2008/09 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

CLAS3890 The City in the Roman World

20 creditsClass Size: 50

Module manager: Dr P J Goodman
Email: P.J.Goodman@leeds.ac.uk

Taught: Semesters 1 & 2 (Sep to Jun) View Timetable

Year running 2008/09

This module is approved as an Elective

Module summary

This module is suitable for Level 2 or 3 students with some basic knowledge of the Roman world. It traces the origins and development of cities in the Roman world, asking what contributions both the Roman state and local peoples made to the process, and to what extent cities in different parts of the empire expressed or generated a common 'Roman' identity. The module is worth 20 credits and runs in semester 2 only, with two lectures per week and a total of four seminars. For further information, visit us at the Electives Fair or contact the Department of Classics, situated on the first floor of the Parkinson Building, south end (email: classics@leeds.ac.uk; website: www.leeds.ac.uk/classics/; telephone: 0113 343 3537).

Objectives

On completion of this module, students should be able to analyse and discuss the nature of Roman urbanism, as well as the physical remains of various specific Roman cities. They will explore the contribution which the study of Roman urbanism can make to our understanding of ancient society and to modern scholarly debates such as the 'Romanisation' debate.

Syllabus

For the Roman elite, the ideas of civilisation and of the city were inseparable. Cities were essential centres for government and administration, for displays of status, and for economic exchange. But how had they developed in the first place, who had shaped the process, and how were they actually used by their inhabitants? This module will trace the origins and development of cities in the Roman world, examining the contributions made by both local peoples and the Roman state. We will familiarise ourselves with urban layouts and buildings, and use the physical fabric of the cities to help us understand the activities which went on within them. We will also set individual cities into the wider context of the Roman empire, looking at their interactions with one another and thinking about how we should interpret the physical similarities and differences between them. The course will close by tracing the legacy of Roman urbanism into the late antique period and in modern urbanism. As part of this, we will undertake a field-trip to modern Lincoln (Roman Lindum Colonia), in order to see the remains of a Roman city, and its impact on later urban development on the same site, for ourselves.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Visit	1	8.00	8.00
Lecture	20	1.00	20.00
Seminar	4	1.00	4.00
Private study hours			168.00
Total Contact hours			32.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			200.00

Private study

60 hours - reading for lectures (20 x 3 hours)
28 hours - seminar preparation (4 x 7 hours)
40 hours - essay writing
40 hours - revision for exam

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1 x 2,000-3,000 word essay	40.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		40.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Exams

Exam type	Exam duration	% of formal assessment
Standard exam (closed essays, MCQs etc)	2 hr	60.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		60.00

Normally resits will be assessed by the same methodology as the first attempt, unless otherwise stated

Reading list

The reading list is available from the Library website

Last updated: 13/03/2009

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