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DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2023/2024

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Ancient History

Undergraduate Course: Studying Ancient History 3 (ANHI10069)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryRomans overseas: Roman diaspora communities throughout the Mediterranean in the republican period and beyond

This course explores the nature and consequences of the early presence of Italian and Roman citizen settlers outside the Italian peninsula, attested throughout the Mediterranean from the second century BCE onward. In many cases, Romans who moved overseas on their own initiative formed distinct associations in their new places of residence. These associations not only facilitated economic activities between Italy and the rest of the Mediterranean by forming durable trade networks, but also enabled their members to create and express their Roman identity, e.g. through cultural and religious practices, in a variety of non-Roman environments.
Course description What did it mean for local communities to encompass Roman citizen settlers? How did these Romans style themselves and create their own "expat" identity, and how was this perceived locally? To what extent and in what ways were they different from other diaspora communities, e.g. the Jews?

By thinking of these and similar questions, the students will be introduced to republican history from an inward rather than outward perspective, focusing on the periphery and exploring the implications of this phenomenon locally is expected to contribute to more nuanced considerations concerning the broader question of Rome's expansion between the late republic and the early empire.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites It is RECOMMENDED that students have passed Ancient History 2a: Past and Present in the Ancient World (ANHI08014) AND Ancient History 2b: Themes and Theories in Ancient History (ANHI08013)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements A pass in 'Ancient History 2a, Past and Present in the Ancient World' [ANHI08014] AND in 'Ancient History 2b, Themes and Theories in Ancient History' [ANHI08013], is normally required; or at the discretion of the Course Organiser.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesVisiting students should usually have at least 3 courses in Classics related subject matter (at least 2 of which should be in Ancient History) at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this) for entry to this course. We will only consider University/College level courses.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate the following learning outcomes in coursework and class discussion: a familiarity with a range of evidence - esp. literary, epigraphic, archaeological - for the study of the course topic;
  2. demonstrate the following learning outcomes in coursework and class discussion: the ability to engage critically with the both the relevant ancient evidence and the modern debate
  3. demonstrate the following learning outcomes in coursework and class discussion: an understanding of the different modern approaches to the study of the course topic and the topic's interrelatedness with the study of other topics in ancient history.
  4. demonstrate the following learning outcomes in coursework and class discussion: the ability to conduct a sustained individual inquiry into a particular aspect of the course topic (in the coursework essay);
  5. demonstrate the following learning outcomes in coursework and class discussion: an ability to relate the studied topic to its occurrence in different periods and geographies.
Reading List
There is no predetermined reading list because the bibliography will change with each outing of the course depending on the chosen course topic. A number of seminal methodological and source-oriented studies will be utilised on a regular basis, but they are not a good reflection of the thematic course bibliography:
R.S. Bagnall, Reading Papyri, Writing Ancient History. London and NY, 1995
J. Bodel, Epigraphic Evidence: Ancient History from Inscriptions. London, NY 2001
M.H. Crawford (ed.), Sources for Ancient History Cambridge, 1984
C. W. Hedrick, Ancient History: Monuments and Documents. Oxford, 2006
K. Hopkins, 'Rules of evidence', JRS 68 (1978), 178-86
C. Howgego, Ancient History from Coins. London and NY. 1995
M.I. Finley, Ancient History: Evidence and Models London, 1985
C. Pelling, Literary Texts and the Greek Historian, London and NY, 1999
D.S. Potter, Literary Texts and the Roman Historian. London and New York, 1999
O.F. Robinson, The Sources of Roman Law: Problems and Method for Ancient Historians. London and NY, 1996
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills In addition to the ILOs listed above that contain already some transferable skills (such as the capacity to compare cognate yet complex materials), students who successfully complete the course will also gain:
- an enhancement of critical skills in reading and debate through engagement with alternative approaches and ideas;
- an improvement of skills in conducting research and writing essays;
- an ability to work in and with a team;
- verbal communication skills, esp. through class discussion and oral presentations/contributions.
KeywordsStudying Ancient History 3
Contacts
Course organiser Course secretaryMiss Sara Dennison
Tel: (0131 6)50 2501
Email:
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