ROMAN HISTORY

The course is one of the core educational activities characterizing the Master’s Degree Programme in Humanities.
It has the purpose to guarantee to the students the advanced knowledge of historical processes and of the methodology of research in a historic environment through the study of a central topic in ancient Rome history. It intends to guarantee the acquisition of these abilities: sketch out a scientific research and be able to hand the results over through the public history and the scientific communication. The students will develop research and didactical skills in the subject and acquire skills as critical approach during the evaluation of information and news, and understanding of events and cultural processes crucial in the constitution of the occidental identity.
The reachment of these goals assures to the student the cultural, disciplinary, methodological knowledge to insert in the world of work in didactical, cultural, divulgation and communication-linked field suitable with his itinerary of the academic studies.

Attending the course and the seminar and practicing individual study allow students to acquire specific knowledge: the methodology of historical reconstruction, the deep knowledge of fundamental events of Roman history. Will make students acquire these cognitive abilities: applying the historical research methodology with particular focus on the exegesis of different kinds of ancient sources functional to the reconstruction of ancient Rome history and on critical analysis of modern bibliography; be able to reconstruct historical processes through reserach itinerary. Will make students acquire these practical abilities: sketch out a scientific research and be able to hand the results over through the public history and the scientific communication selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time, know how to deal with team work. The students will have acquired these skills: know how to interpret historical processes; know how to employ a critical approach toward the information sources; interpret correctly the origin of customs of Roman age that survived in contemporay age.

Students should already have attended a BA level Roman history course. Foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand.

Through a ample introduction and an exemplification made by the teacher and a presentation result of students’s teamwork, the course will examine the subjet: Against the princeps: conspiracy and dissent in the Augustan Rome.
The course will overview the conspiracy against Augustus on the basis of three perspectives: the reasons, the organization and the objectives of the opponents; the ways and the consequences of the princeps’s reaction; the manners of conservation of memory of these events in the historiography of the consensus and of the voices of opponents.

All foreign students are invited to contact the course tutor beforehand in order to discuss their study programmes for individual assessment.

The evaluation is based on three parts: the check of knowledge on the course contents through an oral examination on topics of the course and on topics developed on texts recommanded in the bibliography; during the same oral test the check of knowledge on contents explained by other students; during seminar, the oral exposition of brief personal research about a case of dissent during Augustan age (substituted for non attending students by extra lectures).
Through these exam the teacher verifies:
1) knowledge: acquisition of fundamental concepts and scientific lexicon of the subject and the methodology of historical research;
2) cognitive abilities: the application of the methodology of historical research with particular focus on the use of sources and on critical approach on bibliography; the ability of analysis of historical processes; practical abilities: communicative abilities, for the public history and scientific communication (selecting the contents, the ways of communication, the time, know how to deal with team work)
3) skills: capability to analyze reality and information.
Each category of examination is judged according to a scale of thirty points, and the final mark is the result of the average of the points earned for each examination.

Classes will be conducted as seminars, so that all students will have the opportunity to participate in class presentations. A specific research topic will be assigned to each participant. Ancient sources and further readings that will help students prepare their presentation will be provided in class.

Italian

Students who attend this course will be entitled to take part to the seminar activities, stages and training courses organised by the Roman History and Classics faculty during the two terms (the calendar of activities will be provided in class and on the Ca' Foscari website).

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