Course Details in 2025/26 Session

Module Title	LI Republican and Imperial Rome
School	History and Cultures
Department	Classics, AH and Archaeology
Module Code	09 36038
Module Lead	Gareth Sears
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 2
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-20 hours Guided independent study-180 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	This module will examine Roman society from the last century of the Roman Republic to the third century AD – the time when the Roman empire was at its height, when huge building projects expressed the wealth and confidence and when one could travel from northern Britain to Iraq without leaving Roman control.A central question will be how the Roman political system coped with the effects of having become the dominant power in the Mediterranean, and the internal, social strains which intensified as a result. The module will also examine the power structures of the empire: the state under Augustus; imperial rule – Caligula, Nero, and Hadrian; imperial women; imperialism and conquest; and imperial cult. Students will gain a thorough grounding in the primary sources for this period (including the writings of Cicero, Caesar and Plutarch, Pliny the Younger, Tacitus and Suetonius, as well as other material, including epigraphical and archaeological evidence where appropriate)
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Demonstrate knowledge of the course of Roman history from the 1st century BCE to the 3rd century CE; Understand the aims of ancient historians and the advantages and disadvantages of different types of evidence; Research discrete elements of the Roman world and particularly the problems of the source material; Present their research through assessed essays.
Assessment	36038-01 : 3000 Word Essay : Coursework (100%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 3,000-word coursework (100%) Reassessment: Resubmission of failed component(s)
Other
Reading List