HIST 334
Roman Civilization (EU) (WI)
1. Catalog Entry
HIST 334
Roman Civilization (EU) (WI)
Credit hours (3)
Prerequisite: Three hours of HIST at 100 level
A study of the political, socio-economic, and cultural development of ancient Rome
and the Mediterranean world from their archaic roots to about AD 500 that places the
Roman world in the larger context of the Ancient Near East and Mediterranean world.
Note(s): Humanistic or Artistic Expression designated course. Students who have already received
credit for HIST 308 cannot also receive credit for HIST 334.
2. Detailed Description of Course
1) Introduction: The Significance of Roman Civilization
2) Archaic Italy and Early Rome
a. Legends, Myths, Livy, and Archaeology
b. The Roman Monarchy
3) Early Roman Republic
a. State and Constitution
b. Society and Economy
c. Expansion in Italy
4) The Republic Builds an Empire
a. Punic Wars
b. The Hellenistic East
c. Conquest and Integration of the Hellenistic States
d. Roman Government and Polybius
5) Crisis in the Late Republic
a. Social and Economic Transformations
b. Gracchi Brothers
c. Rise of Marius
d. Social War
e. Rise of Sulla
6) The Roman East and the Parthian Persian Empire
7) Roman Revolution
a. The First Triumvirate and Julius Caesar
b. The Second Triumvirate and Octavian
c. Augustus and the Principate
8) Early Roman Empire and the Pax Romana
a. Emperors and Suetonius
b. Good Emperors
c. Society and Culture
d. Culture and Religion
e. Greece and Britain under Roman Rule
f. Persian Revival: The Sassanid Dynasty
g. Crisis of the Third Century
9) Late Roman Empire
a. Diocletian and the Dominate
b. Constantine and Christian Rome
c. Empire Divided
d. Germanic People
e. Decline
10) Late Antiquity and the Roman Legacy
3. Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The class meets three hours per week. The course is taught primarily using a lecture
format and includes time dedicated to the discussion of sources and further elaboration
of themes introduced in lectures and readings. Students are required to read extensively
from textbooks and material distributed in class. Class discussion of assigned material
is an important element of the course.
4. Goals and Objectives of the Course
Having successfully completed this course, students will be able to:
1) Students will practice thinking critically and analytically about historical
issues, acquire a broader knowledge and deeper understanding of
pertinent historical events and processes, and cultivate a familiarity with
the concepts of historical argument and interpretation.
2) Students will develop disciplinary research skills by designing strategies
to locate and analyze primary and secondary source evidence,
processing and organizing the resultant data, and composing proper citation
and bibliographical entries.
3) Students will apply their critical thinking, research, and compositional skills
to the creation and presentation of thesis driven essays that discuss,
for example, historical social, economic, political, and/or cultural developments
and that address issues such as the causes and consequences of
historical change and continuity.
4) Students will study the Roman world and other cultures of the classical Mediterranean
in order to develop an awareness of the complexity of
historical development. In particular, students will demonstrate an understanding
of the multicultural nature of the ancient Mediterranean world
that nourished 鈥淕reco-Roman鈥� civilization and that civilization鈥檚 legacy.
5. Assessment Measures
Knowledge and understanding of the material covered in this course will be measured
using an array of assessment tools that may include, among other things, class attendance
and participation, written examinations, formal writing assignments of various types,
and informal writing assignments. All exercises are designed to expand the student's
ability to evaluate historical events and to develop his or her ability to compose
persuasive arguments.
6. Other Course Information
None.
Review and Approval
April 23, 2014
March 01, 2021