CC 302/CTI 310: Introduction to Ancient Rome
Time: M/W/F 10-11 am
Place: WEL 1.308
Instructor: Dr. Jennifer Ebbeler
Email: ebbeler@mail.utexas.edu; emails sent after 3 pm or during the weekend may not be
answered before 10 am on the following weekday
Office: WAG 14 CA (on ground floor of WAG)
Phone: (512) 471-7570
Office Hours: M 1-2 pm; F 11am-12 pm; by appointment
Teaching Assistants
Ms. Jacqui Dibiasie (dibiasiej@mail.utexas.edu)
Point Person for Students with Last Names Beginning with A-L
Office: WAG 121
Phone: (512) 471-2740
Office Hours: M 12:30-1:30 pm; F 11am-1pm
Ms. Daphne Francois (daphne.francois@gmail.com)
Point Person for Students with Last Names Beginning with M-Z
Office: WAG 121
Phone: (512) 471-2740
Office Hours: T/Th 10-11:30 am
Course Website: https://webspace.utexas.edu/jve1/www/rome/index.html
Required Texts (available at the Co-op or Amazon.com)
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Boatwright, Mary T. et al., A Brief History of the Romans
De Selincourt, Aubrey (trans.), Livy: The Early History of Rome (Penguin Classics)
Fagles, Robert (trans.), Virgil: The Aeneid (Penguin Classics)
Woodman, A.J. (trans.), Sallust: Catiline’s War, The Jugurthine War, Histories (Penguin
Classics)
Additional assigned readings will be made available as PDF files on the course website
Course Description
This course provides an introductory survey of the history of Rome from its origins in the Iron
Age (c. 800 BC) to its shocking sack by the Gothic general Alaric in August 410 AD. There are
no prerequisites for this course. Individual lectures will trace out a chronology of important
events, with some attention to the broader significance of these events. There will be occasional
interludes for exploring such aspects of Roman culture as religion, the theater, slavery,
gladiatorial games, and the relationship between the Roman state and the Christian church. By
the end of the semester, you will be familiar with the most important events and historical figures
who shaped the history of Rome from its origins as a small city in Italy to its emergence as a
world power.
Etiquette
Please plan to arrive on time to class and remain until 10:50. It is extremely disruptive to me and
to your fellow students when you arrive late or walk out in the middle of class. Please be sure to
turn your cell phones completely off. Texting is not permitted when class is in session. If I see
you texting, I will politely ask you to stop. You may not use phones or other devices to take
pictures of the powerpoint presentations. I do permit laptops, but ask that you refrain from
checking your Facebook page, online shopping, and other non-class related activities during class
time. When you are in class, I expect you to pay attention and to actively participate; be
respectful of me, the Teaching Assistants, and your other classmates; and approach the course
material with an open and inquisitive mind.
If you find that you are having trouble in the course, I expect you to come to my office hours and
seek advice as early as possible in the semester. If you are having personal problems, I also
expect that you make me or a Teaching Assistant aware of the situation as soon as possible. If
you wait until the end of the semester, there is very little that I can or will do. In return, you can
expect that I will come to class on time, prepared, and excited to teach you the day’s material. I
will return graded exams in a timely manner (typically within one week). Finally, I and the
Teaching Assistants will be available to you to answer any questions you might have about the
course material or your performance in the course.
Grading Policies
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3 Midterm Exams (60%): there will be three, non-cumulative midterm exams during the
semester. Exams will consist of a mixture of multiple choice and short answer questions
(20 MC @ 3 pts; 10 short answer @4 pts). You will be responsible for all material
covered in the reading and in class lectures. The dates of the midterm exams are 24
September, 22 October and 19 November. Review sessions will be scheduled prior to
each exam and conducted by the Teaching Assistants.
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Final Exam (40%): there will be a cumulative Final Exam for the course. The format of
the final exam will be identical to the midterm exams. The final exam will be
administered during the final exam period, as scheduled by the University. I expect the
final to be scheduled for 8 December, 2-5 pm.
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Extra Credit: You may earn a maximum of 5 points, to be added to your lowest midterm
exam score, by writing a 500 word review of Steven Saylor’s Catilina’s Riddle.
Specifically, you will be asked to articulate Saylor’s perspective on the events
surrounding the Catilinarian Conspiracy. This paper is due no later than 29 November.
Your final percentage grade will be translated into a letter grade according to the following table.
I will round in your favor if you earn .5 or higher (e.g. 73.5=74; 73.2=73):
100-93: A
92-90: A89-87: B+
86-83: B
82-80: B79-77: C+
76-73: C
72-70: C69-67: D+
66-63: D
62-60: DBelow 60: F
***If you are taking this course on a credit/no credit option, you must earn at least a 70 to receive
credit for the course***
Make-up Policies
Make-up exams will be given only in cases of documented athletic commitment; documented
illness, death of an immediate family member (documented by an obituary listing you as a
survivor), or other documented emergency. Documented emergencies do not include, for example
(all real examples!): the illness or death of your roommate’s pet; being in jail for under-age
drinking; a late night at Hooters; missing your ride back to Austin after a weekend away; missing
the bus to campus; or sleeping through your alarm. You must also notify me in person or by
phone as soon as possible and at least 3 hours BEFORE the time of the exam that you will miss
the exam. If you fail to do so, you will receive a zero on the exam, regardless of the reason. If
you are an athlete, you must make me aware of scheduling conflicts during the first two
weeks of the semester. You should also expect that the make-up exam will be of a different form
and significantly more difficult. Make-up exams will be permitted no more than one week from
the time of the originally scheduled exam. After that point, the instructor reserves the right to
refuse a make-up exam. I highly encourage you to take all exams at the time that they are
scheduled.
Academic Honesty
Academic dishonesty in any form will not be tolerated. Please familiarize yourself with the
University of Texas’s Honor Code:
“The core values of The University of Texas at Austin are learning, discovery, freedom,
leadership, individual opportunity, and responsibility. Each member of the University is
expected to uphold these values through integrity, honesty, trust, fairness, and respect
toward peers and community.”
Any student caught or facilitating cheating on any assignment will receive an F in the course and
immediately be referred to the Dean of Students. In cases where dishonesty is strongly suspected,
I reserve the right to re-examine the student(s). I will, however, assume absolute integrity on
your part until shown otherwise. If you are unsure what constitutes academic dishonesty, see
http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/sjs/scholdis.php. It is your responsibility to be familiar with the
contents of this website and to avoid any behavior that might be interpreted as academic
dishonesty.
Add/Drop Policy
Please familiarize yourself with the University of Texas’s official add/drop policy. Any requests
to drop the course after the fourth week will be handled in accordance with these rules. Be
forewarned: while you may use a “one time exception” to late-drop the course, the exception is to
the deadline, not to the requirement that you must be earning at least a 70% in order to receive a
Q-drop.
Students with Disabilities
The University of Texas at Austin provides upon request appropriate academic adjustments for
qualified students with disabilities. For more information contact the Dean of Students at (512)
471-6259 or see http://deanofstudents.utexas.edu/ssd. In order to receive accommodations, you
must be registered with the Services for Students with Disabilities (SSD). This office will
document your disability, inform me of your situation, and instruct me on the necessary
accommodations. If you chose not to register with SSD, I cannot make special accommodations
for you.
Religious Holidays
According to Section 51.911 of the Texas Education Code, students shall be excused from
attending classes or other required activities, including examinations, for the observance of a
religious holy day, including travel for that purpose. If you will miss class (including exams) to
celebrate a religious holiday, you must notify me AT LEAST 14 days prior to the holiday so that
we can make arrangements for you to make up the assignment. All make-up work must be
completed no later than one week after the missed class.
Emergency Evacuation Procedure
Occupants of buildings on The University of Texas at Austin campus are required to evacuate
buildings when a fire alarm is activated. Alarm activation or announcement requires exiting and
assembling outside. Familiarize yourself with all exit doors of each classroom and building you
may occupy. Remember that the nearest exit door may not be the one you used when entering the
building. Students requiring assistance in evacuation shall inform their instructor in writing
during the first week of class. In the event of an evacuation, follow the instruction of faculty or
class instructors. Do not re-enter a building unless given instructions by the following: Austin
Fire Department, The University of Texas at Austin Police Department, or Fire Prevention
Services office.
Syllabus of Readings for CC 302
August
September
October
25: Course Introduction
27: Italy before the Romans: (B) 1-19
30: The Legendary Foundation of Rome: Aeneas, Romulus, and the Sabine
Women: Livy, pp. 31-42
1: The Kings of Rome: (B) 19-23; Livy, pp. 48 (last line)-55; 90-104
3: The Roman Theater: no assigned reading
6: Labor Day Holiday
8: The Foundation of the Roman Republic: (B) 25-27; Livy, pp. 107-117
10: Roman Religion and Festivals: no assigned reading
13: The Struggle of the Orders: (B) 28-31; Livy, pp. 133-138
15: The Fourth Century BC: (B) 32-53; Livy, pp. 367-378
17: Rome and Carthage: The Punic Wars: (B) 59-67
20: Conquering the Mediterranean: (B) 67-77
22: Performing Nobility (Funerals and Triumphs): (B) 54-58
24: Midterm Exam #1
27: Rome and Italy; the Gracchi Brothers: (B) 78-98
29: Foreign Threats: Jugurtha and the Gauls: (B) 99-103; Sallust, Jug., pp. 51-63;
83-85
1: Marius; The Social War: (B) 104-112; Sallust, Jug., 113-120
4: Sulla: (B) 114-124; 134
November
December
6: Mithridates, Pompey, and the First Triumvirate: (B) 128-129; 132-139; 142146
8: Slavery in Rome: Watch Kubrick’s Spartacus; (B) 125-128
11: Caesar: (B) 146-154
13: Civil Wars: (B) 154-160
15: Cicero and the Conspiracy of Catiline: Sallust, Cat., pp. 3-47
18: Death of Caesar and Aftermath: (B) 160-170
20: Antony, Octavian, and the Battle of Actium: (B) 171-181
22: Midterm Exam #2
25: Augustus and the “Restoration” of the Republic: (B) 181-184
27: Augustan Rome; the Succession Problem: (B) 184-199
29: Vergil’s Aeneid and the Ideology of a Golden Age: Vergil, Aen.,1; 4; 6.727end
1: The Julio-Claudians: (B) 201-211
3: The Year of the Four Emperors (69 AD): (B) 211-213
5: The Flavians: (B) 222-227
8: The Good Emperors: Trajan, Hadrian, and Marcus Aurelius: (B) 227-239;
248-252
10: Rome and the Provinces: (B) 214-216; 256-260
12: Roman Gladiators and Christian Martyrs: (B) 218-221; 242-243; 268-271
15: Empire in Crisis: Diocletian and the Tetrarchy: (B) 277-284
17: The Rise of Constantine: (B) 284-291; Edict of Milan (on Course Website)
19: Midterm Exam #3
22: The Reign of Julian: selection from Ammianus (on Course Website)
24: Thanksgiving Break
26: Thanksgiving Break
29: The Pagans and the Christians: Symmachus and Ambrose: (B) 291-296;
selection from the “Battle of the Altar” (on Course Website)
1: Alaric and the Fall of Rome: no assigned reading
3: Wrap-up