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.

Reminder: The Proposal is due Monday, March 23

9 March 2026

Here are a few brief reminders about the proposal, which is due very soon on Monday, March 23.Read more…

I’m looking for: a problem that can be argued; your proposed thesis; and any other thoughts about what you might want to explore or how you think you might go about supporting your argument in the position paper itself. I’ll give feedback on topic viability, scope, and possible primary and secondary sources.

There is also a video on the course website (see the Essays page or the Videos page) that details exactly what I’m looking for. A sample is also posted on the proposal page. I’m happy to discuss possible ideas and approaches in office hours, after class, or by email.

Here’s what the syllabus has for the proposal assignment.

The assignment: The proposal is just a brief one-page preview of your position paper. It should include:

The topic you think you’ll want to write about and the problem you’re interested in addressing. You should be able to delineate the problem by describing the opposing views people might take. To make sure you have two clear opposing opinions, you might want to express them in the form “Some say… . Others say….”
Your preliminary thesis statement—in other words, what you think you might be arguing in your paper.

Your thesis statement, both here and in the final paper, should be a statement of opinion that someone could disagree with. It can take the form of following up the description of the opposing opinions with your own: “I believe….”
Remember that your thesis is provisional. You can change anything about your approach and interpretation after the proposal; in fact, uncovering information as you do your research makes refining or changing your initial assessments very likely.

Your proposal is structured like the introduction to your final paper, and may serve as the basis for it.

The proposal is not graded, but whether you submitted a proposal on time will be factored into the final grade for the position paper. I will give you feedback on things like the feasibility of researching your topic, whether the scope is too big or too narrow for a paper like this, and some possible sources you might want to look at.

Link to Proposal page

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Current Announcements (3)RSS feed

Welcome to Week 7!

14 March 2026

Tiberius and Gaius Gracchus.

This week, after we discuss Roman expansion into the East, we start to experience the forces that will break up the Republic. It will take a long final century of turmoil and blood, though, before the Republic is swept aside for the principate.

With the Gracchus brothers, the tensions that have been building in the Republic start to break loose. They were a polarizing factor in their lifetimes, and they are just as polarizing now. From the primary sources, the readings, and the lectures, you get multiple perspectives on both brothers. Noble heroes or demagogues? Out to save Rome, or in it for the glory? Or both? What do you think truly drove Tiberius Gracchus, and how was his brother Gaius different or alike? Is their legacy their own doing, or did they happen to be the tribunes that pushed the conservatives over the edge?

And then we have the matched set of Marius and Sulla—who are, if anything, even more divisive today than the Gracchi. Marius, the singular arch-populist, and Sulla, the strange maverick among the optimates, are both remarkable figures. Both were great generals and compelling leaders… both honestly believed they were saving Rome… and both were ruthless murderers who took Rome by force and massacred all their enemies.

Sulla got the bad press because his side lost in the end, so step back and look at their stories objectively. What do you think of them as men, and what do you think of them as Romans? Do either or both earn your respect, and why? What do you think are Marius’s most lasting legacies, and what do you think are Sulla’s?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

Quiz #4 grades and markups posted

14 March 2026

The grades and markups for Quiz #4 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website. (As announced in class, I decided that the wording of question 2 was not clear enough, and so all students taking the quiz got credit for question 2.)

I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

Link to My Grades page

Sign up for your second presentation

13 March 2026

A senator speaking to the Roman senate.

If you have not done so already, go ahead and sign up now for your second presentation.

The sign-up page is on the course website (at markbwilson dot com), under Presentations. Look the list over and find one that seems like it might be interesting to spend a little time with when it comes up later in the semester. Each of the titles has a URL link to the reading, so you can get a preview. The dates we’ll be getting to each reading are there, too.

If you want to change a presentation you previously chose, send me an email with the reading you prefer to present on, and I'll swap them around.

Link to Sign up page

Quiz #3 grades and markups posted

8 March 2026

The grades and markups for Quiz #3 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

Link to My Grades page

Welcome to Week 6!

7 March 2026

Statue of an unknown young Roman.

This week, after we finish up with the Punic Wars, we’re talking about the Roman expansion in the East. Did the Romans deliberately set out to create an eastern empire, or did it happen accidentally, as Rome reacted to events in the east? What factors do you think most drive Rome to increase its presence in the east?

We’re also talking about the effects of empire on Rome. What stands out to you as the way Rome is most changed by the acquisition of empire, and would the Romans have seen this as a positive change? What do you think the Romans were most concerned about as they saw the transformation that empire was wreaking on them? Why would they embrace Greek language and culture if they were so proud of being Roman?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

Essay Musts reminder

5 March 2026

Just a quick reminder as you work on completing your essays: make sure to review the Requirements for All Papers on the Essay Musts page before you upload—not just for formatting, but for structure and evidence as well. All three are areas in which good choices strengthen your paper and in which significant deductions might be made if the requirements are not met.

There are videos about each of these topics on the Essay Musts page to help advise you as you finalize your work. There’s also a sample interpretive essay on that page to provide additional guidance.

If you have any questions about any of these requirements, drop me an email or see me in office hours. I’m looking forward to hearing your ideas!

Link to Essays Musts page

Quiz #2 grades and markups posted

2 March 2026

The grades and markups for Quiz #2 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

I recommend spending a moment to take a look at the Quiz Notes for this quiz, which are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

Link to My Grades page

Welcome to Week 5!

1 March 2026

A colorized bust of Hannibal Barca.

After we get caught up on the Republic we’ll be discussing the single most important external conflict in Roman history: the nemesis of Carthage.

Both the First and Second Punic Wars also seem inevitable in retrospect. Why do you think the Romans really went to war? Did they really want Sicily and Spain, or was something else driving the Romans? Did they seek out these conflicts, or were they just reacting to events?

Both wars were utterly disastrous at first, and yet ended with Roman victories. Did those victories come from Roman success, or Carthaginian failures?

And: How do you think the Rome of 200, after Zama—the actual city, and its citizens milling in the Forum and gathering in its assemblies and in the senate hall—were different from the Rome of two hundred years earlier, before Veii and the Sack?

Looking forward to discussing all of this with you. See you Thursday!

Link to Schedule page

A quick reminder about meeting slides and note taking

25 February 2026

For every class meeting, there are always a number of ideas I want to discuss and key points that go with them. I try to make sure a lot of these ideas are included on my slides, to aid in-class discussion and for later review.

For those taking notes in class, that can sometimes add the challenge of wanting to get all of these points on paper. To help with this, I've provided tools that allow you to streamline your note-taking and not have to worry about getting every point down from the slides.

I do recommend note-taking—we cover a lot of material in this course, and it’s all relevant to your written assignments and exams. Sometimes, though, in class I have to move on faster than fully comprehensive transcription allows, so these tools might be of help. For example, images of the slides are always available before and after class on the Slides page for you to check and supplement your notes.

One offering that students have found helpful in the past is the PDF handout I post for each meeting. These show the slides on the left side, with all the bullet points, and room to take additional notes and ideas that you think of or that come up in discussion next to the slides on the right. That way you don't have to get distracted trying to get everything down and can keep your reactions side-by-side with the key points I’m hoping to convey.

The PDF handouts are always available on the course website the weekend before class. You can print them out and bring the printouts to class, or use a tablet to add to them during the meeting.

The PDF handouts can be accessed via both the Slides page and the PDF/Print page.

Link to PDF/Print page