Postgraduate Course: The Jewish Diaspora under the Roman Empire (PGHC11473)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will explore the history of the Jewish diaspora under Rome up to c. 450 C.E. Students will learn to handle a wide range of sources, including pagan, Jewish and Christian literature, inscriptions, papyri and archaeological material. Students will consider the position and lives of Jews as a case study for the impact of empire on subject communities. They will also evaluate the extent to which we can use this particular case as a representative example |
| Course description |
Roman imperial rulers had to deal with the very different backgrounds of their various subjects, and provincials in turn adapted or resisted the coming of Rome in a variety of ways. The situation of Jews outside of their Judaean homeland is a particularly fascinating case in point within this broader picture. Jewish communities were spread very widely across the empire, meaning that many Jews lived side by side with their pagan and later their Christian neighbours. What was the extent and nature of the impact of this on their identity? The course will cover the sources and history of the Jewish diaspora under Rome up to c. 450 C.E., considering both the eastern and western empire, as well as the community in Rome itself. Students will consider the position and lives of Jews as a case study for the impact of empire on subject communities, but will also evaluate the extent to which we can indeed use this particular case as a representative example. Regional case studies will provide an in-depth knowledge of particular areas, though students be expected to master a wide range of sources from across the empire: pagan, Jewish and Christian literature, inscriptions, papyri and archaeological material.
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- demonstrate in seminar discussion and the course essay a detailed and critical command of the sources for the Jewish diaspora under the Roman Empire
- demonstrate in seminar discussion and the course essay an ability to analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship concerning the Jewish diaspora, and critically consider how this relates to the experiences of other subject communities within the Roman Empire
- demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain original scholarly arguments in oral and written form in seminar discussions and the course essay by independently formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence considered in the course
- demonstrate in seminar discussions and the course essay originality and independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers; and a considerable degree of autonomy.
- demonstrate in seminar discussions and the course essay an ability to understand and apply specialised research, techniques and practices for a range of different types of source material (e.g. papyrological, epigraphic, literary).
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Reading List
J.M.G. Barclay, Jews in the Mediterranean Diaspora: from Alexander to Trajan (323 BCE-117 C.E.) (1996)
J.M.G. Barclay (ed.), Negotiating Diaspora: Jewish Strategies in the Roman Empire (2004)
M. Goodman (ed.), Jews in a Graeco-Roman World (1998)
E. Gruen, Diaspora: Jews amidst the Greeks and Romans (2002)
T. Rajak, The Jewish Dialogue with Greece and Rome (2000)
J. Lieu, J. North, T. Rajak (eds.), Jews among Pagans and Christians in the Roman Empire (1992) |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Kimberley Czajkowski
Tel: (0131 6)50 9110
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Cristina Roman
Tel: (0131 6)50 4577
Email: |
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