Course Syllabus

JOHN CABOT UNIVERSITY

COURSE CODE: "AH 290-1"
COURSE NAME: "Ancient Rome and Its Monuments"
SEMESTER & YEAR: Summer Session I 2016

SYLLABUS

INSTRUCTOR: Eric De Sena
EMAIL: [email protected]
HOURS: MW 9:00 AM 12:45 PM
TOTAL NO. OF CONTACT HOURS: 45
CREDITS: 3
PREREQUISITES: On-site; activity fee: €40 or $52
OFFICE HOURS:

COURSE DESCRIPTION:
STUDENTS SHOULD NOT REGISTER FOR BOTH AH190 and AH290

Rome City Series - This on-site course considers the art and architecture of ancient Rome through visits to museums and archaeological sites. The course covers the visual culture and architecture of Rome beginning with the Iron Age and ending with the time of Constantine. A broad variety of issues are raised, including patronage, style and iconography, artistic and architectural techniques, Roman religion, business and entertainment.

SUMMARY OF COURSE CONTENT:

The course examines the urban development of Rome and the importance of public monuments as dynamic spaces of social interaction. It considers the urban articulation of ‘being Roman’: the city as memory theater; the interplay between emperor and city; the impact of empire on the city of Rome. The course asks questions about public image, cultural integration, and the perceived merits of peace and warfare for a nuanced examination of what it meant to be Roman. The city’s topography, monuments and works of public art are used as the primary sources for an examination of the historical and political development of the city, and of the social and cultural meaning of its visual culture.

“Ancient Rome and its Monuments” provides students with knowledge and analytical skills in relation to the development of ancient Rome. Students will learn: the physical and socio-political evolution of the city of Rome, including the development of architectural forms and techniques and the motives, contributions, and interactions of patrons, builders, and users of monuments and public space; the practical and symbolic functions of buildings and public space; the sources of evidence and how to analyze and discuss Roman architecture and public art.

LEARNING OUTCOMES:

Proficiencies

Ability to analyze – and contextualize – characteristics of ancient cultures over time

• Understanding of key aspects of Roman architecture and public 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

TEXTBOOK:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number	Library Call Number	Comments	Format	Local Bookstore	Online Purchase
The Oxford Archaeological Guide to Rome	Amanda Claridge	Oxford University Press	978019954683

REQUIRED RESERVED READING:

Book Title	Author	Publisher	ISBN number
The Ancient Roman City	John E. Stambaugh	Johns Hopkins Press	0801836921
The Architecture of Roman Temples from the Republic to the Middle Empire	John W. Stamper	Cambridge University Press	052181068X
Roman Art from Romulus to Constantine	Nancy H. Ramage and Andrew Ramage	Pearson Prentice Hall	9780136000976

RECOMMENDED RESERVED READING:

NONE

GRADING POLICY
-ASSESSMENT METHODS:

Assignment	Guidelines	Weight
Class presentations	ORAL REPORTS will be presented on two monuments of your choice. The reports, 5-7 minutes apiece, should include a descriptive account of the monument (structural, decorative features, the history of its construction/reconstruction, etc.) as well as a discussion of the monument in the context of the city of Rome or Ostia (function, meaning in society, etc.). At the time of the oral report you must present your classmates and I with an outline and a list of references.	20%
Mid-term tests	The midterm tests are structured to assess ability to contextualize the material studied and capacity for nuanced discussion of its significance. Monument ID’s and short essays.	25%
Term 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 writing. It centers on a discussion of a particular aspect of a monument or building program. Details: 7-8 double-spaced pages exclusive of images and bibliography.	20%
Final exam	The cumulative (sessions 1-10) 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 discussion. The exam consists of monument ID’s and short essays.	25%
Attendance and participation	Attendance and participation in the class develops collaborative skills and capacity for critical assessment. The grade is based on your contribution to the academic milieu of the class: ability to review analytically material covered in previous classes, ability to answer questions based on reading assignments, contribution to class discussions and willingness to share own observations, and collaborative behavior. Students are penalized for more than one absence.	10%

-ASSESSMENT CRITERIA:
AWork of this quality directly addresses the question or problem raised and provides a coherent argument displaying an extensive knowledge 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.
BThis 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.
CThis is an acceptable level of performance and provides answers that are clear but limited, reflecting the information offered in the lectures and reference readings.
DThis 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.
FThis 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 AND EXAMINATION POLICY
You cannot make-up a major exam (midterm or final) without the permission of the Dean’s Office. The Dean’s Office will grant such permission only when the absence was caused by a serious impediment, such as a documented illness, hospitalization or death in the immediate family (in which you must attend the funeral) or other situations of similar gravity. Absences due to other meaningful conflicts, such as job interviews, family celebrations, travel difficulties, student misunderstandings or personal convenience, will not be excused. Students who will be absent from a major exam must notify the Dean’s Office prior to that exam. Absences from class due to the observance of a religious holiday will normally be excused. Individual 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. The final exam period runs until June 24, 2015

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

1 (May 23) The origins of Rome: mythology and history

Meeting place: JCU with visits to Tiber Island, Forum Boarium, Circus Maximus, Capitoline Hill

Readings: Claridge pp. 3-30; Stambaugh Intro and Ch. 1

2 (May 25) The Early to Middle Republic: building Rome

MP: Roman Forum – entrance opposite via Cavour

Monuments: Lapis Niger, Curia/Comitia, Basilica Aemilia, Temple Saturn, Temple Castor and Pollux, Temple Concordia, Temple Vesta, Temple of Magna Mater, Republican monuments on Palatine Hill

Readings: Claridge monuments; Stambaugh Ch. 2 and 7; Stamper Ch. 3

3 (May 30) The Late Republic: the Hellenization of Rome

MP: tower at Largo Argentina

Monuments: Largo Argentina temples, Theater of Pompey, Tabularium, Temples of Portunus, Temple of Hercules in Forum Boarium, Temples of Jupiter Stator and Juno Sospita (Porticus of Octavia), Temple of Apollo Sosianus, Forum of Julius Caesar

Readings: Claridge monuments; Stambaugh Ch. 3 and 13; Stamper Ch.6

4 (June 1) Augustan Rome I: from a city of brick to a city of marble

MP: Roman Forum – entrance opposite via Cavour

Monuments: Curia Julia, Basilica Julia, Rostra, Temple of Divine Caesar, House of Augustus and Livia, Temple of Apollo on Palatine, Forum of Augustus

Readings: Claridge monuments; Stambaugh Ch. 4; Stamper Ch. 7

TEST 1 (on sessions 1 - 3)

5 (June 6) Augustan Rome II: defining a new “golden” age

MP: Theater of Marcellus

Monuments: Theater of Marcellus, Porticus of Octavia, Baths of Agrippa, first phase of Pantheon, Horologium, Mausoleum of Augustus, Ara Pacis

Readings: Horace’s Carmen Saeculare; Claridge monuments; Stamper Ch. 8

6 (June 8) Ostia Antica: Daily Life in a Roman City

MP: meet at EUR Magliana Metro B station – Binario 3 at **** 8:25 a.m.****

Monuments: late Republican city walls, Baths of Neptune, Fire Brigade, Theater, Piazzale delle Corporazioni, Bakery on via dei Molini, Forum, Forum Baths, the Round Temple, Temple of Hercules, Caseggiato degli Aurighi, Garden Houses, Christian basilica, Mithreum of Felicissimus, Fuller’s Shop

Readings: www.ostia-antica.org for individual monuments; Stambaugh Ch. 9-10 and 18

7 (June 13) Imperial Rome I: Decline and Revitalization from Tiberius to Domitian

MP: Metro B Colosseo

Monuments: Palace of Tiberius, Nero’s Golden House, Temple of Divine Claudius, Flavian Palace, Arch of Titus, Colosseum, Temple (Forum) of Peace, Forum of Nerva

Readings: Claridge monuments; Stambaugh Ch. 5; Stamper Ch. 9

8 (June 15) Imperial Rome II: the New Architecture under Trajan and Hadrian

MP: Metro B Colosseo

Monuments: Temple of Venus and Rome, Forum and Markets of Trajan (including Column), Baths of Trajan, Pantheon

Readings: Claridge monuments; Stamper Ch. 10-11

TEST 2 (on sessions 4 - 7)

9 (June 20) Imperial Rome III: Antonine and Severan Dynasties

MP: in front of Pantheon

Monuments: Temple of Divine Hadrian, Column of Marcus Aurelius, Arch of Septimius Severus, Arch of the Argentarii, Baths of Caracalla

Readings: Claridge monuments; Stamper Ch. 12; relevant parts Ramage and Ramage Ch. 8-9

TERM PAPER IS DUE

10 (June 22) Toward a New Rome: Soldier Emperors to Constantine

MP: Center of Capitoline Hill

Monuments: Temple of Saturn revisited, Basilica of Maxentius, Arch of Constantine, Church of San Clemente

Readings: Claridge monuments; relevant parts Ramage and Ramage Ch. 10-12

FINAL EXAM (June 24, Friday): JCU campus, date and time T.B.A.