History of Ancient Rome (Spring 2024)

Grades are posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Wed, 29 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Course grades have been posted to CUNYfirst. Have a great summer!

Grading page updated

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Tue, 28 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

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.

I was very impressed by a lot of the written work for this semester—there were some seriously thoughtful papers and papers this time around, and for many of you the effort at insight and scholarship really came through. Thanks for your hard work in your assignments as well as in our class discussions. I hope you have a safe and happy summer break and that you enjoy success in your future endeavors.

Final Exam grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Mon, 20 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for the Final Exam 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.

Missing essays. If any of your written assignments are not yet submitted, please do so as soon as you can (no later than May 27). 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.

Position Paper grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 19 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for the Position Paper 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.

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.

Remember, the deadline for all late papers and submissions for reversible deductions is May 27. I will not accept any papers or revisions after that date.

Good luck on the exam!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Thu, 16 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

I’ll be in my office hours from 5 p.m. in CA-292 if you have any last-minute questions or ideas you want to discuss. Good luck, and I’ll see you tonight at 6:15 p.m.!

Student Evaluation of Teaching and Learning (SETL)

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Mon, 13 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

I’ve been asked to remind everyone about the student evaluations, as they’re looking for a higher proportion of respondents.

CUNY considers students’ assessments of their instructors to be an important tool, and that's a good thing. The survey plays a key role in allowing the College to respond to student needs and desires. Student evaluations of teaching and learning (SETL) results can be used:

by faculty as feedback on their instruction and pedagogy;
by faculty, departments, schools, and the college as one source of evidence of teaching effectiveness for annual reviews as well as for tenure and promotion considerations;
by students as part of selecting courses and instructors;
by the college as evidence of the student experience in Lehman College courses and for a variety of accreditation and other accountability processes.

You can find the SETL page for all your courses in your Lehman emails or by logging into Lehman 360.

Welcome to Week 15!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 11 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week is the final exam for the course. The final exam will be held in-person on Thursday, May 16 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.

Review materials are posted on the Exams page. Good luck! Email me with any questions. I’ll have my regular office hours on Tuesday.

If you miss the final exam: Make-ups will be arranged only in cases of documented personal or medical emergency. Otherwise, per CUNY policy a student who does not complete the course by taking the final exam will automatically receive a grade of WU (unofficial withdrawal), which counts as an F toward your GPA, unless an incomplete has been mutually agreed by student and instructor prior to the ultimate submission deadline for the course (Sunday, May 26).

Welcome to Week 14!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 05 May 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week, after we finish talking about the Third Century Crisis, 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!

Welcome to Week 13!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week we're talking about one of the most dramatic periods of the Roman story: The Third Century Crisis, in which everything goes wrong all at once. What do you think are the most prominent causes of the catastrophe? How related are the economic problems to the military setbacks and the political anarchy? How far back does this go? Are policies, people, or the nature of the principate the culprit?

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

Notes and reminders about the Position Paper (due Monday, May 13)

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Here are a few brief reminders about the Position Paper, which is due very soon on Monday, May 13.

Watch the video. Make sure to watch the overview video, since that tells you exactly what I am looking for. It’s on the Position Paper page.

Thesis statement. Make sure you have an introduction with a thesis statement (your argument asserting your position on the question/problem being addressed) and a body that describes and discusses three examples from the sources supporting your thesis statement. For models and explanations on how to do this, see the Structure video on the Essay Musts page. Another resource is “Writing a Position Paper” (a.k.a. “The Elephant Pamphlet”), which is on the Resources page.

Sources.

You must use at least three sources, which can be primary or secondary; tertiary sources (including textbooks and most web pages) are not allowed. See the Evidence video on the Essay Musts page and the Sources page in the Research and Citations Center for more.
All assertions must be supported by evidence.

Requirements for all papers. You must adhere to the requirements for all papers (listed on the Essay Musts page). Not meeting the requirements for all papers will mean a lower grade.

Template. There is an MS Word template already set up with some of the formatting I require on the Resources page. If you use Word I strongly recommend making use of this template. There is also a Google Docs template.

Late papers. As per the syllabus, late papers are marked down by ten points per class meeting, up to a cap of thirty points. Avoid this penalty and block out the time you need to prepare, write, and review your paper so that it can be submitted on time.

BlackBoard. All essays are uploaded to BlackBoard. Look for “Upload Assignments Here” in the left-hand menu. Your essay needs to be uploaded as a Word (preferred) or PDF file attachment, not pasted in as text submission. If you use a browser-based word processor, download or export to a Word document and upload that.

I’m happy to discuss any aspects of your sources or the paper, so please come to me if there’s anything you’re not sure about. I’m looking forward to hearing your interpretations of the ancient Roman world!

Exam Review Sheet posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 27 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

I’ve updated the final exam page. On this page you’ll find information about the final and some review materials. The exam will take place Thursday, May 16 from 6:15 to 8:15 p.m.

The review sheet is not designed to be a list of answers so much as questions you can use to guide you toward the areas you want to focus on in your review. As you read through the questions on the review sheet, those you have a sense of how you might answer are lower priority for review than those questions you’re not sure how you would answer; those you’d then want to go back and spend some time reviewing in your notes, the readings, the videos, quiz notes, and class discussions.

Also note that the terms are a useful way of finding concepts you need to go back and review, so I’d advise stepping through the terms at the end of each topic and making sure you have a sense of what they mean and why we’re studying them.

To prepare for the essays, I suggest that you focus on what you would consider to be four or five of the major themes of this course, and think about possible questions that relate to those topics across the periods and transitions we’ve explored. For each essay you’ll be asked to give three examples, so you can sketch out a question about a recurring topic in the course, your perspective on that question, and three similar or contrasting examples that demonstrate that perspective.

Please take a look at the review sheet for details on the exam’s content and structure. Once you’ve read through the review sheet, if you have any questions about the exam or about any of the topics covered in it, please don’t hesitate to come to me or bring them up in class.

To get to the final exam page, click on “Exams” in the navigation index, or follow the link to the “Exams page” below.

Quizzes #7 and #8 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Tue, 23 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for Quizzes #7 and #8 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

I strongly recommend spending a moment to take a look at my commentary on the quizzes, as I use the markups and quiz notes to emphasize some of the key take-aways from last week’s topics. The Quiz Notes for these quizzes are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

No meeting this week

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 21 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Enjoy your break. Email me with any questions about the Position Paper, which is due on May 13. Our next class meeting is on May 2. See you then!

Welcome to Week 12!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 14 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week we're talking about the period of the Nerva-Antonines—the so-called “five good emperors”. It's striking that there's such a term as devised by modern historians. It signifies both something in common in these five men, and a contrast with those who are not part of this series.

What do you think in terms of both points? What kinds of things do they have in common, apart from the praise of later centuries? Are they worthy of that praise? How distinct are they from the Julio-Claudians and the Flavians? How do you see Rome changing critically in this period? You may be aware that true, relentless disaster is coming (the Third Century Crisis)—can we see the groundwork being laid? How has the Roman idea remained constant after eight centuries of constant transformation?

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

Welcome to Week 11!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 07 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week, after exploring the nature of Augustus’s reign, we're talking about the Roman world adjusting to the loss of the first princeps. What strikes you as interesting or surprising about the dramatic events of the Julio-Claudians? Why do you think we go from Augustus to Caligula and Nero so quickly? How much of Augustus's plan really survives his death?

Though each princeps defines an era, emphasis on the ruler in Rome does tend to eclipse other things. What's going on in the Roman world during this period that you think should really be drawing our attention?

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

Quizzes #4-6 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Tue, 02 Apr 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for Quizzes #4-6 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website. Sorry for the delay in catching up on grading these.

Welcome to Week 10!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 30 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week we're talking about Augustus himself and the principate he created, and there are so many perspectives on him. What makes it possible for Augustus to rule without serious challenge for so long? What exactly is the nature of this rule? What's wrong with it, and what's right about it?

What is the rise of Augustus and the emergence of the principate telling us about the Romans of this time? Discuss your thoughts and questions about Augustus, his role in the Roman story, and all that's going on around him. How different are Augustus the man and Augustus the idea?

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

Welcome to Week 9!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 24 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re talking about Caesar’s assassination and its aftermath. Why do you think Caesar was really killed? Did the political climate make the failure of the self-styled liberators inevitable, or did they screw up a chance to restore Rome to a pre-Caesar state?

The end of the Republic is still dominated by colorful figures, including that oddest of couples, Antony and Octavian. Antony had the experience, and Octavian was just a kid—so what factors made it possible for him to win out over Antony? How does Cleopatra rate in all of this—pawn or freedom fighter?

I mentioned the end of the Republic, but historians still argue over when the Republic was truly gone. Given what the Romans would have meant by the word, when does the Republic end, do you think? What are the possible turning points after which what’s operating in Rome is no longer the Republic of the previous four-plus centuries?

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

Images Essay grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The grades and markups for the Images 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.

Reminders

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Thu, 21 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

Meetings: I just wanted to mention that attendance at last week’s meeting felt a little light, which is a matter of some concern to me. I know a few people were sick, but others I have not heard from.

The class meetings are critical—it's where we make sense of things, and that comes from the questions and discussion of a diverse group of people. We’re in a critical period of Roman history, and our discussion of that will help in putting the pieces together when you are writing your papers and exams. Attendance at class meetings is required not just because of the quizzes, but because the meetings are, I feel, the most important part of the course.

Sign-ups: There are still a few people who have not signed up for their second presentation. If that’s you, please take a moment to go to the Presentation page and click on Sign-up #2 to claim your second presentation.

Big stuff tonight! Looking forward to our discussion of Julius Caesar and everything that leads up to his climactic taking of Rome. See you there!

Welcome to Week 8!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 16 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

This week we’re experiencing Rome in the wake of the Marius’s bloody coup and Sulla’s equally brutal restoration of the Republic. Some parts of Sulla’s reforms have staying power, but a lot of what Sulla accomplished was rolled back in the decades after his retirement and almost immediate death. What do you think about that? What was Sulla’s most lasting legacy, and why did his reforms started to get unstuck almost from the day he gave up power?

The later stages of the breakdown of the Republic are a breeding ground for fascinating figures. What did Cicero really stand for, do you think? Are there potential justifications for saying Pompey was, in fact, “great”? Was Clodius an iconoclast, an anarchist, an attention-seeker, or a cultural troll? Who else grabs your interest from this turbulent time?

And then: Caesar. Your take, please, on one of the most famous Romans in history. Was he the man Rome needed in 49, when he crossed the Rubicon—to this day a metaphor for there being no turning back? Was his vision for Rome about more than just his own leadership—and if so, what kind of Rome do you think he hoped to create? How was Caesar bad for Rome, even if he had good intentions? And, inevitably: why do you think he was killed?

One more thing to ponder: Sulla and Caesar, though political opposites, had two things in common. Both marched on Rome, and both took hold of the power of the dictatorship to reshape Rome according to their vision. Caesar supposedly said Sulla’s mistake was that he resigned, restoring the Republic to a new normal he had created. Do you agree? Was Sulla naïve to resign, or was Caesar the one who should have stepped down before he was pulled down?

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

Sample proposal

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Thu, 14 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

The broken link for the sample proposal on the Proposal page (at the bottom, in the gray box marked “Note”) has been fixed. Sorry about that. Take a look at the sample for an idea of what I’m looking for for the proposal, and of course come to me to discuss ideas and possibilities any time.

Quiz #3 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Tue, 12 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0400

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

I strongly recommend spending a moment to take a look at my commentary on the quiz, as I use the markups and quiz notes to emphasize some of the key take-aways from last week’s topics. The Quiz Notes for this quiz are live on the Quiz Notes page and on the Print/PDF page, and are also included in the quiz markups.

Welcome to Week 7!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This week we start to experience the forces that will break up the Republic, but it will be a long century of turmoil and blood 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 brothers Gracchi. Marius the singular arch-populist, and Sulla the strange maverick among the optimates. 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!

Now's the time to sign up for your second presentation

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The course is already almost half over, which means that (if you have not done so already) now is the time to sign up for your second presentation.

To choose your reading, go to the Presentation page and click on “Sign-up #2”, then claim one of the available texts. As before, the readings are linked so you can give them a glance before committing.

Let me know if you have any questions. Please go ahead and make your choice soon, within the next week or two—before the one you really want is taken!

Welcome to Week 6!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This week we’re talking about the Roman expansion in the East. Did the Romans deliberately set to 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 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!

Reminder: The Proposal is due Monday, March 18

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 02 Mar 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Here are a few brief reminders about the proposal, which is due very soon on Monday, March 18.

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.

Quiz #2 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Thu, 29 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

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

Welcome to Week 5!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 25 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This week, after we catch up on the expansion in Italy, we’re talking about Carthage, Rome’s greatest nemesis.

Both the First and Second Punic Wars 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!

No meeting this week

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Enjoy your recreation time, but don’t forget about the images essay and the proposal!

I’m on campus Tuesday for office hours and available by email on Thursday.

Important notes on the Images Essay (due March 4)

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 18 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Here are a few brief reminders about the Images essay, which is due very soon on Monday, March 4.

Watch the video. Make sure to watch the overview video, since that tells you exactly what I am looking for. It’s on the Images Essay page.

Thesis statement. Make sure you have an introduction with a thesis statement (your argument asserting your position on the question/problem being addressed) and a body that described and discusses three examples from the sources supporting your thesis statement. For models and explanations on how to do this, see “Writing a Position Paper” (a.k.a. “The Elephant Pamphlet”), which is on the Resources page.
Sources.

For the museum option, if you can go to a museum in person and view the works directly that is what I strongly prefer, as this option is about your subjective reactions to experiencing the works you are writing about. Remember to choose two works that have the same subject (two little girls, two warriors, two Jupiters) but from different times or places so you can talk about the implications of how the same concept was conveyed differently in different times or places.
For the film option, you need to write about the agenda of the filmmakers and the agenda of the authors of the primary source and how each is using an ancient culture to impress their own beliefs (the filmmakers’ and the authors’) on the audience. If you’re not sure about the primary sources for the film you chose, make sure to come to me and we’ll discuss.

Requirements for all papers. You must adhere to the requirements for all papers (listed on the Essay Musts page). Not meeting the requirements for all papers will mean a lower grade.
Template. There is an MS Word template already set up with some of the formatting I require on the Resources page. If you use Word I strongly recommend making use of this template. There is one for Google Docs as well.
Late papers. As per the syllabus, late papers are marked down by ten points per class meeting, up to a cap of thirty points. Avoid this penalty and block out the time you need to prepare, write, and review your essay so that it can be submitted on time.
BlackBoard. All essays are uploaded to BlackBoard. Look for “Upload Assignments Here” in the left-hand menu. Your essay needs to be uploaded as a Word (preferred) or PDF file attachment, not pasted in as text submission. If you use a browser-based word processor, you’ll need to download or export to a Word document and upload that.

I’m happy to discuss any aspects of your sources or the essay, so please come to me if there’s anything you’re not sure about. I’m looking forward to hearing your interpretations of your chosen depictions of the Roman world!

Quiz #1 grades and markups posted

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Thu, 15 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

The grades and markups for Quiz #1 are posted on the My Grades page on the course website.

Each quiz is scored out of 10. Normally on the My Grades page you’ll see the current quiz average, including the lowest quiz being dropped, but I won’t start showing that until we’ve had a couple more quizzes. That’s why right now it says there are too few grades to show an average in the Quizzes line on the My Grades pages. Later, you’ll see the average quiz grade there.

If your quiz grade isn’t what you’d like it to be, don’t panic! It’s still very early and there are lots of opportunities to improve the quiz grade, as well as getting other kinds of grades to balance things out. Quiz averages tend to improve over the semester as the quiz process and the material becomes more familiar. The key step is to come into class on time and prepared, and ask questions—by email, in office hours, and in class.

Welcome to Week 4!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sat, 10 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This week we’re taking a closer look at the Rome’s leadership—consuls, dictators, and tribunes, among others. What limited what a consul could do? What about dictators—once they were given total power, what stopped them from taking over Rome and seeking their own glory? How did these leaders relate to the senate and the assemblies?

The early Republic corresponds with the period of the Roman expansion in Italy, leading directly to conquest and empire. It seems like a straightforward progression, with Rome’s dominion getting larger and larger, like a time-lapse video. How is that impression misleading, do you think? What motivates Rome’s expansion, and what has to happen for Rome to gain new territory?

Also, is it all about Rome? What factors in Italy might have made the growth of Rome’s power possible besides Rome’s military strength and adaptability?

Roman historians like to emphasize the Sack of Rome in 390 BCE as turning the Romans toward more aggressive expansion. What do you think? What signs do you see that suggest Rome would have kept on taking more cities after Veii even without the Sack—or would they have settled down into their new and improved city-state on the Tiber and stayed put?

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

Welcome to Week 3!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Fri, 02 Feb 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This week we’re exploring the nature of the Republic—opening up the hood and seeing what makes it work.

One key concern for us this week and in the weeks to come is the factors and values that kept the Republic strong for most of five centuries. What do you think really kept the Republic going, not only well enough to survive but to prosper, expand, and become an empire?

A good way to explore how the Republic worked and how they thought about their relationship with the state is sorting out the officials and systems of the Republic. What seems strangest to you about this set-up? What’s the most impressive to you, and why? What factors do you think aren’t accounted for that might be a problem? When you think about how all of this operates on a day-to-day and year-to-year basis, what do you think is most likely to go wrong?

The most disruptive internal conflict of this time is the Conflict of the Orders. What do you think this struggle was really about? Why do you think it turned out the way that it did?

Perhaps most importantly, there's the primary source you read this week. What did you get out of it? What is this author telling us about Rome, and what idea is he most bent on trying to convince you of? How does this fit with the rest of what we’re discussing this week?

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

Welcome to Week 2!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Mon, 29 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This week we're talking about the Roman kings. What's most striking to you about the kings, and how the Romans saw them? Why do you think did their legends described such a ferocious founding king in Romulus—and why did the Romans admire and literally venerate him anyway, placing him among their gods?

What do you think the stories of Tarquin and his son tell us about the Romans? Why are the stories of the Sabine Women and Lucretia so central to a manly culture like the Romans? Setting legend aside, what do you think really made the Romans turn their backs on monarchy?

Also: If you haven’t signed up for your first presentation, please do so now! Go to the sign-up #1 page on the course website and claim one of the remaining readings. Email me with any questions.

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

Updated information on finding the textbook

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 28 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

I've updated the Books page with a few more options on finding the textbook. The 7th edition is hard to find used for much less than new, but used copies of the 6th edition are more plentiful. I’ve added links and the ISBN for the 6th edition to the page.

Welcome to Week 1!

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Sun, 21 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

This is a quick note to welcome you all to the beginning of History of Ancient Rome! I’m looking forward to exploring the ancient Roman world with all of you, starting with our first meeting on Thursday. The meeting is in-person, 6:00 – 8:40 p.m., in Carman 209.

This week we’re exploring core stuff like Roman names, the periods of Roman history, and key themes of the course—all of which is not only material we’ll be relying on regularly throughout the semester, but gives us some really useful insights onto the Roman character. What strikes you as most interesting or unexpected about the Romans? What do you want to know more about?

One thing I like to bring up in the first meeting is how we’re connected to the Romans. What parts of your life link us back to the days when Rome ruled the Mediterranean world—and why was that part of the Roman world so enduring that we still have it with us two thousand years later?

Syllabus and video: As a reminder, the syllabus, assignments, and requirements are all on the course website, which is on my website, markbwilson dot com. Make sure you’ve looked through the site and that you’ve watched the welcome video, which talks about how the course works and answers some common questions.

Books: Also make sure you have the textbook. The primary source readings are all posted on the site, but the textbook is separate and will be getting regular use starting right away. It’s available digitally and second-hand—see the Books page on the course website for more. The reading assignments are on the Schedule page of the website; they tell you what you need to have read (and thought about) before coming to class.

Email me: Many of you replied back to the welcome-to-the-course email I sent you after you enrolled, confirming that I have a good email address for you. If you didn’t, could you do me a favor and reply back to this one and let me know that I can use this address, or that that a different email is better for you? Thanks. I’ll be sending out lots of emails, including weekly previews and information on assignments, so it’s important I’m able to reach you.

Sign up for your first presentation: There is a sign-up page on the course website for your first primary source presentation, which is just you introducing one of the readings to the class along with your take on what the author is trying to say and what you think it means, as a way of kicking off our discussion of that reading. Everyone needs to sign up for one presentation during the first half of the semester, and one in the second. You can get that out of the way now and choose the one that seems interesting to you. To get to the page, click on “Presentation” in the side menu, then “Signup #1.” As always, I'm grateful to those who pick the earlier ones! If you have questions, we’ll talk more about presentations and the rest of the course components at our first meeting.

That’s it for now. Let me know if you have any questions. I’ll see you all on Thursday!

Welcome to History of Ancient Rome! (Spring 2024)

mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu — Tue, 09 Jan 2024 00:00:00 -0500

Welcome to History of Ancient Rome! I’m looking forward to an interesting semester exploring the cultures and transformations of the ancient Roman world, from its origins as a humble city-state on the fringes of civilization to the fall of the western empire.

Right now, I need you to do three things.

First, look over the course website, which will be our base of operations. Watch the quick welcome and orientation video (linked here and also on the overview page). Look through each of the pages on the website to see how the course will work and how the readings and discussions are set up. Any questions about how it works, please send me an email.

Second, get the books now if you can. A lot of you will be ordering books online, and you need to make sure you have the books and are ready to go when the course starts on January 25. On the “Books” page I’ve tried to give you lots of different options for getting what you need, but consider ordering now if there’s going to be any kind of shipping involved. (If you come across a legitimate online/e-text version of one of the assigned readings that’s not already listed, please let me know.)

Finally, please email me so that I know I have a working email address for you. You can just reply, reply and say “hi”, or reply with a question or concern, but I want to make sure I can contact everyone. If you receive an email from me but there is an email address you prefer I use instead of that one, please definitely reply and tell me that.

Email me anytime with questions at mark.wilson@lehman.cuny.edu. I look forward to starting our Roman journey together.