Postgraduate Course: Judaea under Roman Rule (PGHC11469)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course tackles the history of Judaea under Roman rule, concentrating on the period from Pompey's conquest of the East in 63 BCE until the immediate aftermath of the momentous events of 70 CE. Students will become acquainted with various aspects of the history of the region - social, economic, cultural and religious - through close study of a range of sources (including literary, numismatic and epigraphic). |
| Course description |
In 70 CE, the Temple to the Jewish God in Jerusalem was destroyed by the Romans, never to be rebuilt. This came at the end of a war that began in 66 CE, at around the time of the momentous events in Rome that led to the rise of the Flavians. Indeed, this victory became vitally important to the new dynasty in Rome, who capitalized on its import to justify the new regime. But what led to the rebellion in the first place? The history of Roman-Jewish relations prior to this point appears far from a catalogue of antipathy and conflict and the reasons for such a dramatic eruption of violence remain a point of contention today.
This course tackles the history of Judaea under Roman rule, concentrating on the period from Pompey's conquest of the East in 63 BCE until the momentous events of 70 CE, when the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed, never to be rebuilt. Students will become acquainted with various aspects of the history of the region: social, economic, cultural and religious. A range of evidence will be employed, including archaeological, literary (in a range of genres), numismatic and epigraphic, in order that students may gain a full understanding of the complex history of Judaea under Roman rule.
This course is co-taught with Professor Helen Bond in the School of Divinity.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
163 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
5000 word essay (100%) |
| Feedback |
Students will receive immediate feedback throughout the course in class during discussions, and on their class presentations; feedforward will be offered on written coursework. Students will also receive written feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate, by way of coursework and class participation, an in-depth, detailed and critical command of a range of sources relevant to Roman Judaea;
- demonstrate an ability to analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship, primary source materials, and conceptual approaches considered in the course both in the classes and seminar discussion, and in the coursework-assessment;
- demonstrate an ability to understand and apply specialised research or professional skills, techniques and practices to the variety of variety of primary source material considered in the course (texts of different genres; archaeological evidence; numismatics; epigraphy);
- demonstrate, by way of seminar performance and coursework the ability to develop and sustain original scholarly arguments in oral and written form, by independently formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence considered in the course;
- demonstrate originality and independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others; and a considerable degree of autonomy.
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Reading List
Berlin, A. and J. Overman (edd.). 2002. The First Jewish Revolt: Archaeology, History and Ideology. New York.
Edmondson, J., S. Mason, and J. Rives (edd.). 2005. Flavius Josephus and Flavian Rome. Oxford.
Goodman, M. 1987. The Ruling Class of Judea: The Origins of the Jewish Revolt against Rome AD 66-70. Cambridge.
Mason, S. 2016. A History of the Jewish War, AD 66-74. New York.
Mason S. (ed.) 1998. Understanding Josephus: Seven Perspectives. Sheffield.
Millar, F. 1993. The Roman Near East, 31 B.C.-A.D. 337. Cambridge, MA.
Rajak, T. 1983. Josephus: The Historian and His Society. London.
Richardson, P. 1996. Herod: King of the Jews and Friend of the Romans. Columbia.
Schäfer, P. 2003. The History of the Jews in the Greco-Roman World. Revised Edition. London.
Taylor, J. ed. 2015. Jesus and Brian. Exploring the Historical Jesus and his Times via Monty Python's Life of Brian. London. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
In addition to course specific skills, students will acquire:
- Enhancement of written and oral communication skills
- Refinement of observational skills
- Ability to research defined topics independently
- Library research skills
- Visual memory skills
- Presentational skills
- Analytical skills relating to analysis of primary and secondary evidence |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Kimberley Czajkowski
Tel: (0131 6)50 9110
Email: |
Course secretary | Mrs Lindsay Scott
Tel: (0131 6)50 9948
Email: |
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