Undergraduate Course: Religion in the Roman Provinces: The Case of Christianity (ANHI10065)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course will explore multi-valent imperial Roman religion of the 1st through 3rd centuries through the lens of Christianity. Students will approach the 'rise of Christianity' not from the perspective of Christianity's later triumph but from its original grounding in the wider religious world of the Roman provinces. Early Christianity itself will be revealed to be not the monolithic institution later church historians suggest, but a diverse collection of local communities in the provinces jostling for position and resources alongside countless other cults and associations. The persons, ideas, and developments of these early 'Christianities' will be defamiliarised by placing them within the traditions, mores and stereotypes of the Roman provinces. Beginning from the Roman religious 'market-place', students will look, for example, at Roman attitudes to religious behaviour (including civic cults, philosophical groups, mystery cults, magic and the unique place of Judaism), the role of women in ancient religion, Roman 'toleration' and 'persecution' of minority groups, and the mechanisms of religious communication and spread in antiquity. Students will not only gain fresh perspective on the nature of early Christianity and its development, but on recent developments in scholarship on Roman religion and provincial management. |
| Course description |
Not entered
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Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting 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. |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of the course, students should be able to demonstrate through group discussion, coursework and the written examination that they have acquired the following specific academic competences:
- knowledge and informed understanding of the nature of religion and religious practice in the Roman provinces;
- knowledge and informed understanding of the nature of earliest Christianity, its origins and its diversity;
- an appreciation of the range of historical, literary, archaeological, architectural and art historical evidence pertinent to the question of Roman religion, and how this diversity allows us to approach topics from multiple angles;
- an appreciation of the importance of investigating the nature and origins of ancient evidence and the ability to critically assess it;
- knowledge and informed understanding of a range of secondary scholarship relating to early Christianity and its wider Roman context, including seminal studies of the last century and cutting edge research;
- an appreciation of how to read, judge and use this secondary scholarship in relation to the primary evidence;
- an ability to develop and sustain coherent intellectual argument.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Special Arrangements |
In order for a student from outwith Classics to be enrolled on this course, contact must be made with a Course Secretary on 50 3582/3580 in order for approval to be obtained. |
| Keywords | Roman Religion Christianity |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr James Corke-Webster
Tel: (0131 6)50 3579
Email: James.Corke-Webster@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Ms Elaine Hutchison
Tel: (0131 6)50 3582
Email: E.Hutchison@ed.ac.uk |
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