Undergraduate Course: The Emperor in the Late Roman World (ANHI10026)
Course Outline
| School |
School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College |
College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Course type |
Standard |
Availability |
Available to all students |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) |
SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Credits |
20 |
| Home subject area |
Ancient History |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None
|
Taught in Gaelic? |
No |
| Course description |
Roman emperors possessed and were seen to possess extraordinary personal power. But with a massive empire which took months to cross, and distant and varied subordinates with their own ambitions and agendas, emperors' room for action was always constrained and their personal survival often under threat. In the later Roman Empire (284-565), the presentation of the emperor became ever more grandiose, distant, and semi-divine; a vast and burgeoning bureaucratic state arose, and imperial patronage flowed through new channels, most notably Christian bishops. This course will look both at the individuals associated with these great changes, from Diocletian and Constantine through to Justinian, via characters like the pagan reactionary Julian and the teenage puppet Honorius; we will examine the developing elites of the period; we will look at what difference Christianity made, and at how subjects, great and humble, perceived and were expected to perceive the emperor. |
Entry Requirements
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites |
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| Prohibited Combinations |
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Other requirements |
None
|
| Additional Costs |
None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites |
None |
| Displayed in Visiting Students Prospectus? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On completion of the course, students will have gained, and will be able to express in writing in their assessed essay and examination, as well as orally in class discussion
- An understanding of the place of the emperors in the Roman empire of the late third to sixth centuries.
- An understanding of the changing perceptions of emperors in the period and the sources, literary and material, though which they are perceived.
- An understanding of the government of the late Roman state, the role of elites, and the effects of Christianisation.
- An understanding of trends within modern historical writing on Late Antiquity.
- an ability to use critically a variety of different methodologies and approaches to the subject.
- bibliographical research skills, for essays on subjects not taught directly.
Transferable Skills:
- written skills and oral communication skills,
- analytical skills,
- ability to recognise and focus on important aspects of a wide-ranging subject and to select specific examples,
- ability to produce a concise summary.
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Assessment Information
60% - Degree Exam (of 2 hours);
40% - Continuous Assessment (essay). |
Special Arrangements
| In order for a student from outwith Classics to be enrolled, contact must be made with a Course Secretary on 50 3580 in order for approval to be obtained. |
Additional Information
| Academic description |
Not entered |
| Syllabus |
Not entered |
| Transferable skills |
Not entered |
| Reading list |
Not entered |
| Study Abroad |
Not entered |
| Study Pattern |
Not entered |
| Keywords |
Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Gavin Kelly
Tel: (0131 6)50 3581
Email: Gavin.Kelly@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Ms Elaine Hutchison
Tel: (0131 6)50 3582
Email: E.Hutchison@ed.ac.uk |
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