The course focuses on a close reading of the period 44 BC-AD 14, corresponding to the political career of Octavian/Augustus. The course will adopt a broadly chronological format within which overarching concerns are explored and thematic aspects are investigated. Central is the examination of the dynamic cultural landscape of this period – and the evolution of a new political format. This will be framed by an examination of the character of late Republican art in Rome for a contextual appreciation of the complex visual world shaping the Augustan imagery, as well as by studies of the impact on cities in Italy and the provinces.

The main part of the course is an investigation of the development of the visual language of the Augustan period. Though in retrospect an Augustan-period style may be identified, the political and social climate of the period was one of evolution, experimentation and exchange. The aim of the course is to explore the relationship between art and political reality, and the progressive and fluctuating character of this over time. The new political system in Rome created the context for new visual approaches, but the development was a dynamic engagement across social groups and over time.

Course aims

The course will foster a firm understanding of developments and traditions in the history of the late Republic and early Principate. The aim is to develop an awareness of cultural characteristics and an ability to analyze trends and changes.

The course will provide students with an in-depth knowledge of key monuments and artworks of the period in question, and their multifaceted connotations. The aim is develop a contextualized appreciation of the visual and artistic culture of a multifaceted, cosmopolitan world

The course will introduce students to discourses of cultural diversity and acculturation, as well as to response and reception of the ‘foreign’. The aim is for a nuanced appreciation of the construction of identity in a multicultural world

The course will familiarize students with the rhetoric of spaces and styles, and the inherent narrativity of objects, and furnish them with the methodologies to interpret these. The aim is for an awareness of spaces as dynamic stages of social interaction and an understanding of the impact of patronage and viewing

The course will present students with works of diverse patronage and consider the transmission of inspiration and influence (rather than propaganda). The aim is to further understanding of the impact of patronage and of social participation in the shaping of a new Augustan image.

Proficiencies
Ability to analyze – and contextualize – characteristics of ancient cultures over time
•   Understanding of key aspects of early imperial Roman art and its reception of Greek art – and ability to analyze motives in their creation and reception
•   Ability to identify trends and long-term developmental aspects, as well as to follow the complex reasoning inherent in their particular discourses
•   Awareness of cultural individuality and cross-cultural inspirations – within and between cultural and social groups

Ability to analyze art, architecture and material culture as primary sources
•   Awareness of the impact of form, style, medium and material, and ability to interpret diverse artistic media and their impact
•   Familiarity with relevant historical, art historical and architectural terminology and ability to deploy these with precision and to effect
•   Understanding of the context of public and private art and architecture – and the ability for comparative analyses of these as expressions of culture and acculturation

Ability to articulate interests and developments as affected by cultural factors
•   Awareness of avenues of engagement with new forms and the motivations for doing so among diverse social groupings, including the relationship between ruler and community
•   Appreciation of directions of artistic inspiration – and of the expression of provincial and non-elite participation in a dominant culture

Ability to analyze the construction and articulation of cultural identities
•   Ability for analyzing material culture as dynamic interactions of inspiration, response and emulation – not simply imperialism or control
•   Awareness of how the image of the ‘other’ is changeable and shaped by a perception of ‘self’ and sense of position within a wider world
•   Ability to see the selectivity in adoption of non-traditional forms, and a capacity for identifying a permanence of cultural outlook/identity within mutable artistic forms and foreign inspirations

Skills
Communicative skills – writing and oral competence
Term paper: Skills of organization of material, focus on topic, and nuance in discussion
Exams: Aptitudes for contextualization and nuanced discussion of works, as well as for focused presentation of data
Class presentations: Skills of public speaking (presentation of material, development of argument, illustration of evidence) and didactic methods (engaging audience through description, posing questions, responding to answers)
Participation: Skills of formulating reviews and analytical responses; participating in debates; posing questions

Cognitive skills – critical thinking and interpretation
Class presentation: Skills of evaluation and consideration of evidence; analysis of information gathered from observation; and skillful reflection on significance
Participation: Skills of reasoned consideration of evidence and methods; willingness to adapt/revise ways of thinking; and openness to alternative perspectives
Term paper and exams: Development of subtlety, nuance and engagement in the approach to the topic at hand
Lectures and class presentations: Adeptness at visual analysis. That is, the formal analysis of an object, the contextualization of this in space and history, and the formulation of an interpretative thesis, as well as ability to draw out observations on the cultural outlook, norms and histories that inform the making of the object

Collaborative and shared inquiry skills
Lectures and participation: Development of investigative response-skills; collaborative contributions; and open debate – ability to test, explore and communicate complex ideas
Class presentations: Skills of thoughtful dialogue; sharing of observations; and active contribution to an academic milieu

Investigative skills and evaluation of data
Term paper and class presentations: Skills of using and evaluating secondary texts of diverse focus, specialism and target audience; as well as of interpreting both the inherent interests of these and the arguments presented
Lectures and participation: Skills of evaluation of context, impact and patronage of objects and spaces

You will be expected to participate in all scheduled classes; absences will be noted. Please refer to the university catalogue for the attendance and absence policy.
All classes start promptly at 10.05; late arrival will be noted. 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.
No recording (of any type) of the class is permitted.

Changes to / cancellation of class
Changes, additional course information, etc will be posted on MyJCU. Please check this regularly and, certainly, in advance of each class.
In case of unavoidable cancellations of class, notification will be posted at the front desk at both Tiber and Guarini campuses. A suitable date and time for a make-up class will subsequently be established.