2010/11 Undergraduate Module Catalogue

HIST3000 The Fall of the Roman Empire, 376-476

40 creditsClass Size: 18

Module manager: Professor Ian Wood
Email: i.n.wood@leeds.ac.uk

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

Year running 2010/11

Module replaces

HIST3714 Charlemagne and his Biographer

This module is not approved as an Elective

Module summary

- The nature of the Late Roman State: the question as to whether it was too bureaucratic. - The problem of the barbarians: the debates over the scale of the barbarian invasions, and the nature of the settlements. - The political failings of the empire caused by rivalry between Ravenna and Constantinople and within Italy. - The reaction to the sack of Rome. - The significance of the Vandal capture of Carthage and the breaking of the Mediterranean.

Objectives

On completion of this module, students will acquire:

1. advanced skills in oral and written communication of complex ideas;
2. independence of mind, self-discipline, and self-directed study skills;
3. research ability to locate, handle, and synthesize large bodies of information;
4. intellectual ability to engage constructively and critically with historians' ideas;
5. skills in interpretation and analysis of esoteric source material.

Learning outcomes
On completion of this module, students will be able to:

1. develop a complex, rounded, and nuanced interpretation of the last century of the West Roman Empire;
2. present an advanced understanding of the nature of the Empire and of the barbarian threat;
3. show an awareness of the problems surrounding the source material for the period;
4. show a full appreciation of the modern historiographical debates surrounding the Fall of the Western Empire.

Syllabus

The following broad themes will be covered:

1. The nature of the empire.
2. The impact of the barbarians.
3. The divisions between East and West.
4. The differing reactions of Pagans and Christians.
5. The barbarian settlements.

These broad themes will be examined in through a detailed study of source material.

Teaching methods

Delivery type	Number	Length hours	Student hours
Seminar	22	2.00	44.00
Private study hours			356.00
Total Contact hours			44.00
Total hours (100hr per 10 credits)			400.00

Private study

Private study consists primarily in directed reading as set out in the module handbook.

Students undertake this reading in order to:
1. prepare for each seminar;
2. research their essays;
3. equip themselves for answering the exam questions.

Private study also includes the planning and writing of the two essay plans, the two essays, and revision for the exam.

Opportunities for Formative Feedback

Progress is monitored through the tutor's appraisal of students' performance in seminars, in their essay plans, and in their essays. It is enhanced through the giving of feedback.

Feedback on the essay plans and on assessed essays will be given in three ways. Collective, summarized feedback will be given to all students, both orally and as a written handout. Each student will also be given personalized written feedback. Students will also be encouraged to attend one-to-one oral feedback sessions with the tutor.

The tutor's contact hours will be publicized regularly.

Methods of assessment

Coursework

Assessment type	Notes	% of formal assessment
Essay	1 x 4,000 word assessed essay to be submitted in examination week 2 in the January exam period	40.00
Assignment	2 x 1,000 word assessed essay plans to be submitted two weeks before the assessed essay deadlines	10.00
Total percentage (Assessment Coursework)		50.00

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)	3 hr 00 mins	50.00
Total percentage (Assessment Exams)		50.00

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: 17/10/2011

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