Spring, 2002
Unique Number: 39775
MWF 10-11, UTC 4.120
Timothy Moore, WAG 211, 471-5742,
timmoore@mail.utexas.edu
Office hours: MW 2-4 and by appointment (or drop by)
The ancient Romans have not only been an incomparable influence on the modern world through their ideas and accomplishments, but modern perceptions of the Romans have had a profound effect on such varied areas as moral philosophy, political science, literature, and popular culture. This course will examine concepts of "Romanness" from antiquity through the contemporary world. The first third of the course will be dedicated to the Romans' own concepts of themselves, the second two thirds to views of ancient Rome held since the Renaissance. Among the topics discussed will be Roman and modern concepts of virtue, stereotypes of Roman "decadence," the role of Rome in theater, film, and television, and Roman influence on the political movements of the modern world.
This course has no prerequisites, and no previous knowledge of Roman history is required.
Grading:
Class participation (includes announced and unannounced quizzes,
and formal and informal oral reports): 20%
Midterm exam: 15%
Final exam: 20%
Paper (20 page minimum): 45%
Books (these works are also on reserve in PCL):
Addison, Cato
Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (abridged
version)
Livy, The Early History of Rome
Machiavelli, The Discourses
Montesquieu, Considerations on the Causes of the Greatness of
the Romans and Their Decline
Petronius, Satyricon
Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire
Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra, Coriolanus, Julius
Caesar
Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome
A word to the wise
Please note the importance of class participation in your grade.
This means that you will be richly rewarded for consistent attendance
and preparation, but repeated absences and/or lack of preparation for
class will cost you dearly. If you miss classes or do not prepare
before class each day, you will not do well in this course. Quizzes,
announced and unannounced, will be given if deemed necessary.
Scholastic dishonesty
Scholastic dishonesty on any graded assignment will result in a
failing grade (Zero), which you may not drop. Scholastic dishonesty
includes any kind of cheating; if you are unsure about the exact
definition you should consult the appropriate sections of "A
Student's Guide to Living in the Heart of Texas" or the General
Information Bulletin.
Academic disabilities
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request
appropriate academic accommodations for qualified students with
disabilities. For more information, contact the Office of the Dean of
Students at 471-6259 or 471-4641.
Late work
Papers will be lowered one letter grade for each week one of the
component parts (topic, source list, outline, final paper) is late.
January
14 Introduction
I. The Central Paradigm: Rise and Fall
16 Montesquieu, Considerations on the Greatness of the Romans
and Their Decline, pp. 23-82
18 Montesquieu, Considerations on the Greatness of the Romans and
Their Decline, pp. 83-127
21 Montesquieu, Considerations on the Greatness of the Romans and
Their Decline, pp. 128-183
II. Ancient images of Rome and the Romans
23 Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire, pp. 302-338
25 Polybius, The Rise of the Roman Empire, pp. 338-352
28 Livy, The Early History of Rome, pp. 105-144
30 Livy, The Early History of Rome, pp. 144-180
Feb.
1 Livy, The Early History of Rome, pp. 341-377
4 Livy, The Early History of Rome, pp. 378-402
6 Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, pp. 31-42, 198-227
8 Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, pp. 231-283; paper
topic due
11 Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, pp. 284-286,
312-319, 360-397
13 Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, pp. 360-397
15 Petronius, Satyricon, chapters 26-78
18 Petronius, Satyricon, chapters 79-142
II. Modern images of Rome and the Romans
A. Machiavelli and Gibbon
20 Machiavelli, The Discourses, pp. 97-142
22 Machiavelli, The Discourses, pp. 265-303
25 Machiavelli, The Discourses, pp. 459-502
27 Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, pp.
27-84
March
1 Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, pp. 85-112
4 Gibbon, The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, pp.
585-630
6 Review
8 Midterm exam
11-15: Spring Break
B. Rome on stage
18 Shakespeare, Coriolanus; list of sources for paper
due
20 Shakespeare, Coriolanus
22 Shakespeare, Julius Caesar
25 Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra
27 Shakespeare, Antony and Cleopatra
29 Addison, Cato
C. Rome and modern politics
April
1 Addison, Cato
3 The American and French Revolutions: Peter Bondanella, The
Eternal City: Roman Images in the Modern World, pp. 115-151 (on
reserve, CB 245 B64 1987 PCL)
5 Annual
Meeting of the Classical Meeting of the Middle West and South,
Law School: Papers on Rome in the Modern World
8 The American and French Revolutions: Study some uses of Rome as
an example in Madison, The Federalist Papers (on reserve, JK 154
1961D PCL, and on line at
http://name.umdl.umich.edu/AHM4038);
outline of paper due
10: 19th-Century Britain and America: Lew Wallace, Ben-Hur, A
Tale of the Christ (on reserve, PS 3134 B4 1880A PCL), Book 2
12: 19th-Century Britain and America: Read a portion of Sir C.P.
Lucas, Greater Rome and Greater Britain (on reserve, 942.008
L962G PCL
15 Mussolini's Italy: Peter Bondanella, The Eternal City: Roman Images in the Modern World, pp. 172-206 (on reserve)
D. Rome on screen
15 Classic Hollywood: Assignment to be announced
17 Fellini: Assignment to be announced
19 Comedy: Assignment to be announced
22 TBA
24 Reports on term papers
26 Reports on term papers
29: Reports on term papers
May
1: Reports on term papers
3: Reports on term papers; term papers due
Wednesday, May 8, 2:00 PM: Final exam
Also on reserve in PCL
Gilbert Highet The Classical Tradition ( Oxford ,1949)
809 H537C 1949 PCL
Richard Jenkyns (ed.), The Legacy of Rome: A New Appraisal
(Oxford, 1992 ) DG 77 L44 1992 Classics
Sandra R. Joshel, Margaret Malamud, and Donald T. McGuire , edd.,
Imperial Projections : Ancient Rome in Modern Popular Culture
(Baltimore, 2001).
Jon Solomon, The Ancient World in the Cinema (New Haven, 2001)
PN 1995.9 H5 S6 2001 PCL
Maria Wyke, Projecting the Past : Ancient Rome, Cinema, and
History (New York, 1997) PN 1995.9 H5 W95 1997 PCL