Ancient Civilizations
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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 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.
Good luck on the exam!
18 May 2025
The final exam will be held in-person on Tuesday, May 20 from 2:30 to 4:30 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.
Images Essay grades and markups posted
16 May 2025
The grades and markups for the Images Essay are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.
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.
Clouds Essay grades and markups posted
12 May 2025
The grades and markups for the Clouds Essay are posted on the My Grades page on the course website. My apologies for the delay in getting these back to you.
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.
Welcome to Week 15!
10 May 2025
This week we’re discussing the principate.
Things to ponder as you explore the materials. What exactly is the principate? How is it that Rome, which was so intolerant of the idea of a king that the mere rumor he was angling to become king factored into Caesar’s assassination, accepted the one-man rule of Octavian, who came to be called Augustus? What made Augustus different from a king?
What do you think makes the principate continue to work even after rulers like Caligula and Nero? What do you think is good and bad for Rome and the empire about the principate? What does it mean to be Roman in the days of the emperors? Has that changed since the beginning of the Roman story?
Looking forward to an interesting discussion. See you Tuesday!