HST698: The Phoenix City: Rome in Late Antiquity (300-600)
15 credits (semester 1)
Module Leader:
| Module Summary |
The module examines the problems of reconstructing the history and topography of Rome during a period of dramatic political, social and religious change,. Rome, the foremost city of the known world, was to become the centre of medieval Christendom; yet, it had lost its emperor and experienced barbarian invasion and impoverishment. The module will examine the transformation of civic space and of religious and social identity, looking particularly at building programmes; religious conflicts; urban administration; demography and poverty; rituals of urban life; the cult of the Roman saints; the rise of asceticism and its effect on urban morality.
| Module Aims |
This module introduces students to the main literary, epigraphic and archaeological sources for the city of Rome in late antiquity, together with theoretical approaches to this material. Practice in using different types of evidence will be given through thematic and interdisciplinary seminars. On successful completion of the module, students will have gained an overall grasp of the complexity of the history and topography of the late antique city. They will develop critical skills in assessing both the primary evidence for the city of Rome in this period and its modern interpretation, and will therefore be able to pursue interesting and important problems of urban life for themselves. They will also have the opportunity to practise language skills, where appropriate, through reading foreign language publications.
| Teaching |
The module will be taught in five two-hour classes. Each will focus on a series of thematic and interdisciplinary case studies (for example, imperial visits to Rome; papal elections; the power of games). We will work particularly on a choice of primary source material, both textual and non-written, and evaluating the contrasting interpretations of secondary writers. Classes will enable students to share knowledge, debate controversial issues and listen and respond to the views of others. Students are expected to prepare, individually or in groups, a (power point) presentation that assembles textual and pictorial material for a particular theme indicated by the course tutor. As preparation for the final assessment, students will prepare a group presentation on a particular theme (for example, the topography of Roman martyr cult; entertainment space in late antique Rome) that will support seminar discussion. There will also have an individual tutorial in which to discuss the work they will write for assessment for this module.
| Assessment |
Students will submit a 3,000 word paper on an individually chosen research question.
| Intended Learning Outcomes |
By the end of the module, a candidate will be able to demonstrate:
- Direct and profound knowledge of the political, social and religious history of the city of Rome in this period.
- A systematic knowledge of the different types of evidence and resources available for the study of the late antique city of Rome.
- An ability to apply an appropriate combination of these different types of evidence critically and accurately to the elucidation of problems relating to the city of Rome in this period.
- An ability to use these primary data for the evaluation of both traditional and current theoretical and methodological approaches to the late antique city of Rome.
- An ability to locate, extract and assemble information from varied sources to support their individual research questions.
- Independent interpretations of often complex and incomplete data through self-directed research.
- An ability to articulate complex arguments effectively in both written work and, orally, in seminar discussions and presentations.