Students

AHIS2225 – Rome and the Caesars

2022 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ray Laurence
ray.laurence@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email or Via iLearn Page Contact Staff
B122 Arts Precinct
Lecturer
Peter Keegan
peter.j.keegan@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Tutor
Loren Demol
loren.demol@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Tutor
Ewan Coopey
ewan.coopey@mq.edu.au
Contact via Email
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
AHIX2225 Rome and the Caesars
Unit description Unit description

Rome and the Caesars focuses on the political and institutional history from the murder of Julius Caesar (44 BC) to the First Tetrarchy (284-305 CE). Students will study how the lives and policies of Roman emperors affected those living in the Roman empire. Training will be provided in the study of literature, coins, inscriptions and archaeological evidence.

Important Academic Dates

Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  • ULO1: illustrate a broad knowledge of historical developments, research principles and discipline specific methodologies for the study of Roman imperial history
  • ULO2: devise arguments and solve problems relating to Roman imperial history.
  • ULO3: present a clear and coherent, evidence based exposition of knowledge and ideas about Rome and the Caesars

General Assessment Information

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline.

Extensions for the submission for assessed work need to be submitted online (convenors and tutors are not permitted to grant you an extension). The link to locate relevant information and to request Special Consideration can be found via this link Special Consideration - Eligibility | MQ Sydney  

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Rome and the Caesars Blog 50% No 11:59 pm 05/06/2022
Portfolio of Ancient Sources with Historical Commentary 50% No 11:59pm 15/05/2022

Rome and the Caesars Blog

Assessment Type 1: Non-academic writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 38 hours
Due: 11:59 pm 05/06/2022
Weighting: 50%

 

The blog is your second and final assessment item. You will develop your own blog based on a topic (or topics) studied in the unit, or alternatively develop a blog that is of personal interest.

Your blog will illustrate a broad knowledge of historical developments, research principles and discipline-specific methodologies for the study of Roman imperial history.

Your blog should include an examination and critical evaluation of historical data, showing initiative and judgement.

It should also demonstrate competency in devising and sustaining an argument or arguments to present a clear and coherent, evidence-based exposition of knowledge and ideas about Rome and the Caesars.

Your blog should communicate academic subject matter relating to Rome and the Caesars, but will be written so that members of the public would find the material accessible and be able, after reading the blog to discover further information on the topic (via references, hyperlinks, etc.).

We would anticipate that you would need to spend 38 hours on this piece of work over the whole teaching session.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • illustrate a broad knowledge of historical developments, research principles and discipline specific methodologies for the study of Roman imperial history
  • devise arguments and solve problems relating to Roman imperial history.
  • present a clear and coherent, evidence based exposition of knowledge and ideas about Rome and the Caesars

Portfolio of Ancient Sources with Historical Commentary

Assessment Type 1: Portfolio
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: 11:59pm 15/05/2022
Weighting: 50%

 

When preparing for your tutorials/online forums each week, you will study ancient sources and review lecture slides. Following tutorial/online forum discussion, you will compile a selection of sources to illustrate and support a key area of learning for your study of Rome and the Caesars.

In addition you will provide a detailed reflection as to why each source selected is important for your understanding of Rome and the Caesars. Your portfolio should include sources that show how initiatives taken by emperors or historical events affected the lives of people within the Roman Empire.

The final portfolio submitted for assessment should demonstrate (1) a broad knowledge of historical developments, research principles, and discipline-specific methodologies for the study of Roman imperial history, as well as (2) a focus on the examination and critical evaluation of historical data, reflecting your initiative, judgement and competency in selecting sources to display the key themes of the study of Rome and the Caesars. The portfolio is developed from work students undertake in the tutorial or on-line forum. Following each tutorial/on-line forum students are encouraged to spend 2 hours writing up their findings to develop the portfolio. In addition, the portfolio will need finessing for submission involving a further 18 hours of study.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • illustrate a broad knowledge of historical developments, research principles and discipline specific methodologies for the study of Roman imperial history
  • devise arguments and solve problems relating to Roman imperial history.

1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:

  • the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
  • the Writing Centre for academic skills support.

2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation

Delivery and Resources

 

Each week, delivery will be as follows - all details are on iLearn and all readings are available via the Leganto Reading list.

1)  Pre-Reading - each week you need to read key entries (e.g. Caligula) from the Encyclopaedia of Ancient History to gain knowledge of chronology

2) Listen/watch recorded lecture by Professor Peter Keegan

3) Listen/Watch recorded lecture by Professor Ray Laurence

4) Participate  a) If on campus, in a tutorial b) If an external student, via an online discussion forum  

Unit Schedule

Week

Pre-Reading

Lecture 1 – Peter Keegan

Lecture 2 – Ray Laurence

Tutorial/online forum

Assessment

1

The Plebs, Roman Slavery, the Senate

Res Publica: Constitution – Polybius to Augustus

Empires in History Postcolonial Perspectives on R Empire

Introduction – how do we see empires today?

Calm before the storm.  Time for reflection and for considering personal interests.  

2

Civil Wars

Fighting for Caesar Citizens and Soldiers: Land & Veterans

The City for the Plebs? The Roman Forum

Polybius Book 6

3

Julius Caesar

Augustan Institutions for the Plebs: vici, vigiles, regions, fleet, Annona, etc

Building a City of Marble: Augustan Rome

Plutarch Life of Julius Caesar

4

ADOBE PORTFOLIO TRAINING

Suetonius Life of Augustus

Begin Building Portfolio

5

Augustus

Myth Making: The Res Gestae

“Propaganda” and the City of Rome

Res Gestae

 

6

Tiberius

Soldiers as the Emperors’ Stakeholders: Praetorians, Legionaries & Auxiliaries

The Army and the Navy: Recruitment, Veterans, and a Separate Community

Tacitus Annals on Mutiny

 

7

Caligula, Claudius, Nero

Tyranny and the People: Aqueducts, Games, Food Supply

The Imperial Court & Imperial Slaves

Suetonius Life of Nero

 

8

Vespasian, Titus and Domitian

Soldier Emperors: Flavian Military Triumphs

Rome after the Fire of 64 CE

Martial De Spectaculis

 

9

Trajan and Hadrian

Security: Frontiers and Fortifications

The Renewal of Italy & of Empire: Alimenta, renewal of Italy and infrastructure

Vindolanda Tablets

 

10

Roman Coins

Hadrianic Coinage (Ken S)

An Empire of Cities from North Africa to Britain to Turkey and Syria

No Tute/online forum

Complete Portfolio

11

Marcus Aurelius & Commodus

Philosophies of Empire

Migration and Human Mobility

Blog Discussion

 

12

Septimus Severus & Caracalla

Citizenship for all! Laws for the people?  

Religion and the City of Rome – the Severans

Blog Discussion

 

13

3rd c. crisis

3rd century crisis – did it affect the people?

Re-setting the empire – the Tetrarchy

No tute/online forum

Complete Blog

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/student-conduct

Results

Results published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

IT Help

For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/. 

When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.

Changes from Previous Offering

This new version of this unit has been developed to create content that focuses on the impact of the Caesars on the lives of people living in the Roman Empire. In so doing, it moves away from the traditional chronological narrative focused on the emperor, his family, and the elite (this can be easily accessed via the Encyclopaedia of Ancient History).  The assessment has also changed from the traditional format of Essay and Examination to the development of a Portfolio of Relevant Primary Sources (drawing on content from the tutorials/online forum in particular) and a Blog drawing on topic/s covered in the Lectures and tutorials. To deliver the assessment we will be using Adobe Portfolio (licences for the software will be provided to students).