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JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 354 H"
COURSE NAME: "Ancient Roman Portraiture - HONORS (This course carries 4 semester hours of credits. A minimum CUM GPA of 3.5 is required)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Spring 2022
SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Inge Hansen
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 1:30-2:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: Prerequisite: One previous course in Art History or Classical Studies or permission of the instructor
OFFICE HOURS: By appointment

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Portraiture in Greece and Rome was a vital currency of social interaction and public engagement - across gender, class, location and context. As new archaeological data and research methodologies are transforming our understanding of its form and impact, the field is one of the most vibrant of ancient art. The course will discuss all aspects of what made a portrait: facial characteristics, hairstyles, body types, and clothing, as well as the inscribed base and placement. It will do so with a keen awareness of the developments and experimentations of the medium over time. The course will investigate themes like the uses of male and female portraits in public, the use of type-associations and role models, and the choices of statue types and status indicators. It will ask questions about who commissioned works, about workshop practices and distribution, and about the visual impact of techniques and form for the viewer, as well as why some portraits were destroyed or reworked.
SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course follows a chronological format combined with thematic investigations. The overarching aim is an investigation of the agency of public portraits and of portraits as cultural currency at the intersection between donor, honoree, and community.

The course will examine portraits as objects in context
The focus is on a detailed examination of Roman portraiture from the late Republic to the late Empire (2nd century BC to 4th century AD), across the Roman world. This is framed by discussion of honorific portrait traditions, as well as by considerations of the methods of reproduction and distribution of imperial portraiture

The course will examine portraits as performative depictions
The changing styles of portraiture over time will be considered for their ability to engage the viewer and to engage with other statue depictions. Similarly, the choice of statue body will be considered as a social and gendered statement, as well as a civic statement to activate spaces of display and processes of viewing.

The course will examine the persuasive presence portraits 
The visual impact of the form of the abbreviated portrait, and the possibilities of display, texture and viewing engagement it provides, will form a point of consideration. So will examples where the agency of the portrait and the viewer appear juxtaposed: in the deliberately changed or in the damaged portrait.


LEARNING OUTCOMES:

·    In-depth knowledge of key artworks and monuments, and their multifaceted connotations. The aim is to develop a contextualized appreciation of the multifaceted visual and artistic culture within which portraiture is displayed.

·    Familiarity with portraits across a broad range of artistic media and ability to analyze the impact of technique and material. The aim is for a nuanced understanding of the interests shaping the material culture of a complex visual world.

·    Understanding of developments and traditions in honorific display of late Republican to late Imperial Rome. The aim is to develop an awareness of cultural characteristics and an ability to analyze trends and changes.

·    Familiarity with the rhetoric of forms and styles, the inherent narrativity of objects, and the impact of viewing. The aim is for an awareness of portraits as dynamic intermediaries of social interaction.

·    The course will present students with works of diverse patronage and consider the transmission of inspiration and influence. The aim is for an awareness of the impact of patronage and of social interaction in Rome.

TEXTBOOK:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberCommentsFormatLocal BookstoreOnline Purchase
Roman Portraits in Context Fejfer, Jane Walter de Gruyter 2008 978-3-11-020999-0 JCU eBookThe book will function as a textbook for the course; it is available as an e-book through the Frohring library    
Oxford Handbook of Roman Sculpture Friedland, E.A., Sobocinski, M.G. and Gazda, E.K. (eds) Oxford University Press 2015.JCU eBookThe book will function as a textbook for the course; it is available as an e-book through the Frohring library    
REQUIRED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
A full bibliography for the course will be provided at the start of the course .For core bibliographic works see below.. 

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:
Book TitleAuthorPublisherISBN numberLibrary Call NumberComments
Further reading suggestions for the course will be provided at the start of the course .... 
GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:
AssignmentGuidelinesWeight
Two class presentationsResearch presentations to class (10 minutes). Through independent research, the presentation will develop skills of observation, evaluation and interpretation, as well as of presentation and public speaking. 30% (15% each)
Term paper (2500 words)Analytical research paper. The term paper is intended to develop skills of independent research, ability to evaluate and interpret materials and their inherent interests, and capability for discussing these in a nuanced manner in writing25%
Mid-term examThe midterm exam is structured to assess ability to contextualize the material studied and capacity for nuanced discussion of its significance. 20%
Final examThe final exam is structured to assess knowledge and skills honed during the semester: knowledge of essential data, awareness of cultural and historical significance, capacity for contextualization and nuanced discussion25%
HONORS OPTIONResearch bibliography for a topic related to Roman honorific portraiture40%
HONORS OPTIONShort analytical paper related to a specific facet of honorific portraiture60%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
ASuperior work directly addresses the question or problem raised; provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge of relevant information; demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory; and has an element of originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading.
BGood work is highly competent; directly addresses the question or problem raised; demonstrates some ability to critically evaluate theory and concepts and relate them to practice; and discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture and reference material. The work provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.
CSatisfactory work provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings only; it may have some significant structural flaw, absence of information or research background, or too casual and imprecise a treatment, or contain only a minimum of interpretation.
DPoor work lacks a coherent grasp of the material; fails to support its argument with sufficient evidence; indicates a hasty or unconsidered preparation, and/or fails to fulfill the assignment in some way; omits important information and includes irrelevant points.
FFailure work fails to show any knowledge or understanding of the issues raised in the question; most of the material in the answer is irrelevant.

-ATTENDANCE REQUIREMENTS:

Attendance requirements
•   You are expected to attend all scheduled classes. Absences and late arrival will be noted and may affect your grade. Please refer to the university catalogue for the attendance and absence policy.
•   You are expected to have dealt with food, drink and bathroom needs before class.
•   Make-up work is not offered, except in exceptional circumstances and after consultation with the Dean of Academic Affairs.

 

Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Students who will have to miss class to observe a religious holiday should notify the instructor by the end of the Add/Drop period to make prior arrangements for making up any work that will be missed.

Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam: a major exam (midterm or final) cannot be made up without the permission of the Dean’s Office. Permission will be granted only when the absence is caused by a serious impediment or grave situation, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or funeral service for immediate family. Absences due to conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. 



ACADEMIC HONESTY
As stated in the university catalog, any student who commits an act of academic dishonesty will receive a failing grade on the work in which the dishonesty occurred. In addition, acts of academic dishonesty, irrespective of the weight of the assignment, may result in the student receiving a failing grade in the course. Instances of academic dishonesty will be reported to the Dean of Academic Affairs. A student who is reported twice for academic dishonesty is subject to summary dismissal from the University. In such a case, the Academic Council will then make a recommendation to the President, who will make the final decision.
STUDENTS WITH LEARNING OR OTHER DISABILITIES
John Cabot University does not discriminate on the basis of disability or handicap. Students with approved accommodations must inform their professors at the beginning of the term. Please see the website for the complete policy.

SCHEDULE

Details of further reading suggestions as well as a relevant bibliography for the course will be provided at the start of term

Essential bibliography includes:
Bartman, E. (1999) Portraits of Livia. Imaging the imperial woman in Augustan Rome. CUP.
Borg, Barbara (ed.) (2015) A Companion to Roman Art. Wiley-Blackwell

Fejfer, J. (2008) Roman Portraits in Context. De Gruyter.

Flower, H. (1996) Ancestor Masks and Aristocratic Power in Roman Culture. Clarendon Press.

Flower, H.I. (2006) The Art of Forgetting: Disgrace and Oblivion in Roman Political Culture. University of North Carolina Press.

Friedland, E.A., Sobocinski, M.G. and Gazda, E.K. (eds) (2015) Oxford Handbook of Roman Sculpture.
Galinsky, K. (1996) Augustan Culture. PUP.

Hallett, C. (2005) The Roman Nude. OUP.

James, S.L. and S. Dillon (2012) (eds), A Companion to Women in the Ancient World. Wiley-Balckwell.

Kleiner, D.E.E. (1992) Roman Sculpture. YUP.

Rose, C.B. (1997a) Dynastic Commemoration and Imperial Portraiture in the Julio-Claudian Period. CUP.

Varner, E. (2000) (ed.) From Caligula to Constantine: Tyranny and Transformation in Roman Portraiture. Michael C. Carlos Museum.

Stewart, P. (2003) Statues in Roman Society. Representation and Response. OUP.

Wood, S. (1999) Imperial Women. A Study in Public Images, 40 B.C. - A.D. 68. Brill.

COURSE SCHEDULE


Introduction

1.        Introduction to the course and to portrait studies
Course requirements and logistics. Reading portraits in context

2.         Form, materials and expectation

Honorific and commemorative aspects of portraits; expectations and audience response; choices of materials and techniques


3.       
The honorific statue habit in the ancient world
Tradition of statue awards; recipients of honorific statues; bases and inscriptions; access to statue awards in Rome/Italian towns; patronage/statue gift exchange and competition

4. Persuasive images and the agency of viewing – framing
Portrait statues as persuasive agents not descriptive records; the role of the viewer – frames of viewing

 

5.     Republican honorific portraits
Second- and first-century BC works; origins of the style; message in the style: individuality, political identity, internationalism


6.       Hellenistic/Republican statue bodies

Second- and first-century BC, and first-century AD works

 

Himation, toga, nude; juxtaposition of face and body; statue body as costume. Code-switching.

 

7.     Augustus and the creative of an imperial portrait
Formation of an imperial style; the male portrait; individuality, idealization, and typologies


8.      Creation of an imperial female honorific portraits

Themes/works       First century BC-first century AD; creating public images for women; individuality, idealization, and typologies


9.     Male statue types – replication and social performativity
Early empire. Characteristics of togate, cuirassed, and nude statue choices. Visual impact: replication and variation, access and exclusivity

10.   Elite female statue types – female not-portrait portraits

Appropriate statue bodies for women in public. Fundilia-Eumachia type, Large/Small Herculaneum types. Code-switching

 


11.    Experimentation and tradition: political statement of portrait
Portrait approaches between Nero and Trajan. Political identities and visual experimentation

 


12.   Commissions, gift-exchange and ‘period-faces’  
Portraits as gift exchange (loyalty and euergetism); methods of commissioning works; approved models and assimilated looks

13.     Review

 

14.     Mid-term exam

15.     Second-century AD development and experimentation
Second century AD; the styled image: beards and paideia; relationship between empress and elite

16.     Contexts of viewing and display
Alteration and variation of toga; display settings and viewing engagement; multiples and variety in dedicatory choices

17.     Female adornment and hair: presence and social agency
Female hairstyles: status, association, visual individualization  

 

18.      Elite female statue types – presence and social agency
Second and third century AD public imaging of women; gendered roles and statue types; Large/Small Herculaneum types, Ceres types

 
19.    Bust portraits and abbreviated formats
Themes/works       Abbreviated statuary formats; the freestanding bust; display, development, iconography

20. The late imperial image
Third and fourth century AD; Micro-references and close-up; public role and recognizability

21.     Damnatio memoriae – the absent image
Memory and memory sanctions: cultural memory, expectation and rhetoric; absence as representation

22.     The reworked image – agency
New and former identities: redefinition as sympathetic magic, emulation, transfer, or practicality?

23.     The late antique portrait         

Portrait approaches and social articulation

 

24.    Statue practice in late antiquity
Late antique statue dedications; choices and forms of statue bodies; reuse of statues

 

25.       Reflexive relationships
The agency of portrait statues; the role of the viewer in a social space

 

26. Reception and activated replication

Case studies in reception: relationship between artist and viewer; examples of history of study of ancient art.


27.      Review

Themes/works       Overview and discussion of course content

 

28.      Review
Themes/works       Overview and discussion of course content

 

 Final exam
Date, time and place to be announced