Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 290-3"
COURSE NAME: "Ancient Rome and Its Monuments (On-site; activity fee €40 or $52)"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2012

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Georgi Karen
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: TTH 14:00-18:00
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: On-site; activity fee: €40 or $52
OFFICE HOURS: after class

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

AH290 is a survey of ancient Rome from its archaic beginnings though Constantine and the legalization of Christianity. The course is conducted entirely on site at the city's many monuments. The monuments are treated both chronologically and thematically. Chronology underscores the historical context of these ancient Roman buildings, artworks, and infrastructure and it highlights their functional and symbolic continuity. Thematic treatment will stress the ways in which visual art creates and communicates meaning.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:
With the great advantage of studying Rome in Rome, the course focuses on reading and situating the monuments and artworks in the dense layers of their original and subsequent contexts. From massive public structures like the Pantheon or the basilicas in the Roman Forum, to the highly refined sculptures and mosaics that decorated private villas, ancient Rome has left a material and artistic legacy that opens the way to complex historical understanding and to historiographic debate.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:
Students who conscientiously apply themselves will become conversant in the monuments, their histories, and their role in the life and development of ancient Rome. They will also develop skills for visually analyzing and recognizing forms and competently assessing stylistic differences with an understanding of how such styles communicated. They will begin to grasp the complexities of history and of analyzing the past.

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
Roman Art	Ramage, N. and Ramage, A.		-13:978-0-13-600097-6

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
Rome. An Oxford Archeological Guide	Claridge, Amanda	Oxford	978-0-19-954683
The Architecture of Roman Temples	Stamper, J.		-
The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus	Zanker, P.		-
Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans	Clarke, J.R.		-

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
midterm exam		25 %
final exam		30%
paper		20%
presentation		15%
attendance		10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:

Assessment Guidelines for assigning main letter grades: A, B, C,D, and F.

A: Work of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensiveknowledge of relevant information or content. This type of work demonstrates the ability to critically evaluate concepts and theory and has an element of novelty and originality. There is clear evidence of a significant amount of reading beyond that required for the course.

B: This is highly competent level of performance and directly addresses the question or problem raised.

There is a demonstration of some ability to critically evaluatetheory and concepts and relate them to practice. Discussions reflect the student’s own arguments and are not simply a repetition of standard lecture andreference material. The work does not suffer from any major errors or omissions and provides evidence of reading beyond the required assignments.

C: This is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.

D: This level of performances demonstrates that the student lacks a coherent grasp of the material.

Important information is omitted and irrelevant points included.In effect, the student has barely done enough to persuade the instructor that s/he should not fail.

F: This 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:

One unexcused absence is permitted. You are expected to be fully present and to participate in discussions. Physical attendance alone is not sufficient.

Please refer to the university catalog for the attendance and absence policy.

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

SCHEDULE

T 22 May Introduction: Looking at art and material culture
Meeting location: T.2.3

TH 24 May Thinking historically: Going backwards in time and historiography
Meet: Campidoglio, top of steps. Site: Capitoline Museums
Reading: See "post- it"no. 1, ( Hayden White, "Interpretation in History," New Literary History 4/2(winter, 1973): pp281-314
*summary/discussion

T 29 May Republican expansion and its monuments
Meet: In class: T.2.3
Sites: Forum Boarium, Forum Holitorium, Circus Flaminius, Largo Argentina
Reading: Stamper, ch. 3, pp.59-67 & ch. 4. pp. on Forums Holitorium and Boarium (in ch. 4).
Ramage and Ramage, "Eminent Romans, pp. 89-94

TH 31 May City Center and symbolism: Archaic - early Imperial monuments
Meet: Entrance to Palatine, Via San Gregorio
Sites: Palatine Hill, Roman Forum
Reading: Stamper, ch 6, pp. 90-104 & ch. 7, pp. 105-118. Ramage and Ramage, pp. 78-83

T 5 June Augustus and the image of empire in antiquity and fascist modernity
Meet: TBA
Sites: Ara Pacis, Mausoleum of Augustus, Piazza Imperatore, Horologium
Reading: Paul Zanker, The Power of Images in the Age of Augustus, ch. 2 up to "toga and stola" (pp. 33-48)
*summary/discussion
(midterm review)

Th 7 June Midterm. In class, T.2.3
Good Emperors: Sites: Patheon, Temple of Hadrian, Column of Marcus Aurelius
Reading: Ramage and Ramage ch. 7, pp. 229-241

T 12 June Daily life at the height of Empire
Meet: Column of Trajan
Sites: Imperial forums, markets of Trajan, Colosseum
Reading: John Clarke, Art in the Lives of Ordinary Romans, ch. 5, "Glory and the Games," pp. 143-159.
Ramage and Ramage, ch 6, pp. 207-220

Th 14 June: Paper Due
Imperial luxury, art and pictorial and space
Meet: Entrance to Palazzo Massimo (Museo Nazionale Romano) at far left corner of Piazza dei Cinquecento (front of Termini station)
Sites: Palazzo Massimo, Baths of Diocletian
Reading: Zanker, ch 7, pp. 265- 274, 279-295.

T 19 Decline?: Severans, Constantantine, and late Empire
Meet: Campidoglio
Sites: Arches of Septimius Severus, and Constantine, Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, S. Clemente
Reading:John Clarke, Art in the Lives. . ., ch. 2 "The All-seeing Emperor and Ordinary Viewers," *summary/discussion
Ramage and Ramage, ch. 9, pp. 283-289, 302-309 and ch. 11, pp. 325-332

TH 21 June Translation of status through space and imagery: Imperial forms for Christianity
Meet: Via Nomentana, 349 Entrance to "Complesso Monumentale S. Angnese"
Sites: Basilica of S. Agnese, Mausoleum of S. Costanza, S. Maria Maggiore

F 22 June Final Exam, In class: T2.3