Undergraduate Course: Paganism and Christianity in the Roman Empire (CACA10007)
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 |
Classical Art/Classical Archaeology |
Other subject area |
None |
| Course website |
None |
|
|
| Course description |
The Roman Empire, stretching from Britain and the Atlantic coast of Gaul and the Iberian peninsula in the west to eastern Anatolia, the Syrian desert and Egypt in the east, was arguably the most cosmopolitan state the western world had ever seen. This is reflected in the astonishing diversity of divine powers venerated within the Empire, ranging from the classical pantheon to Oriental deities and the natives gods and godesses of the western provinces and from divine powers in human guise to sacred animals. Religious sites included urban temples as well as pilgrimage centres and healing sanctuaries in remote locations as well as sacred springs, trees and mountains. With few exceptions (such as Christianity, Druidism and Manichaeism), the individual had almost unlimited freedom of choice. It was also mainly within the Empire that Christianity grew from a persecuted minority cult to a world religion, a development which has shaped history to the present day. Religion in the Roman Empire can help us to understand the modern world, both because important developments originated then and because the cosmopolitan nature of Roman religion provides a useful analogy for our own time. |
Entry Requirements
| Pre-requisites |
|
Co-requisites |
|
| Prohibited Combinations |
|
Other requirements |
A Pass in a 1st or 2nd Level Classical Archaeology course, or equivalent experience at the course organiser's discretion.
|
| Additional Costs |
None |
Course Delivery Information
|
| Delivery period: 2010/11 Semester 1, Available to all students (SV1)
|
WebCT enabled: No |
Quota: None |
| Location |
Activity |
Description |
Weeks |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
| Central | Lecture | | 1-11 | | | | 16:10 - 18:00 | |
| First Class |
First class information not currently available |
Summary of Intended Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this course students should be able to demonstrate in written examinations and in course work
- knowledge of major deities, cults, religions, types of sanctuaries and rituals within the Roman world;
- knowledge of important religious developments in the area of the Empire between the late Republic and Late Antiquity;
- an awareness of some significant regional differences in the religion of various parts of the Roman world;
- the ability to use critically a variety of different categories of material and written evidence to reconstruct religious phenomena;
- bibliographical research skills to be able to find independently additional information on Roman religion in its wider context.
They should in addition be able to
- express clearly ideas and arguments in writing
- gather and analyse material independently on a given topic and organise it into a coherent piece of work
- deal independently with a complex body of information
- recognise and focus on important aspects of a complex subject, select specific examples and produce a concise summary
|
Assessment Information
One essay (40%); one (2-hour) degree examination (60%).
Visiting Student Variant Assessment
One essay (30%); one take-home examination (70%). |
| Please see Visiting Student Prospectus website for Visiting Student Assessment information |
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. |
Contacts
| Course organiser |
Dr Eberhard Sauer
Tel: (0131 6)50 3587
Email: eberhard.sauer@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary |
Ms Elaine Hutchison
Tel: (0131 6)50 3582
Email: E.Hutchison@ed.ac.uk |
|
copyright 2010 The University of Edinburgh -
1 September 2010 5:39 am
|
University Homepage