores the military and social turmoil associated with civil war, the political use of mythology and literature by Roman writers like Virgil, Ovid and Livy, the great building programs of the period, and the artistic triumphs and conventions in the Roman world.

The Roman World is a popular elective since many (including myself) have an interest in ancient Rome. Many students however had also completed the ancient Greek subject which is typically offered in the previous semester.

For a tech student, this subject was a bit of a shock. Tutorials consisted of a group of people sitting in a circle. The tutorials are more of a discussion rather than learning new things. It can be quite intimidating when you haven't done the weekly readings.

The subject tends to focus on the literature quite extensively. I did not particularly enjoy the lectures although the subject moves at a good pace.

The Roman World helped me to develop my essay writing skills and also provided me with an introduction to great ancient texts such as The Aeneid. This subject was first offered in 2012 and with some improvements, I'm sure it will get better in years to come.

Topics:

* Roman Myth as History - Monarchy to Republic

* War and Conquest: The Rise of Rome during the Republic

* The Republic: Slaves and Conquerors

* The Republic: History and Literature

* Building the Empire: Republican Art and Architecture

* Building the Empire: Julius Caesar

* Republican politics: Politics as War, Love as War

* Republican spaces: Power and Monumentality

* The Art of Revolution: Augustan Rome

* Roman Myth as Poetry: Trojan Ancestors

* Roman Myth as Poetry: Love and Hate

* Roman Myth as Poetry: Future Rome

* Roman Myth as Poetry - War in Italy

* Augustan Love: Propertius and Ovid

* Augustan Culture: Rebuilding Rome

* Empire of Decadence? The Early Emperors

* Bad Emperors: Nero

* Another Renaissance: Neronian Culture

* Workers and Freedmen

* Flavian Rome

* Roman Amphitheatres

Yes, with screen capture. This class is also on iTunes.

Dr Rhiannon Evans

Yes, although in an essay subject it will not provide much indication about what to study for.

3/5

CSE2DBF (Database Fundamentals)
CSE1IS (Information Systems)
CSE2DES (System Design Engineering)

Not a textbook, but required reading is below:

The Aeneid; a new translation by David West, Virgil, Penguin, 1990 (I recommend reading this before the semester begins)

Livy From the Foundation of the City 1.1 (‘It is generally accepted…’) to 1.15 (he was taken up into the sky’) and 1.48.8-60
= The Early History of Rome transl. Aubrey de Sélincourt (Harmonsdworth, 1960): pp. 18-35, 72-85

Slavery extracts: Cato the Elder On Agriculture 2, 56-9; Tacitus Annals 14.42-5, Diodorus Siculus The History of the World fragments of Book 34:2 = Jo-Ann Shelton As the Romans Did (Oxford: 1998)

Richard Saller ‘Slavery and the Roman Family’ in M.I. Finley (ed.) Classical Slavery (London, 1987): 65-87.

Plautus Pseudolus = The Pot of Gold and Other Plays (Harmondsworth, 1965) transl. E.F Watling): pp.216-268.

Suetonius ‘The Deified Julius Caesar’ = Lives of the Caesars (Oxford World Classics, 2000) transl Catharine Edwards: pp. 3-42.
Caesar The Gallic War pp. xlvii-xlix, pp. 1-19 – end of 1st paragraph ‘other states tributary.’ pp. 95-96 [book 5. paragraphs 12-14], pp. 124-133 [6.11-28], pp. 181-194 [7.69-90]

Cicero In Defence of Marcus Caelius Rufus = Selected Political Speeches (Harmondsworth, 1969) transl. Michael Grant. pp.165-214.

Catullus Poems I-III, V, VII, XI, XVI, XLIX, LI, LVII, LXXII, LXXXIII, LXXXV: The Poems of Catullus: a new translation by Guy Lee (Oxford World Classics, 1991).

Propertius The Poems (Oxford, 1994) transl. Guy Lee: Book 1: Poem 1 (pp.3-4), Poem 4 (pp.6-7), Poem 7 (p.10).

Ovid Loves Book 1 Poems 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 9 and 15.

Ovid Art of Love Book 1 = The Erotic Poems (Harmondsworth, 1982) transl Peter Green: pp. 166-190.

Petronius ‘Dinner with Trimalchio’ = Petronius The Satyricon, Seneca The Apocolocyntosis (Harmondsworth, 1986 revised edition) transl J.P. Sullivan: pp. 51-91.

2 X 1hr lecture
1 X 1hr tutorial

2012, Semester 2

80 (A)