THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

Information in the Degree Programme Tables may still be subject to change in response to Covid-19

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Classical Art/Classical Archaeology

Undergraduate Course: Roman Art and Archaeology (CACA08011)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 8 (Year 2 Undergraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis course focuses on the material culture of the Roman world from the early history of Rome through to the early Christian period (c. 8th century BC - 4th century AD). The lectures will examine different strands of the art and archaeology of this period, exploring what these reveal about contemporary society and culture, urban and rural life, religious practices, death and burial, visual display, domestic life, the negotiation of status and power, warfare, and interactions between groups within and beyond the Roman empire.
Course description This course focuses on the material culture of the Roman world from the early history of Rome through to the early Christian period (c. 8th century BC - 4th century AD). The lectures will examine different strands of the art and archaeology of this period, exploring what these reveal about contemporary society and culture, urban and rural life, religious practices, death and burial, visual display, domestic life, the negotiation of status and power, warfare, and interactions between groups within and beyond the Roman empire. Emphasis will be placed on considering the potential and limitations of the archaeological record and its role in elucidating patterns of change and heterogeneity across time and space, from the city of Rome to the most distant reaches of Roman influence.

A typical lecture schedule for the course will look as follows:
W1: Early Italy and Rome
W2: The City of Rome
W3: Roman Architecture
W4: Imperial monuments: art and ideology
W5: Art in the private sphere
W6: Urbanization and civic life
W7: Death and burial
W8: The Roman countryside
W9: Trade and the economy
W10: Frontiers and the military
W11: The view from the provinces
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Students MUST have passed: The Roman World 1A: The Rise of Rome (CLGE08003) OR The Roman World 1B: The Roman Empire (CLGE08004)
Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Other requirements A pass in any first level course achieved no later than August of the previous academic year.
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone.
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Academic year 2021/22, Available to all students (SV1) Quota:  68
Course Start Semester 2
Timetable Timetable
Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) Total Hours: 200 ( Lecture Hours 22, Seminar/Tutorial Hours 8, Feedback/Feedforward Hours 1, Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4, Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours 165 )
Assessment (Further Info) Written Exam 50 %, Coursework 50 %, Practical Exam 0 %
Additional Information (Assessment) Coursework: 2,500 word written assignment (30%)
Image Commentaries (20%)
Exam: 2 hour paper (50%)
Feedback - A formative session on the slide test and practice slide test will be held in advance of the test.
- Detailed feedback will be provided on the slide test itself.
- Detailed written feedback will be given to all students when the course assignment is returned.
- The lecturer will be available to answer questions by email or to meet students individually during designated office hours to discuss their assignments and any questions they have.
No Exam Information
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate a sound knowledge of the subject considered in the course;
  2. assimilate a variety of sources and formulate critical opinions on them;
  3. research, structure and complete written work of a specified length, or within a specified time;
  4. organise their own learning, manage their workload, and work to a timetable.
Reading List
Alcock, S.E. ed. (1997), The Early Roman Empire in the East, Oxford.
Alcock, S.E. and Osborne, R. eds (2012), Classical Archaeology (Blackwell Studies in Global Archaeology), 2nd edition, Oxford.
Blagg, T.F.C. and Millett, M. eds (1990), The Early Roman Empire in the West, Oxford.
Collis, J. (2001), Digging up the Past, An Introduction to Archaeological Excavation, Stroud.
Coulston, J. and Dodge, H. eds (2000), Ancient Rome: Archaeology of the Eternal City, Oxford.
De Rose Evans, J. ed. (2010), A Companion to the Archaeology of the Roman Republic, Malden, MA, 97-109.
Greene, K. (1986), The Archaeology of the Roman Economy, London.
Henig, M. ed. (1983), A Handbook of Roman Art, London.
Holloway, R.R. (1994), Archaeology of Early Rome and Latium, London and New York.
Laurence, R. (2012), Roman Archaeology for Historians (Approaching the Ancient World), London.
Stewart, P. (2008), The Social History of Roman Art, Cambridge.
Ward-Perkins, J.B. (1981), Roman Imperial Architecture, Harmondsworth.
Additional Information
Graduate Attributes and Skills In addition to the ILOs below 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 organise complex arguments and draw these together into a coherent conclusion
- organisational skills enabling them to structure their own learning, manage their workload and work to a timetable.
KeywordsRoman,Art,Archaeology
Contacts
Course organiserDr Benjamin Russell
Tel:
Email: Ben.Russell@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMrs Ksenia Gorlatova
Tel: (0131 6)50 8349
Email: Ksenia.Gorlatova@ed.ac.uk
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