Dr. Margaret Erskine
Office: Room 114, Watson Hall
Phone: (613) 533-6000, ext. 78571
Email: erskinem@queensu.ca  
Office Hours:Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 

Your TA is your first point of contact.  Please only email Dr. Erskine if your question CANNOT be answered by your TA.

Class Schedule

Mondays 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM
Wednesdays 2:30 PM - 4:00 PM
Location: Dunning Hall Auditorium

Teaching Assistants:

A-G
Clare Barker - c.barker@queensu.ca br
Wednesdays 9:30 AM 0 10:30 AM
504 Watson Hall 

H-O
Nicholas Borek - 4nb5@queensu.ca

P-Z
Sean Fenlon - 3spf1@queensu.ca
br Wednesdays 1:30 PM - 2:30 PM
504 Watson Hall  

**NOTE: For email enquiries, please email the TA assigned to your surname. You are, however, welcome to attend any of the TA's office hours to ask questions in person.

Course Description

A survey of the basic political, social and economic developments in ancient Rome from Monarchy to Republic to Empire.  This course will focus on important events and major individuals in Roman history, with particular emphasis placed on the late Republican and early Imperial periods from the mid-second century BC to at least the death of Hadrian in AD 138.

N.B.: This course is acceptable for degree credit towards a concentration in History.
Taken in conjunction with CLST 200*, this course provides a full-year's credit for Classics and History Majors. This course is not open to students in first year.

---

Texts

• Required Text:
  • M. T. Boatwright, D. J. Gargola, R. J. A. Talbert, A Brief History of the Romans. Oxford 2006. ISBN 0-19-518715-6
• Recommended Sources
  • Plutarch, Fall of the Roman Republic, tr. Rex Warner, rev. ed.  Penguin Classics 1981.  ISBN 0-14-044934-5.
  • Suetonius, The Twelve Caesars, tr. Robert Graves, rev. ed.  Penguin Classics 1979.  ISBN 0-14-044921-3.
  • Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome, tr. Michael Grant, rev. ed.  Penguin Classics 1996.  ISBN 0-14-044060-7.

All of the above are paperbacks in the Penguin series. They are all available in the library. Theses sources, and others, will be discussed in class.

Evaluation

• 2 Tests - 60%
  • Test #1: Wednesday, January 30 - 30%
  • Test #2: Wednesday, March 6 - 30%

• Final Examination (April 2013) - 40%

Please note that alternative arrangements for missed tests or the exam will only be made where there is evidence of a valid medical certificate or similar documentation.

Grading Methodology

All components of this course will receive numerical percentage marks.  The final grade you receive for the course will be derived by converting your numerical course average to a letter grade according to Queen’s Official Grade Conversion Scale:

                                          Queen’s Official Grade Conversion Scale

Website

If necessary, additional information for this course will be posted on the CLST 201 Moodle course page.

Tentative Lecture Schedule and Reading Assignments

Week	Lecture Topics	Readings
1 Jan. 7-9	Introduction; The Foundations of Early Rome; The Rise of the Roman State from Monarchy to Republic; The Roman Political System	Boatwright Chapters 1-2
2 Jan. 14-16	The Struggle of the Orders; Roman Expansion and Dominance in Italy	Boatwright Chapters 2-3
3 Jan. 21-23	The Punic Wars; Roman Dominance of the Mediterranean; Roman Imperialism; Roman Provincial Administration	Boatwright Chapter 4
4 Jan 28-30	The Gracchi Wednesday, January 30 - 1st TEST - 30%	Boatwright Chapter 5
5 Feb. 4-6	Optimates  vs.  Populares; The Rise of Marius; The Social War; The Rise of Sulla	Boatwright Chapters 6-7 Plutarch: Life of Marius, Life of Sulla
6 Feb 11-13	The Rise of Pompey; Crassus; Caesar; The Catilinarian Conspiracy and Cicero's Consulship (63 BC)	Boatwright Chapter 7 Plutarch:Life of Pompey, Life of Crassus, Life of Cicero
February 18-22 - READING WEEK - No classes!
7 Feb. 25-27	The Rise of Julius Caesar; The First Triumvirate (Pompey, Crassus and Caesar) (60 BC); Caesar Crosses the Rubicon; Civil War (49-45 BC); The Battle of Pharsalus (48 BC); The Murder of Pompey; Caesar as Dictator; The Assassination of Caesar on the Ides of March, 44 BC	Boatwright Chapter 8 Plutarch: Life of Caesar Suetonius: Life of Julius Caesar
8 Mar. 4-6	The Rise of Antony; The Rise of Octavian; The Second Triumvirate (Octavian, Antony and Lepidus) (43 BC); The Battle of Philippi (42 BC); Antony and Cleopatra; The Battle of Actium (31 BC); The Suicide of Antony; The End of the Roman Republic Wednesday, March 6 - 2nd TEST - 30%	Boatwright Chapter 9 Plutarch: Life of Mark Antony
9 Mar. 11-13	The Roman Empire: The Principate of Augustus; The First Settlement (27 BC); Res Publica Restituta; The Second Settlement (23 BC); Territorial Expansion and Provincial Administration; The Augustan Peace (Pax Augusta); The Death of Augustus (AD 14); The Succession Problem	Boatwright Chapter 9 Suetonius: Life of Augustus
10 Mar. 18-20	The Julio-Claudian Emperors: The Principate of Tiberius (AD 14-37); The Principate of Gaius (Caligula) (AD 37-41); The Principate of Claudius (AD 41-54); The Principate of Nero (AD 54-68); The Imperial Cult	Boatwright Chapter 10 Suetonius: Life of Tiberius, Life of Gaius (Caligula), Life of Claudius, Life of Nero. Tacitus: Annals
11 Mar. 25-27	Crisis and Civil War (AD 68-69); The Year of the Four Emperors (AD 69): Galba, Otho, Vitellius and Vespasian; The Flavian Emperors: The Principate of Vespasian (AD 69-79); The Principate of Titus (AD 79-81); The Principate of Domitian (AD 81-96)	Boatwright Chapters 10-11 Suetonius: Life of Galba, Life of Otho, Life of Vitellius, Life of Vespasian, Life of Titus, Life of Domitian
12 Apr. 1-3	The Principate of Nerva (AD 96-98); The Principate of Trajan (AD 98-117); Christianity and the Roman Empire; The Principate of Hadrian (AD 117-138)	Boatwright Chapters 11-12

Electronic Devices in the Classroom

The Department of Classics believes that maintaining an atmosphere of respect and consideration in the classroom is an important part of the pursuit of free intellectual enquiry. The use of electronic devices in the classroom can be disruptive to both the instructor and to other students, and thus we are introducing guidelines on their use. These guidelines will follow the procedure explained in Section 14 of the Student Code of Conduct and are in force starting January 2011:

1. Non-course related use of electronic devices (e.g. playing games, watching movies, social networking and texting), including smartphones, tablets and laptops, is regarded by the Department of Classics as disruptive pursuant to Section 14 of the Student Code of Conduct. The use of these devices may be restricted at the discretion of the instructor;
2. In some courses in CLST, LATN or GREK laptops may not be permitted. You will be told in class by your instructor if this is the case. If the use of laptops is permitted, please understand that their use is restricted to note-taking;
3. The use of recording devices for lectures is not allowed unless you have requested and been given the express permission of the instructor of the course.

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is constituted by the five core fundamental values of honesty, trust, fairness, respect and responsibility (see  www.academicintegrity.org). These values are central to the building, nurturing and sustaining of an academic community in which all members of the community will thrive. Adherence to the values expressed through academic integrity forms a foundation for the "freedom of inquiry and exchange of ideas" essential to the intellectual life of the University (see the Senate  Report on Principles and Priorities)

Students are responsible for familiarizing themselves with the regulations concerning academic integrity and for ensuring that their assignments conform to the principles of academic integrity. Information on academic integrity is available in the Arts and Science Calendar (see  Academic Regulations), on the Arts and Science website and from the instructor of this course.

Departures from academic integrity include plagiarism, use of unauthorized materials, facilitation, forgery and falsification, and are antithetical to the development of an academic community at Queen's. Given the seriousness of these matters, actions which contravene the regulation on academic integrity carry sanctions that can range from a warning or the loss of grades on an assignment to the failure of a course to a requirement to withdraw from the university.

Download the  Statement on Academic Integrity for Inclusion in Course Syllabi and Assignments  [PDF]

Copyright

The material on this website is copyrighted and is for the sole use of students registered in CLST 201. The material on this website may be downloaded for a registered student’s personal use, but shall not be distributed or disseminated to anyone other than students registered in CLST 201.  Failure to abide by these conditions is a breach of copyright, and may also constitute a breach of academic integrity under the University Senate’s Academic Integrity Policy Statement.

This page was last updated 29  January, 2013.