Department _MCLL________
AREAS OF INQUIRY
Course Number _CLST215_____ Course Name:
Borders and Bandits
GLOBAL AND MULTICULTURAL
PERSPECTIVES
This form must be submitted to the Faculty Council on Liberal Learning and Academic Life as part of the
submission process.
Please attach a proposed syllabus for this course and the Undergraduate Curriculum Course Proposal Form.
DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS: 16 September 2005
Please answer the following questions:
Check Only One:
◊ This course is an existing course (in the current curriculum) that we are now proposing for this Area
of Inquiry.
X This is a new course that we are now proposing for this Area of Inquiry.
.1. Name and contact information for the department chair administrating this course.
.Dr. Danielle Cahill Velardi (4-7107; dcahill@cnu.edu)
.2. In any given semester, how many sections of this course is your department willing to offer?
.Up to two.
2.
3. Why is this course being offered/what is it designed to achieve (Course purpose/goal) ?
CLST215 will expose students to the complex reactions of various ancient peoples, including the
Britons, Gauls,
Germans, Parthians, Greeks, and the Romans themselves, to the unprecedented political and cultural
dominance
of the Roman empire. Students will also study the reactions against Roman authority and society by
internal
groups like brigands, pirates, philosophers, and Christians. By focusing on the margins of Roman
society,
students will grapple with questions of self-identity, cultural expression, political interaction, and
imperialism.
The course discussions, papers, and presentations will prepare students to analyze the parallels and
differences
between the Roman empire and post cold-war America in the final week of the class.
3.
4.
Check the objectives below that the course will address. The first objective is
required and every proposal must include at least two more objectives from the list below.
X Interrogate the dominate culture in relationship to other cultures (required)
X Compare communication styles among cultures
X Assess how culture impacts and informs the development of creative expression/movements,
politics,
economics, or philosophy
X Analyze how concepts of “self” and individuals in various cultures differ and/or intersect
◊ Articulate how culture influences the structure of languages, societies, and institutions
5. Briefly explain how this class addresses the above objectives. A course may cover
more than three objectives.
a.) The relationship between Rome and other, less powerful cultures will not only be the subject
of discussion but of the course papers and group presentations. Students will examine the effects
of Roman dominance on other cultures, on Roman citizens, and the reactions of Rome to the
resistance or acceptance of their culture by others.
b.) Roman hegemony expressed itself differently in different regions and with varying degrees of
success. Students will examine the literary, artistic, numismatic, religious, and philosophical
attempts by Rome to communicate with other cultures, then evaluate the success of those
attempts. They will also examine similar attempts by Rome’s neighbors, who employed similar
means to represent themselves but often in an entirely different cultural language. The final week
will encourage students to contrast the methods employed by these ancient cultures with those of
our own society.
c.) The class will cover a period of four centuries, from the Roman history of the Greek exile
Polybius to the Christian martyrologies in the late empire. Students will not only be able to
observe the interactions between Romans and others over a wide geographical spread but will
be able to evaluate the sometimes radical changes in Roman culture and the shifting responses
to it over a large expanse of time.
d.) Rome and its neighbors often employed perceived differences between themselves and other
cultures to define themselves and explain their political success. Conversely, those who rejected
the dominant Roman ethos defined themselves through antithesis. Such antitheses will be
central to the discussions of brigands, pirates, epicureans, elegiac poets, Germany, and Parthia.
The identification of self with Roman hegemony will be more prominent in the study of
Greece, the east, and later Gaul. Both views will be important for the final week, in which the
enthusiastic embrace of America as a new Roman empire by the neo-conservative movement
will be set against the vehement dislike of American imperialistic tendencies expressed abroad.
.6.
Course Assessment: Identify how this course will accomplish the above objectives (choose at
least one): X Participating in class discussion and debate X Engaging in teamwork and other
collaborative exercises X Writing analytical or evaluative papers, perhaps incorporating original
research X Making oral presentations
.
◊ Creating an artistic product or a performance
.
◊ Participating in fieldwork
.
◊ Other means – please identify
2.
7.
Attach a proposed syllabus, which includes a statement of purpose, course objectives,
and how these objectives will be accomplished.
3.
8. Please identify and explain if this course contributes to the Foundations of Liberal Learning
expectations for:
◊ Oral Communication Literacy: Students will work together in small groups to prepare brief
th
oral presentations, which they will present to the class in the 12 week. Further, discussion will be an
integral part of class throughout the semester, given direction by study questions given at the end of
each preceding class. There will be freedom to pursue ideas in class that arouse the students’ interest.
◊ Information Literacy:
.
◊ Writing Literacy: The students will write two short papers, then use the ideas they argue in
their papers to prepare their oral presentations. They will improve their literacy first by expressing
themselves in writing, then reorganizing their ideas to better fit the format of an oral presentation.
9. Explain how this course connects to Vision 2010 – the CNU Strategic Plan.
To understand the world, students must understand its cultural and political past. CLST215 will
contribute to this understanding. But students must also see how the patterns of behavior in the past
are relevant to their own world, and must engage actively in comparisons of other cultures and other
traditions with their own. CLST215 is designed not only to encourage such comparisons throughout
the semester, but to grapple in particular with the problem of empire in the modern American context,
inviting students to weigh for themselves the complex ramifications inherent in shaping today’s
th
America as a new Rome. This important problem will be the primary focus of the 14 week of class.
Submission Checklist:
By the deadline, submit a packet with the following documents to the Assistant Dean for Liberal
Learning. Please submit in electronic and hard copy form.
_____ Area of Inquiry Course Proposal Form
_____ Syllabus for the Course
_____ Undergraduate Curriculum Committee Course Proposal Form
CLST215: Borders and Bandits
Course Description:
Although modern societies often admire the cultural and political accomplishments of
the Roman empire, the various peoples who lead their lives within and without its borders
during its heyday had a much more complex variety of reactions. While some chose to
accept the necessity of cooperation and adopted Roman ways, others chose resistance and
open warfare. Even Roman citizens could feel sufficiently disaffected from the Roman
way of life to effectively ostracize themselves and choose instead a life of brigandage or
piracy. The public involvement espoused by stoic ideology was countered by escapism,
which was readily available to the elite classes through philosophical schools and literary
pursuits.
This course examines the numerous interactions between the institution of Rome
with its neighbors and its own citizens, focusing primarily on areas of social and
political friction. Its subject matter comprises the words and deeds of marginalized
groups themselves as well as those of the Roman authorities who had to confront their
opposition. Evidence will include not only the poetic, historical, artistic, and
architectural propaganda through which Rome presented its own message, but also the
equally sophisticated tools of propaganda employed by those who lacked Rome's
influence and wealth. Students will study the impact of these groups upon the literature
and artistic legacy of the Roman world, noting especially the Roman conceptions of
those groups they considered different from themselves and their use of these
conceptions to progressively redefine their own culture.
Course Goals:
Through this course you will:
-gain a greater understanding both of Roman culture and of the other cultures with
which it came into contact;
-compare the various ways, both verbal and non-verbal, in which these cultures
communicated their values to themselves and to each other;
-evaluate the relationships between the values maintained by these cultures and the
expression of those values in political and social instutitions, philosophy, and the
creative arts.
Course Requirements:
You will write two papers in this course, make a group presentation, and take several
short quizzes, one midterm, and one final. The papers will each be worth 10%, the
quizzes collectively another 20%, the midterm and final will each be worth 25%. The
remaining 10% comprises your group presentation, attendance, and participation.
In the two papers you will examine any one of the marginalized groups studied this
semester. One paper will be written from the perspective of that group, one from the
perspective of Roman authority. You must be able to discuss both sides of the issue you
choose, so try to choose a subject for which there is abundant evidence. You need not
incorporate any modern scholarship in your paper. I encourage you instead to examine
the ancient evidence and base your discussion on the arguments and perspectives you
find there.
After writing both of these papers you will be grouped with other students who
wrote on the same topic. You will collectively present a brief debate in class, with half
of you arguing one side of the issue and half of you the other. The presentation should
last about ten minutes.
A word of caution: do not trust information that you see on the web. From time to
time I will provide links on the class web site to some of the more reliable sources of
information. If you come across any additional sites that appear promising, please let me
know. Do not use information from the net as a source for your paper unless you check
with me first!
Quizzes will be quite short, typically about five minutes long, and easy. They are
intended merely to check your preparation. You will be given several study questions
at the end of each class that will guide your reading outside of class and furnish topics
of discussion in the subsequent class. The quizzes will always be drawn from those
questions. If you prepare and attend regularly you should receive full credit.
The midterm and final will be more rigorous and will test your ability to synthesize
different ideas. They will both be cumulative. The questions in them will include simple
identification, short answers, and an essay. The midterm will require an entire class
period to complete. The final will last two and one half hours.
Class attendance is fundamental to student learning and motivation and it indicates
that individuals are taking their studies seriously. The MCLL department therefore has a
uniform attendance policy: with the exception of extracurricular activities, religious
observances, serious illness, or other documented reasons, your final grade will be
lowered one full letter grade for every four unexcused absences. Excused absences must
be supported with written documentation from a physician, officer of the court, law
enforcement official, or other appropriate authority. In case of absence, the student is
responsible for any work missed. Two late arrivals of 10 minutes or more to class will
also count as an absence.
Your faculty and administration wants you to succeed at CNU. I may therefore
notify the Academic Advising Center if you seem to be having problems with this
course. Someone may contact you to help you to determine what help you need to
succeed. You will be sent a copy of the referral form. Do not hesitate to contact me at
any time for assistance.
Ethics:
Plagiarism is the theft of someone else’s writing or ideas. Examples of plagiarism
include but are not limited to quoting, summarizing, or paraphrasing ideas without
crediting your source, submitting work that has been copied or purchased from another
student or some other source as your own, permitting someone else to revise or edit a
paper to the extent that it is no longer your own work, and copying wording or ideas from
the internet without crediting the internet source. Plagiarism is a very serious violation of
the CNU Honor Code and may result in penalties that can include rewriting the entire
assignment, being assigned an alternative assignment, getting a zero on the plagiarized
assignment or getting an F for the course. In addition to these penalties, the instructor has
the right to place a note in the student's university file, which could result in an honors
council sanction such as suspension or expulsion from CNU. I expect that you will
uphold the CNU Honor Code in all work submitted for this course.
Under the Honor Code of Christopher Newport University all members of the
University community are expected to demonstrate honesty and integrity in their conduct.
Lying, stealing or cheating are violations of the Code that will result in sanctioning. All
work submitted in this course for a grade is subject to the CNU Honor Code. I encourage
you to work together outside of class, and in particular to study together for the oral
presentations, quizzes, and exams, but the papers, quizzes, and exams that you hand in
must be entirely your own work.
Texts:
Birley, A. R. 1999. Agricola and Germany. Oxford and New York.
Bradley, K. R. 1989. Slavery and Rebellion in the Roman World. Bloomington.
Edwards, C. 2001. Suetonius: Lives of the Caesars. Oxford and New York.
Gardner, J. F. 1983. The Conquest of Gaul. London.
Grand, M. 1989. Tacitus: The Annals of Imperial Rome. London.
Hobsbawm, E. 2000. Bandits. New York.
Reserved Readings:
Braund, D. C. 1993. “Piracy Under the Principate and the Ideology of Imperial
Eradication.”
War and Society in the Roman World, edd. J. Rich and G. Shipley, London and
New
York, 195–212.
de Sousa, P. 1995. “Greek Piracy.” The Greek World, ed. A. Powell, London and
New York, 179–198.
Kaplan, Robert D. 2002. Warrior Politics: Why Leadership Demands a Pagan Ethos.
New York.
King, A. 1990. Roman Gaul and Germany. Berkeley.
Online Readings:
One of the advantages to studying classical culture is that much of our evidence is
available in fairly accurate translations for free online. I will place links to many of the
readings online for your use outside of class. You need not print out these readings for
use in class so long as you take careful notes on your reading assignments while you
study.
Course Calendar:
Week 1: Course Introduction and Historical Background
Week 2: Italian Greeks and the Etruscans
Livy 1, Plutarch Pyrrhus
Week 3: Gaul King, “The
Roman Conquest,” 153–171;
Caesar The Conquest of Gaul;
Tacitus Annals Week 4:
Germany King “The Frontier
Land,” 153–171; Caesar The
Conquest of Gaul, Tacitus
Germania Week 5: Britain
Caesar The Conquest of Gaul,
Tacitus Agricola Week 6:
Parthia and Armenia; First
Paper Due Tacitus Annals,
Plutarch Crassus and Antony,
Horace Odes 1.26 Week 7:
Greece in Opposition;
Midterm Sallust Historia,
Plutarch Flamininus Week 8:
Egypt Horace 1.37, Plutarch
Antony Week 9: Judaea
Bradley, Suetonius Vespasian
Week 10: Slaves; Second Paper
Due Bradley, Plutarch Crassus
Week 11: Pirates Cicero On the
Command for Cn. Pompey; de
Sousa; Braund Week 12:
Bandits; Oral Presentations
Hobsbawm, “What is Social
Banditry?” and “Who Becomes
a Bandit?, ”19–45; Tacitus
Annals
Week 13: Christians Suetonius Nero, Pliny 10.96–97
Week 14: America – the New Rome? Hobsbawm “Bandits, States, and Power,” 7–18;
Kaplan, “Livy’s Punic War,” 28–37 and “Tiberius,” 150–156
Final Exam: XXX–XXX on XXX
UNDERGRADUATE CURRICULUM COMMITTEE NEW COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
Does this proposal affect Liberal Learning requirements? Yes _X___ No _____
1.
Title of Course: Borders and Bandits
Proposed Course Number (cleared with Registrar): CLST215
Prerequisite Courses:
(if you require a minimum acceptable grade greater than the default of D-, please indicate the
grade
you require) No prerequisites.
Catalogue Description (including credits, lecture, and lab hours):
This course examines the numerous interactions between the institution of Rome with its neighbors and its own
citizens, focusing primarily on areas of social and political friction. Its subject matter comprises the words and
deeds of marginalized groups themselves as well as those of the Roman authorities who had to confront their
opposition. Evidence will include not only the poetic, historical, artistic, and architectural propaganda through
which Rome presented its own message, but also the equally sophisticated tools of propaganda employed by
those who lacked Rome's influence and wealth. Students will study the impact of these groups upon the literature
and artistic legacy of the Roman world, noting especially the Roman conceptions of those groups they considered
different from themselves and their use of these conceptions to progressively redefine their own culture. (3-3-0)
Is the course cross-listed? If so, what is the number of the other course? No.
**A proposed syllabus, including complete text and/or reference
information, as well as any relevant information to this decision, must be
appended.
NOTE: All affected department chairs must sign approval on last page.
2.
For whom is the course primarily intended? Explain why it should be added to the
curriculum.
This course is designed for Sophomores, Juniors, and Seniors, though mature freshmen,
particularly those interested in a Classical Studies minor, would be adequately prepared for its demands. It
employs the Roman world to engage students in discussions about power, resistance, and the conflicts
between and within different cultures, and is therefore not only an investigation into Rome itself, but an
ideal forum for discussion of similar conflicts that are relevant in our own world. The last week of the
course draws the explicit parallel between Rome and modern America, and challenges students to consider
whether America is an empire on the Roman model, and if so whether that is a good thing.
2.
3.
If this course is required, append a description of how the course fits into the curriculum.
Indicate how it affects hours required for graduation.
3.
4.
Has this course been offered previously as a special topics course? If so, when? What
course number was used? No.
4.
5.
Has this course, or one closely related to it, been offered at CNU previously? No If so, is
that course currently being offered? How does the proposed course differ? When is the last term the old
course will be offered?
5.
6.
What is the anticipated enrollment per offering for the next three years? Course cap of 30.
During which term will this course first be offered? Fall 20__ Spring 2007_ Summer
20___
During which semesters will this course regularly be offered? Fall 20___ Spring 2007_
Summer 20___
Print in the __2006-7__ (academic year) Undergraduate Catalog.
1.
7.
How will the course be staffed? All faculty in Classical Studies are prepared to offer this
course (MCLL Dept.)
2.
8.
Does the course involve a particular classroom, special equipment, or costs beyond those
usually associated with a course at CNU? If so, please explain. No.
3.
9.
Is the course repeatable for additional credit? If so, is there a limit to the number of times
the course can be repeated? (e.g., applied music courses) No.
.10. If this course is for an Area of Inquiry
.a. Identify the Area of Inquiry ___Global and Multicultural Perspectives_______
.b. Demonstrate how your course will meet the objectives of this Area of Inquiry
Interrogate the dominate culture in relationship to other cultures:
The relationship between Rome and other, less powerful cultures will not only be the subject of discussion but of
the course papers and group presentations. Students will examine the effects of Roman dominance on other
cultures, on Roman citizens, and the reactions of Rome to the resistance or acceptance of their culture by others.
Compare communication styles among cultures:
Roman hegemony expressed itself differently in different regions and with varying degrees of success. Students
will examine the literary, artistic, numismatic, religious, and philosophical attempts by Rome to communicate
with other cultures, then evaluate the success of those attempts. They will also examine similar attempts by
Rome’s neighbors, who employed similar means to represent themselves but often in an entirely different
cultural language. The final week will encourage students to contrast the methods employed by these ancient
cultures with those of our own society.
Assess how culture impacts and informs the development of creative expression/movements,
politics, economics, or philosophy:
The class will cover a period of four centuries, from the Roman history of the Greek exile Polybius to the
Christian martyrologies in the late empire. Students will not only be able to observe the interactions between
Romans and others over a wide geographical spread but will be able to evaluate the sometimes radical changes
in Roman culture and the shifting responses to it over a large expanse of time.
Analyze how concepts of “self” and individuals in various cultures differ and/or intersect:
Rome and its neighbors often employed perceived differences between themselves and other cultures to define
themselves and explain their political success. Conversely, those who rejected the dominant Roman ethos
defined themselves through antithesis. Such antitheses will be central to the discussions of brigands, pirates,
epicureans, elegiac poets, Germany, and Parthia. The identification of self with Roman hegemony will be more
prominent in the study of Greece, the east, and later Gaul. Both views will be important for the final week, in
which the enthusiastic embrace of America as a new Roman empire by the neo-conservative movement will be
set against the vehement
dislike of American imperialistic tendencies expressed abroad.
This course was approved by:
(Liberal learning core courses must be reviewed by BOTH academic Deans.) Concur
D
o
N
ot
C
on
cu
r*
*
Department(s): (1)
Date: ________
(2)
Date: ________
College Curriculum Committee:
Date: ________
Dean:
Date: ________
Dean:
Date: ________
Undergraduate Curriculum Committee:
Date: ________
Changes to the Liberal Learning requirements must be reviewed by the Faculty Senate.
Faculty Senate President: Date: ________
Provost Date: ________
Distribution by Provost Office following approval: Department Chair(s), UCC
Chair, Deans, Registrar
** If “Do Not Concur” is checked, please attach a statement of explanation.
Rev.
03/20/05