Compulsory attendance
Yes.
Admission requirements
Admission to the RMA-programme.
SAP and Exchange Students: BA degree. Admission only after formal application.
Description
This course provides the student with a critical reconsideration of the character and development of Roman colonisation, colonialism and imperialism from its earliest stages to the Imperial Period.
Often portrayed as the victory of civilisation over barbarians, Roman expansion has been intimately linked to urbanisation and centralisation processes, esp. in the western Mediterranean and the north-western provinces. During this course, we will analyse the actual archaeological evidence for this view as well as the formation of this image in modern Roman studies.
By studying different kinds of archaeological evidence (e.g. for warfare, urbanism, architecture, trade, socio-political organisation, monetarisation, modes of food production), students are expected to build their own case-study combining practical archaeological sources with textual evidence and theoretical debates.
These case-studies will provide a good platform to explore a number of interesting issues, putting the traditional image of the development of Roman imperialism to the test, and, eventually, developing new hypotheses.
Course objectives
Knowledge of the development of Roman society in a long-term perspective, esp. the Archaic and Roman Republican/ Hellenistic period in the wider setting of urbanisation and state formation processes in the Mediterranean and Europe in the 1st millennium BC;
Insight in current theoretical models on ancient colonialism and imperialism;
Ability to select and process archaeological data and to demonstrate their relevance to current theoretical debates on Roman colonisation;
Ability to present original research in a scientific manner.
Ects distribution
The course load will be distributed as follows:
Lectures (1 ects);
Presentation, essay and literature (4 ects).
Timetable
Course schedule details can be found in the MA time schedule.
Mode of instruction
Lectures;
Reading of relevant books/articles;
Individual assignments/presentations;
Discussion on the basis of the assignments.
Assessment method
Active participation in the discussions;
Reading of the assigned literature;
Quality of the written assignments and presentations.
Assessment deadline
The assignments need to have been handed in by the beginning of the next block.
Reading list
The reading list will be posted on Blackboard before the start of the course.
Registration
Register for this course via uSis.
Instructions for registration can be found in the uSis manual.
Exchange and Study Abroad students, please see the Prospective students website for information on how to apply.
Contact information
For more information about this course, please contact dr T.D. Stek.