AH 290-2: ANCIENT ROME AND ITS MONUMENTS
John Cabot University, Spring Semester 2013
Wednesdays, 9:15 a.m. - 12:00 p.m., on location in Rome; rooms for midterm exam and evening sessions to be confirmed
3 credits; 45 contact hours
Professor: Lila E. Yawn, Ph.D.
Email: lila.yawn@gmail.com ; office hours by appointment

NOTA BENE: This version of the syllabus replaces and supercedes the version previously posted on line.

Description

This upper-level survey course examines the art and architecture of ancient Rome from the traditional date of the city’s founding in 753 BCE to the year in 312 CE, when Constantine the Great captured the city, paving the way for the major cultural shifts of the fourth and fifth centuries. This specific section of AH290 focuses upon art and architecture as evidence for daily life in ancient Rome. Through the direct study of archeological sites, buildings, sculptures, paintings, ceramics, and other objects, accompanied by directed readings of ancient sources in translation, the course assists students in cultivating a vivid vision of ancient Rome and the lives of its inhabitants—their material surroundings, social organization, work lives, religious practices, and leisure activities. All class meetings, except for those for the midterm and final examinations and two in-class sessions (see spreadsheet), take place at archaeological sites and museums in or near Rome.

Objectives
In this course students will learn to: • Describe the major features of ancient Roman topography and the milestones of the city’s political and demographic development; • Accurately elaborate on how ancient Romans lived, citing specific, supporting examples from ancient Roman material and visual culture and from critical readings of primary sources in translation; • Apply the chief methods of art-historical analysis, with