CAH1014 : The Roman world from Romulus to Heraclius: history and culture from 753 BC to AD 641
- Offered for Year: 2020/21
- Module Leader(s): Dr Micaela Langellotti
- Lecturer: Dr Don Miller, Professor Federico Santangelo, Dr Simon Corcoran
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
Aims
The aim of this module is to provide students with a broad overview of Roman history from its origins to the Arab conquests in order to give a grasp of chronology and of important themes and problems across the centuries.
The module will focus on key issues, including Rome’s expansion and decline, and cultural transformations in the Mediterranean world.
Outline Of Syllabus
This module explores the following key themes and periods:
• the origins of Rome and the problems of using later tradition.
• the development of the early Republic and the struggle of the orders.
• Rome’s expansion in Italy and the Mediterranean: conquest and settlement.
• the fall of the Roman Republic and the Augustan settlement.
• the Hellenisation of Rome and the Romanisation of the Mediterranean.
• the Principate from the ‘golden age’ to crisis (AD I-III).
• Christianisation of the empire.
• the fall of Rome and the rise of Constantinople.
• neighbours of empire from Germans to Persians.
• the ‘end of antiquity’.
Teaching Methods
Please note that module leaders are reviewing the module teaching and assessment methods for Semester 2 modules, in light of the Covid-19 restrictions. There may also be a few further changes to Semester 1 modules. Final information will be available by the end of August 2020 in for Semester 1 modules and the end of October 2020 for Semester 2 modules.
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Structured Guided Learning | Lecture materials | 18 | 1:00 | 18:00 | Short recordings of lecture material, totalling 2 hours per week |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 30 | 1:00 | 30:00 | Assessment preparation |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | 1 hour per week seminar discussions |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 9 | 2:00 | 18:00 | 2 hours per week preparation for seminar discussion |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | Weekly 1 hour lecture reading (1 essential article) |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured non-synchronous discussion | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | Online discussion boards on a question or ancient source related to the weekly topic |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Drop-in/surgery | 9 | 1:00 | 9:00 | Synchronous online drop-in Q&A sessions |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 98 | 1:00 | 98:00 | Student research activity related to the topics introduced each week (e.g. reading lists) |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lecture materials will provide students with core knowledge and approaches which will then be applied in the seminars in an interactive manner, by making use of key primary sources and modern scholarship.
Assessment Methods
Please note that module leaders are reviewing the module teaching and assessment methods for Semester 2 modules, in light of the Covid-19 restrictions. There may also be a few further changes to Semester 1 modules. Final information will be available by the end of August 2020 in for Semester 1 modules and the end of October 2020 for Semester 2 modules.
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Written exercise | 1 | M | 40 | 1,500-word written assignment: 1) a commentary on a text or image (500 words) and 2) an essay (1,000 words) |
| Written exercise | 1 | A | 60 | 2,000-word written assignment: 1) a commentary on a text or image (500 words) and 2) an essay (1,500 words) |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The two written assignments, which have the same format but are weighted differently (40% and 60%), test the students' ability to analyse an ancient source (part 1: commentary) and to engage in depth with key primary evidence and modern scholarship and construct a reasoned argument on the basis of these (part 2: essay).
The first assessment tests students on topics covered in Weeks 2-5 (from the monarchy to the end of the Republic). The second assessment tests students on topics covered in Weeks 6-9 (from the Principate to Late Antiquity).
All Erasmus students at Newcastle University are expected to do the same assessment as students registered for a degree.
Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. This will take the form of an alternative assessment, as outlined in the formats below:
Modules assessed by Coursework and Exam:
The normal alternative form of assessment for all semester 1 non-EU study abroad students will be one essay in addition to the other coursework assessment (the length of the essay should be adjusted in order to comply with the assessment tariff); to be submitted no later than 12pm Friday of week 12. The essays should be set so as to assure coverage of the course content to date.
Modules assessed by Exam only:
The normal alternative form of assessment for all semester 1 non-EU study abroad students will be two 2,000 word written exercises; to be submitted no later than 12pm Friday of week 12. The essays should be set so as to assure coverage of the course content to date.
Modules assessed by Coursework only:
All semester 1 non-EU study abroad students will be expected to complete the standard assessment for the module; to be submitted no later than 12pm Friday of week 12. The essays should be set so as to assure coverage of the course content to date.
Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending the whole academic year or semester 2 are required to complete the standard assessment as set out in the MOF under all circumstances
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- CAH1014's Timetable