CLAS 1003 - Introduction to Ancient Greek and Roman History

North Terrace Campus - Semester 1 - 2019

This introduces students to key aspects and events in ancient Greek and Roman history. We recommend that students take this before CLAS 1004, The Ancient World Through Film, but it is possible to do either by itself. Historical studies can explore many different aspects of the past: political, economic, social and cultural. In this course, we focus on the different ways in which Greeks and Romans shaped their private lives and public world. This theme provides a conduit through which we can explore in detail significant aspects of ancient Greece and Rome whilst at the same time acquiring some broad overviews of their political systems and history. The first half of this course will explore the development of city-states in sixth and fifth century BC Greece. How did these affect the concept of state-identity and philosophical notions of the ideal citizen? The second half of the course will explore key concepts of political and social life in the Republican and Imperial periods of Rome. Here we contrast the different values given to public 'dignitas' (prestige through public office) and private 'otium' (luxurious leisure). Other important aspects concern social and political networking, and the public spectacle, such as gladiatorial combats and chariot races, which became highly politicised in the Empire and exploited by emperors. This course is not available with exemptions from lecture or tutorial attendance.

  • General Course Information
    Course Details
    Course Code CLAS 1003
    Course Introduction to Ancient Greek and Roman History
    Coordinating Unit Classics, Archaeology and Ancient History
    Term Semester 1
    Level Undergraduate
    Location/s North Terrace Campus
    Units 3
    Contact Up to 3 hours per week
    Available for Study Abroad and Exchange Y
    Course Description This introduces students to key aspects and events in ancient Greek and Roman history. We recommend that students take this before CLAS 1004, The Ancient World Through Film, but it is possible to do either by itself. Historical studies can explore many different aspects of the past: political, economic, social and cultural. In this course, we focus on the different ways in which Greeks and Romans shaped their private lives and public world. This theme provides a conduit through which we can explore in detail significant aspects of ancient Greece and Rome whilst at the same time acquiring some broad overviews of their political systems and history. The first half of this course will explore the development of city-states in sixth and fifth century BC Greece. How did these affect the concept of state-identity and philosophical notions of the ideal citizen? The second half of the course will explore key concepts of political and social life in the Republican and Imperial periods of Rome. Here we contrast the different values given to public 'dignitas' (prestige through public office) and private 'otium' (luxurious leisure). Other important aspects concern social and political networking, and the public spectacle, such as gladiatorial combats and chariot races, which became highly politicised in the Empire and exploited by emperors. This course is not available with exemptions from lecture or tutorial attendance.
    Course Staff

    Course Coordinator: Dr Margaret O'Hea

    Classics staff who contribute to this course:

    Dr Margaret O'Hea
    Prof. Han Baltussen

    There may also be other tutors in this course. More details, and contact information, will be available on MyUni at the start of the teaching semester.
    Course Timetable

    The full timetable of all activities for this course can be accessed from Course Planner.

  • Learning Outcomes
    Course Learning Outcomes
    On successful completion of this course, students will be able to:
    1 Demonstrate familiarity with core features of Classical Athenian cultural history 
    2 Demonstrate an historical understanding of the cultural and social tensions between increasingly-defined "public" and "private' spheres in democratic Athens (5th-4th centuries BC);
    3 Demonstrate an historical understanding of key episodes of Roman cultural and political history;
    4 Demonstrate an ability to evaluate the usefulness and relevance of different types of historical or textual evidence;
    5 Demonstrate an ability to construct a well-developed argument based on fragmentary historical and archaeological evidence;
    6 Demonstrate knowledge of the scholarly techniques of presenting your written work.

    University Graduate Attributes

    This course will provide students with an opportunity to develop the Graduate Attribute(s) specified below:

    University Graduate Attribute Course Learning Outcome(s)
    Deep discipline knowledge
    • informed and infused by cutting edge research, scaffolded throughout their program of studies
    • acquired from personal interaction with research active educators, from year 1
    • accredited or validated against national or international standards (for relevant programs)
    1, 2, 3, 4, 5
    Critical thinking and problem solving
    • steeped in research methods and rigor
    • based on empirical evidence and the scientific approach to knowledge development
    • demonstrated through appropriate and relevant assessment
    4, 5
    Teamwork and communication skills
    • developed from, with, and via the SGDE
    • honed through assessment and practice throughout the program of studies
    • encouraged and valued in all aspects of learning
    5, 6
    Career and leadership readiness
    • technology savvy
    • professional and, where relevant, fully accredited
    • forward thinking and well informed
    • tested and validated by work based experiences
    4, 5, 6
    Intercultural and ethical competency
    • adept at operating in other cultures
    • comfortable with different nationalities and social contexts
    • able to determine and contribute to desirable social outcomes
    • demonstrated by study abroad or with an understanding of indigenous knowledges
    1, 2, 3
    Self-awareness and emotional intelligence
    • a capacity for self-reflection and a willingness to engage in self-appraisal
    • open to objective and constructive feedback from supervisors and peers
    • able to negotiate difficult social situations, defuse conflict and engage positively in purposeful debate
    5, 6
  • Learning Resources
    Required Resources

    There is no required textbook for this course: readings will be available in MyUni from the BSL (library).
    Recommended Resources
    N/A
    Online Learning
    The online lectures provide background to the material being studied in class, both in the weekly "flipped class" (for all students) and in the tutorial programme. It is very important that students keep up with their online viewing and note-taking from these online lectures. Do not leave them to the end of semester.

    Weekly readings for the tutorial programme will be accessed online. A "brick" (of printed-out readings) is not available for this course.

    Students can download the tutorial programme, which lists the tutorial topics and readings, week by week, from MyUni or buy it as a Course booklet from the university's online shop at the start of semester. This booklet also includes guides to writing your assignments in the Dept of Classics, Archaeology and Ancient History, and a summary of your assessment.

    All this material, and more, will all be on MyUni.
  • Learning & Teaching Activities
    Learning & Teaching Modes
    For each week in semester, there will be:
    • One or two prerecorded lectures per week. They must be viewed at least once in order for students to access the rest of the material in each week's module.*
    • one 50 min."flipped classroom" attended by all students. This will not be recorded, so students must attend. The topics for each week are designed to benefit students by relating to the tutorial programme. Regular attendance is required.
    For Weeks 1-6 and 8-11, there will also be one tutorial per week.
    Students are given a choice of times to enrol for a tutorial group (around 20 students per class) and regular attendance is required. Online reading material for the weekly tutorial topic will be available at the start of semester, but the discussion of that topic will be in class, not online.

    * For students who want to see the full schedule of tutorials and reading list, that can be downloaded from the first "Introductory Material module".
    Workload

    The information below is provided as a guide to assist students in engaging appropriately with the course requirements.

    WORKLOAD
    Type Overall Hours Average per week
    Flipped classroom & tutorials 24 2
    Viewing online lectures 24 2
    Private reading 54 4.5
    Written work 42 3.5
    Revision 12 1
    total 156 13
    Learning Activities Summary
    The full program will be available on MyUni at the start of semester.
    Specific Course Requirements
    Although the lectures are fully online, this is emphatically a hands-on course that requires regular attendance at the flipped classroom and tutorials.
    Small Group Discovery Experience
    The weekly Tuesday "lecture" timeslot will vary in format from week to week, but some will include forming small groups and analysing a primary source that is provided to you in the class. You will be asked to work together, and discuss your findings to the rest of the class.
  • Assessment

    The University's policy on Assessment for Coursework Programs is based on the following four principles:

    1. Assessment must encourage and reinforce learning.
    2. Assessment must enable robust and fair judgements about student performance.
    3. Assessment practices must be fair and equitable to students and give them the opportunity to demonstrate what they have learned.
    4. Assessment must maintain academic standards.

    Assessment Summary
    Assessment Task Task Type Due Weighting Learning Outcome
    Short assignment (ca 750-800 words) Formative
    & summative

    tba

    10% 1-6
    1500-1600 word tutorial paper 1 Formative and Summative

    within first half of semester

    20% 1-6
    1500-1600 word tutorial paper 2 Formative and Summative within second half of semester 30% 1-6
    2-hour formal exam Summative University Exam period 50% 1-6
    For the tutorial papers, students must choose one Greek topic and one Roman topic. The due date is the Monday of the week when this will be discussed in class. Although not graded, all students who write on a topic will be expected to start of the informal discussion at that tutorial.
    Assessment Related Requirements
    Regular attendance at tutorials and the weekly general class/flipped clasroom is necessary for the successful completion of this course, because the compulsory end-of-semester exam covers all the course material, including the non-recorded discussions in the Tuesday flipped classroom and the weekly tutorial meetings.  You will be required to answer at least one question in the exam that is not based on your two tutorial papers.
    Assessment Detail
    Critique  The point of this exercise is to show that you have read and understood three secondary readings on a particular tutorial topic, and that you can use the Harvard Citation and Bibliography system as provided to you on MyUni for this course.It
    is both quantitatively and qualitatively different from a tutorial  paper.  More details will be provided in the first week's tutorial - ensure that you attend!

    Tutorial papers  You must submit two tutorial papers, each 1500-1600 words in length, and each on one of these tutorial
    topics.  There are ten weeks of tutorials, and so 10 topics from which to choose.  These fall into two sections: Greek and Roman. You must: 
    a.  Write your 1st tutorial paper on a Greek topic chosen from Weeks 3-6
    b.  Write your 2nd tutorial paper on a Roman topic chosen from Weeks 8-12 

    Both papers must be in essay format, although they are shorter and so slightly less detailed than an essay. You must use the reading list provided for the topic that you are writing up, which will usually include both ancient sources and modern secondary works. If you wish to go into more detail, use the reading lists (bibliographies) provided by those modern works to go further. You will submit the tutorial paper  by 11.59 pm on the Monday of the week when that topic is discussed in your tutorial class. More details will be available in MyUni for this course.

    2-hour formal exam  This exam is held in the University's formal exam period. All the answers are in essay form (no multiple-choice questions).   More information will be available in MyUni.
    • NB:   You, and you alone, must find out your exam dates and times from the University’s Exams website. Don’t rely on a friend. If they get it wrong, so you do and there are no alternative arrangements for missing an exam because you mistook the date, time or venue.
    •  Don’t book a holidaythat falls within the exam timetable, including the supplementary (replacement) exam period. That will be 40% of your final mark down the drain, because we will not provide an alternative date foryour convenience.
    • Supplementary exams are for people who submit the appropriate application form, along with documentary evidence within 5 working days of the exam to the Faculty Office - not to your tutor or course coordinator - on convincing medical or compassionate grounds. Those who get a mark between 45-49% overall also automatically get a supp. offer, provided that they have submitted all three written assignments.
    • We do not offer take-home exams, or any alternative assessment to the formal written exam. This is non-negotiable.
    Submission
    The critique and both tutorial papers are to be submitted online, in MyUni for this course.

    Late submission:   A flat -2% per day applies if you submit after the due date and time without prior approval of an extension.
    For example, say you receive the mark of 16/20 for your first tutorial paper, but it was submitted 7 days late. Your mark 16/20 = 80%; -2% x 7 days = -14%, so your adjusted, penalised mark would be 80-14 = 66%, or 13.2/20. 

    Papers that are more than 7 days late are not marked, and a score of 0 will be entered.

    Asking for an Extension:
    Use the MACA form which can be accessed from here - follow the instructions, but submit directly to the Faculty Office either via email
    or in person.  Valid reasons for being granted an extension are given on the form - other due assignments, minor respiratory ailments, or work clashes are  not among them.
    The submission must be in advance of the due date, within normal business hours and during the working week (so, not Sunday at 11.30 pm). If granted, a standard extension will normally be between 3-5 days, with longer extensions only in extenuating circumstances (for example, hospitalisation). In the case of a paper due in the last week of semester, note that the university policy is that extensions cannot extend beyond the last day of teaching in the semester. 

    Disability Access Plans If you have an Access Plan, you must notify each and every course coordinator about it, at the start of each and every semester. Ensure that you fully understand what is possible and not possible, as far as extensions go. Note that exemptions from regular attendance at tutorials (up to 20 students) and the flipped classroom (the full cohort) is not possible for this course. Note, too, that there is a compulsory end-of-semester 2-hour exam, for which there are no alternative forms of assessment. Having an Access Plan  does not grant automatic rights to an extension. They  must be applied for in the designated way before the due date for the assignment.  In addition, if you have an Access Plan, but need an extension on different medical grounds then you should submit the MACA form in the normal way. Consult with your Liaison Office if you have any queries.
    Course Grading

    Grades for your performance in this course will be awarded in accordance with the following scheme:

    M10 (Coursework Mark Scheme)
    Grade Mark Description
    FNS   Fail No Submission
    F 1-49 Fail
    P 50-64 Pass
    C 65-74 Credit
    D 75-84 Distinction
    HD 85-100 High Distinction
    CN   Continuing
    NFE   No Formal Examination
    RP   Result Pending

    Further details of the grades/results can be obtained from Examinations.

    Grade Descriptors are available which provide a general guide to the standard of work that is expected at each grade level. More information at Assessment for Coursework Programs.

    Final results for this course will be made available through Access Adelaide.

  • Student Feedback

    The University places a high priority on approaches to learning and teaching that enhance the student experience. Feedback is sought from students in a variety of ways including on-going engagement with staff, the use of online discussion boards and the use of Student Experience of Learning and Teaching (SELT) surveys as well as GOS surveys and Program reviews.

    SELTs are an important source of information to inform individual teaching practice, decisions about teaching duties, and course and program curriculum design. They enable the University to assess how effectively its learning environments and teaching practices facilitate student engagement and learning outcomes. Under the current SELT Policy (http://www.adelaide.edu.au/policies/101/) course SELTs are mandated and must be conducted at the conclusion of each term/semester/trimester for every course offering. Feedback on issues raised through course SELT surveys is made available to enrolled students through various resources (e.g. MyUni). In addition aggregated course SELT data is available.

    The course will make use of SELT for course and teacher evaluation.
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  • Policies & Guidelines
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