Ancient Rome
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News and updates about the course are posted here.
Bookmark this page as your main entry point to the course website. That way, you’ll be sure to see any changes and other information I’ve posted here.
These announcements are also sent out by email to all actively enrolled students on my roster. If you are actively enrolled and are not receiving these emails, it may be that your email system is filtering emails from me (in which case, please whitelist me so you do receive them). Or, I may have the wrong email address for you. If you do not find the emails from me in your filtered emails folder, please send me an email and confirm your address so I am able to reach you with information and updates about the course.
Current Announcements (2)RSS feed
Grades are posted
28 May 2025
Course grades have been posted to CUNYfirst. Have a great summer!
Grading page updated
28 May 2025
The grading page has been updated with all papers I have received and a provisional grade for the course. If there is an assignment or revision you’re sure you submitted but that isn’t reflected on the grading page, please contact me immediately.
Official grades will be posted to CUNYfirst on Wednesday night (May 28).
I really enjoyed our discussions and the insights, diligence, and engagement shown in your written assignments. Thanks for your enthusiasm and hard work. I hope you have a safe and happy summer break and that you enjoy success in your next endeavors. I look forward to seeing some of you again in future classes.
Archive
Final Exam grades and markups posted
26 May 2025
The grades and markups for the Final Exam are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
Remember, the “Grade so far” calculation is provisional. If you have any missing assignments or reversible deductions, please submit them to BlackBoard as soon as possible to bring about the highest possible course grade. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to seek me out by email.
Position Paper grades and markups posted
19 May 2025
The grades and markups for the Position Paper are posted on the My Grades page on the course website. I was impressed by the work you folks did in exploring and interpreting the many facets of Rome’s story.
If you have any questions about the grades, comments, or deductions, please don’t hesitate to seek me out by email or in office hours.
Reversible deductions. Some of you may find that you received “reversible deductions” for issues relating to formatting and citations. The good news is, those are points that you can get back. Check the cover page of your markup to see if there are any check marks and points taken off next to the reversible deductions. If there are, I made notes on the cover sheet or in the essay about the issue, and included a handout with the requirements.
Please resubmit your essay to BlackBoard with those problems fixed, and I’ll be in a position to reverse those deductions. Only reversible deductions can be reversed, so don’t resubmit for anything other than reversible deductions.
Missing essays. If you have not gotten your paper in, please do so as soon as you can. In terms of your course grade you’re better off with any grade, even with a lateness penalty, than a zero for the assignment. Remember also that the lateness penalty is capped at a maximum of 30 points, so turning your paper in, even very late, is better than not doing so.
Good luck on the exam!
18 May 2025
The final exam will be held in-person on Thursday, May 22 from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m. in our normal meeting room.
Please arrive on time. You will only have the two-hour exam period to take the exam.
Exam review sheet and other review materials are posted on the Exams page. Email me with any questions!
Ultimate Deadline for Late Papers and Resubmissions
18 May 2025
As a reminder, the absolute deadline for all late papers and reversible deduction resubmissions is Tuesday, May 27.
No papers or resubmissions will be accepted after that date. The only exception is if an incomplete has been mutually agreed prior to that deadline owing to documented emergency circumstances.
Please make sure to submit any late papers if at all possible. The lateness penalty is capped at 30 points, so you’re better off submitting even a very late paper than getting a zero. The points back for correcting reversible deductions can also make a difference.
Email me with any questions or updates.
Welcome to Week 14!
10 May 2025
This week we're going to be talking about the recovery from the Third Century Crisis, which takes the form of a number of new normals including the division of the empire, a new conception of the emperorship known as the Dominate, and the interweaving of Christianity with the Roman political state. How much of the credit for the empire's recovery do you think should go to Diocletian and Constantine? What other factors made it possible for the empire to endure another century and a half in the west and a full millennium in the east after the near-fatal triple calamity of the Third Century? How inevitable was the empire's mutual intrusion with the church?
Finally comes the last stage of the Roman empire in the west, while the eastern empire goes on without it. Given that the empire stabilizes itself in the fourth century, what do you think are the most telling factors in why the western half falls apart so rapidly in the fifth century? Could the Romans have done anything about it?
Now's a good time to think about the Roman idea. What perseveres about the idea of "Romanness" between Romulus and Romulus Augustus? There's something still palpably Roman that runs through this entire 1300-year story. What does Romanness, Romanitas, consist of? What remains consistent and how does it evolve over the long centuries of Roman transformation?
Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Thursday!
Reminder: Review the Essay Musts before posting your papers
10 May 2025
I’ve had a few early submissions ahead of Monday’s deadline, and unfortunately some of these have ignored the basic requirements for papers listed on the Essay Musts page (the fuller title of which is “Requirements for All Papers”).
I am therefore offering a gentle and friendly reminder to everyone that there are indeed such requirements, and that they involve the necessary handling of formatting, structure, and evidence for papers submitted in my courses.
Each of these sections has videos that offer helpful guidance on how to fulfill these requirements.