THE UNIVERSITY of EDINBURGH

DEGREE REGULATIONS & PROGRAMMES OF STUDY 2021/2022

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DRPS : Course Catalogue : School of History, Classics and Archaeology : Postgraduate (History, Classics and Archaeology)

Postgraduate Course: The Jewish Diaspora under the Roman Empire (PGHC11473)

Course Outline
SchoolSchool of History, Classics and Archaeology CollegeCollege of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences
Credit level (Normal year taken)SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) AvailabilityAvailable to all students
SCQF Credits20 ECTS Credits10
SummaryThis 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.
Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
Pre-requisites Co-requisites
Prohibited Combinations Students MUST NOT also be taking The Jewish Diaspora under the Roman Empire (ANHI10084)
Other requirements None
Information for Visiting Students
Pre-requisitesNone
High Demand Course? Yes
Course Delivery Information
Not being delivered
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
  1. demonstrate in seminar discussion and the course essay a detailed and critical command of the sources for the Jewish diaspora under the Roman Empire
  2. 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
  3. 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
  4. 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.
  5. 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).
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
KeywordsNot entered
Contacts
Course organiserDr Kimberley Czajkowski
Tel: (0131 6)50 9110
Email: k.czajkowski@ed.ac.uk
Course secretaryMs Cristina Roman
Tel: (0131 6)50 4577
Email: Cristina.Roman@ed.ac.uk
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