This course intends to enlarge the vision and to deepen the analytical and critical ability of students through the learning of events that led to the rise and fall of the ancient Rome.

In order to reach this goal, the teacher will introduce first the general political history and then texts related to the deeds of the emperors Augustus and Tiberius and the significance of the archaeological findings in Ostia Antica and Pompeii.

Students will also learn by the participation of 3 flipped classrooms to interpret both texts and archaeological findings in historical environment and through the light of their minds in the present era. Their learning will be further consolidated by writing a term paper.

Course Outline

Session One: 10 Jan.

Introduction to Ancient Rome

Session Two: 17 Jan.

Lecture on The Roman Republic (510 BC – 23 BC)

Session Three: 24 Jan.

Lecture on The Roman Empire (23 BC – 476 AD)

UNIT ONE

Session Four: 31 Jan.

Lecture on Res Gestae Divi Augusti (63BC – 14AD)

Session Five: 07 Feb.

Lecture on Ara Pacis Augustae (consecrated in 9 BC)

Session Six: 14 Feb.

Flipped classroom One
Readings for group A
(14:30-17:15 at Digital Scholarship Lab, University Library)
Theme: Augustus, the divine?
– significance and perspective in history and at present
– interpretation and judgment

21 Feb. Chinese New Year Holiday

UNIT TWO

Session Seven: 28 Feb.

Lecture on Tiberius – the beginning of the end
deadline for endorsing topics of the final paper

Session Eight: 07 Mar.

Lecture on Villa Jovis – Capri

Session Nine: 14 Mar.

Flipped classroom Two:
Readings for group B
(14:30-17:15 at Digital Scholarship Lab, University Library)
Theme: Tiberius, the inhuman?
– significance and perspective in history and at present
– interpretation and judgment

UNIT THREE

Session Ten: 21 Mar.

Lecture on an ancient port of Rome – Ostia Antica

Session Eleven: 28 Mar.

Lecture on an ancient Roman resort town – Pompeii

04 Apr. Reading week

Session Twelve: 11 Apr.

Flipped classroom Three:
Readings for group A + B
(14:30-17:15 at Digital Scholarship Lab, University Library)
Theme: The Roman way of living, a civilized one?
– significance and perspective in history and at present
– interpretation and judgment

Session Thirteen: 18 Apr.

presentations: (14:30-17:15 at Digital Scholarship Lab, University Library)

ASSIGNMENT
– Reading report (about 2,000 words) before 31 January on one of the books from the “Reading Material” below.
– Final paper (about 5,000 words) before 11 April on a topic endorsed by the teacher.

ASSESSMENT
10% : attendance
15% : reading report
30% : flipped classroom and presentation (6% x 5)
45% : final paper

GRADE DESCRIPTORS

Reading material :

• 1) Outlines of Roman History by William C. Morey, 1901.
  (for the use of high schools and academies)
• 2) The History of Rome (Book V. Chapter 8-11) by Theodor Mommsen
  (original “Roemische Geschichte” published in 1854-56, which was specifically cited when Mommsen was awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1902.)

Reference material

Video resources

Honesty in academic work

Declaration to be attached to assignments (VeriGuide)

请注意大学有关学术著作诚信的政策和规则，及适用于犯规事例的纪律指引和程序。详情可浏览此处。

学生递交作业时，必须连同已签署的声明一并提交，表示他们知道有关政策、规则、指引及程序。

• 如属小组习作，则所有组员均须签署声明；所有组员 (不论有否签署声明及不论有否直接或间接撰写有问题的内容) 均须负上集体责任及受到惩处。
• 如作业以电脑制作、内容以文字为主，并经由大学「维诚」系统 (VeriGuide) 提交者，学生将作业的电子档案上载到系统后，便会获得收据，收据上已列明有关声明。
• 学生充分知悉到他们的作业可能会被人工智能内容检测软件审查，以确定其原创性。
• 学生充分知悉科目中采用人工智能工具的做法。在经允许下使用某些人工智能工具的情况下，学生已按照科目老师的指示明确注明出处和引文。

未有夹附签署妥当的声明的作业，老师将不予批阅。

学生只须提交作业的最终版本。

学生将作业或作业的一部份用于超过一个用途 (例如：同时符合两科的要求) 而没有作出声明会被视为未有声明重复使用作业。 学生重复使用其著作的措辞或某一、二句句子很常见，并可以接受，惟重复使用全部内容则构成问题。在任何情况下，须先获得相关老师同意方可提交作业。

由大学职员/老师制作的教学材料，包括课堂笔记、作业及考试题目等，其版权属香港中文大学拥有；学生可从大学采用的网上教学系统 (例如Blackboard) 下载由大学职员/老师制作的教学材料供其学习使用；惟未经相关职员/老师事先同意下，不得分发/分享/复制这些材料予第三者。