Culture, identity and power in the Roman empire
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| 7 Tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) | |
| Examination | No residential school |
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Summary
What did it mean to be ‘Roman’ in the Roman Empire? Is it possible to speak of a single ‘Roman’ culture imposed or maintained through imperial power? We ask how culture, identity and power were shaped in particular contexts by social factors such as religion, gender, the economy and status, presenting case studies of the emperor, Roman Italy, Greece and Asia Minor, Britain, North Africa and certain groups in Roman Judaea. This interdisciplinary course will enable you to develop your own skills of analysis and evaluation across a range of ancient source materials, and their treatment in modern post-colonial culture.
Course content
By studying this course, you’ll gain a knowledge and understanding of the culture of the Roman Empire (until the beginning of the third century AD) through a combination of disciplines, such as literature, archaeology and art, using a variety of teaching media. An introduction sets out the central issues and the ancient sources available as evidence, and outlines some of the historical factors in the emergence of the Roman Empire. Then the first block presents short case studies to consider the role of the Roman emperor. The other five blocks examine issues of culture, identity and power in different parts of the Empire, chosen to raise a variety of questions.
In Block 2 you’ll look at Roman Italy and how the expansion of the Empire affected the peninsula outside the city of Rome. For example, it asks the questions: What was ‘Roman’ about the towns of Italy, their way of life and their populations? What was the power relationship between Rome and Italy, and between Italy and the Empire?
In Block 3 you’ll consider Roman Greece and Asia Minor, in particular Athens and Ephesus. Looking at the intellectual phenomenon known as the ‘second Sophistic’, it examines how the culture of the Roman Empire was related to the traditions of the Hellenic world.
In Block 4 you’ll study Britain. This gives you an opportunity to consider the effect of military conquest and occupation on a land with a non-classical indigenous culture. This block also introduces questions about how images of Romans and the British have been received and treated in post-classical British culture, including their presentation in museum displays.
In Block 5, you’ll study economic links and trade between Rome and Roman North Africa, and the establishment of identity through material and literary culture.
The last block asks you to reflect on what the Roman Empire may have meant across the multiplicity of cultures and identities that it covered, drawing together some themes that have run through the course and offering cases of countercultures and criticism of the Empire. The block begins with a case study on constructions of the Roman Empire in New Testament writings, which introduces some non-elite points of view. This is followed by revision.
By the end of the course you will have developed:
- skills required for independent learning at third level
- skills in analysing and evaluating sources of evidence for the ancient world, and in particular for how culture, identity and power operated as factors in various parts of the Roman empire
- an awareness of some debates in modern scholarship about this period, and an ability to approach them critically.
Entry
This is a Level 3 course. Level 3 courses build on study skills and subject knowledge acquired from studies at Levels 1 and 2. They are intended only for students who have recent experience of higher education in a related subject, preferably at the OU. Although no particular courses are required before beginning this one, we recommend that you should have taken at least two arts courses, at Levels 1 and 2. This is because the course has been designed to enable you to apply and develop skills in working with source material that you would get from interdisciplinary or single-discipline courses at Level 2. You need no experience of studying the ancient world, or knowledge of Latin or Greek, but a course such as Exploring the classical world (A219) (or discontinued courses A209 or A295) would be useful preparation.
If you have any doubt about the suitability of the course, please contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
Qualifications
AA309 is an optional course in our
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03)
- BA (Honours) Humanities (B03) (with Classical Studies)
- BA/BSc (Honours) European Studies (B10)
- BA (Honours) History (B01)
- Diploma in Classical Studies (D31)
It can also count towards most of our other degrees at bachelors level, where it is suitable for a BA. We advise you to refer to the relevant qualification descriptions for information on the circumstances in which this course can count towards these qualifications because from time to time the structure and requirements may change.
If you have a disability or additional requirement
Alternative questions will be offered when set work depends on visual evidence, but the course as a whole does include a significant amount of visual material. The course materials are available on audio in DAISY Digital Talking Book format. The course materials are available in Adobe Portable Document Format (PDF). Some PDF components may not be available or fully accessible using a screen reader and scientific, mathematical, foreign language, musical or graphic materials may be particularly difficult to read in this way. The printed course material is available in comb-bound format. Written transcripts are available for the audio-visual material. Other formats may be available in the future. Our Services for disabled students website has the latest information about availability.
If you are a new student, or new to courses using a computer or the internet, you will need to inform us of your particular needs as soon as possible, as some of our support services may take several weeks to arrange. Details of how to do this and our range of support services are described in our booklet Meeting your needs which you can download or request from our Student Registration & Enquiry Service.
You can also find information about accessible course materials, financial support and the Disabled Students' Allowance, equipment and other services, on our Services for disabled students website. It also includes our contact details for advice and support both before you register and while you are studying.
Course materials
What's included
Course books, other printed materials, audio CDs, DVD, course website.
You will need
DVD and CD players.
Computing requirements
This course includes online computer activities – you can access these using a web browser that can play Flash and Shockwave.
You will need internet access and a computer. If you have purchased a new computer since 2002 it should meet your course computing requirements. Check our Technical Requirements section if your computer is older than this or is otherwise unusual.
Materials to buy
Set books
- Goodman, Martin The Roman World, 44 BC-AD 180, Routledge £22.99 - ISBN 9780415049702
- Lewis, N & Reinhold, M (eds) Roman Civilization Vol. II (3rd edn), Columbia University Press £33.95 - ISBN 9780231071338
- Wells, C M The Roman Empire (2nd edn), Fontana Press £9.99 - ISBN 9780006862529
Teaching and assessment
Support from your tutor
You will have a tutor who will help you with the course material and mark and comment on your written work, and whom you can ask for advice and guidance. We may also be able to offer group tutorials or day schools that you are encouraged, but not obliged, to attend. Where your tutorials are held will depend on the distribution of students taking the course. Contact our Student Registration & Enquiry Service if you want to know more about study with The Open University before you register.
Assessment
The assessment details for this course can be found in the facts box above.
You can choose whether to submit your tutor-marked assignments (TMAs) on paper or online through the eTMA system. You may want to use the eTMA system for some of your assignments but submit on paper for others. This is entirely your choice.
The last TMA is double weighted. Assessment is an essential part of the teaching, so you are expected to complete it all. But if you unavoidably miss or do badly in an assignment, some courses allow you a ‘substitution score’. In AA309 this rule can apply to one only of the first six assignments. You will be given more detailed information when you begin the course.
Students also studied
Students who studied this course also studied at some time:
Future availability
The details given here are for the course that starts in February 2010 when it will be available for the last time. We hope that there will be a new 60-point course in classical studies starting in October 2010.
How to register
To register a place on this course return to the top of the page and use the Click to register button. For more information and advice about registration see OU Study Explained.
About this page
An undergraduate course in Arts and Humanities.
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