93141 - Rome and the Universal (LM)

Learning outcomes

At the end of the course students will have developed understanding of the conceptual grounds of the Universal claim in the Roman culture, which are to be connected to political-military elements as well as to cultural and juridical patterns. Students will show critical awareness of elements of continuity and change in representations and auto-representations of the roman universal cosmic order within historiographical debate and will be able to critically assess the relevance of the theme in the actual organisational and political patterns. Students will demonstrate capacity of applying a comparative approach to ancient sources and connect the roman idea of a Universal empire with other contemporary Universal empires, like e.g. Alexander the Great's empire or the Chinese Han dynasty’s Empire, as well as a diachronic approach, by taking into account how the notion of universal imperial rule has shaped the idea of international order after the end of Antiquity, from the Middle Ages to the present days.

Course contents

The course examines the reception of the historical experience of ancient Rome as a universal model, focusing on a number of aspects in which the influence of this historical experience was particularly significant. After a short introduction to the course (about 1 hour) and an overview of the guidelines on the use of Artificial Intelligence for exam preparation in this course (about 2 hours), the case studies to be analysed are:

1. The Roman world as the first example of a globalised world (about 5 hours).
2. The constitution of republican Rome as a model for constitutions of the modern age (about 6 hours).
3. The Roman Empire as a model for empires, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary world (about 5 hours).
4. Slavery in ancient Rome and in the modern world (about 6 hours).
5. The Roman concept of citizenship and its afterlife (about 5 hours).

Attending students are also required to write a short paper or a review of a monograph on one of the topics covered in the lectures, or on a related subject to be agreed with the teacher; alternatively, they may prepare a short oral presentation on one of these topics. Further details are provided in the Assessment section.

Readings/Bibliography

For attending students

Students with no previous background in Roman history may find it useful to read G. Woolf, Rome. An Empire's Story, Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2012. This reading is helpful for a better understanding of the topics covered in class, but will not be the subject of the final assessment.

The following readings are required for exam preparation and provide an introduction to the case studies covered in the lectures:

1. The Roman world as the first example of a globalised world: F. G. Naerebout, Global Romans? Is globalization a concept that is going to help us understand the Roman empire?, «Talanta», 38-39 (2006-2007), pp. 149-170.
2. The constitution of republican Rome as a model for constitutions of the modern age: A. Lintott, Theory of the Mixed Constitution in Rome, «Philosophia Togata, II, Plato and Aristotle at Rome», edited by J. Barnes – M. Griffin, Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1997, pp. 70-85; and D.J. Bederman, The Classical Foundations of the American Constitution. Prevailing Wisdom, Cambridge, 2008, chap. 2, pp. 50-94: Classical political models and the Founders.
3. The Roman Empire as a model for empires, from the Middle Ages to the contemporary world: A. Pagden, Lords of All the World: Ideologies of Empire in Spain, Britain and France c.1500-c.1800, London, Yale University Press, 1995, pp. 11-28.
4. Slavery in ancient Rome and in the modern world: E. Dal Lago – C. Katsari, The study of ancient and modern slave systems: setting up a program for comparison, «Slave Systems. Ancient and Modern», edited by E. Dal Lago – C. Katsari, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 2008, pp. 3-31.
5. The Roman concept of citizenship and its afterlife: C. Ando, Introduction. Sovereignty, territoriality and universalism in the aftermath of Caracalla, «Citizen and Empire in Europe 200-1900. The Antonine Constitution after 1800 years», edited by C. Ando, Stuttgart 2016, pp. 7-27; and A. Pagden, Afterword. Roman citizenship, Empire and the challenges of sovereignty, ibidem, pp. 243-256.

The specific bibliography for the paper or review will be agreed individually between students and the teacher.

Non-attending students

Non-attending students are required to read the texts listed in points 1–5 above, as well as R. Hingley, Globalising Roman Culture: Unity, Diversity and Empire, London, Routledge, 2005. Non-attending students are not required to submit a paper or a review.

Bibliography is also available on the Virtuale platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/ ).

Teaching methods

Teaching is based on lectures, delivered in presence, covering aspects in which the influence of the historical experience of Rome was particularly significant. Classes combine frontal teaching with in-class discussion, and students are expected to participate actively, in particular in reading and interpreting primary sources examined during the lectures.

Assessment methods

Regular attendance will make it easier to pass the exam. A student is considered attending if they participate in at least 75% of the classes.

The assessment, through an oral examination (for attending students, based also on the discussion of the paper or review, or on the oral presentation), will test:

• knowledge of the case studies concerning the reception of the historical experience of ancient Rome as a universal model;
• a critical approach to ancient evidence and to modern historiographical interpretations;
• a good ability to communicate orally, in particular skills in synthesis and logical organisation of the topics, and command of an appropriate vocabulary;
• for attending students, a good ability to communicate in written or oral form — including, for those who choose the oral presentation, the ability to organise and deliver a clear and well-structured 20-30 minute presentation — in addition to the correctness and completeness of the contents, skills in organising the arguments in logical order and the use of terminology and a style appropriate to the discipline.

For each of the criteria outlined above, the following grading scale will be applied:

• Excellent (30 cum laude)
• Very Good (28-30)
• Good (25-27)
• Satisfactory (22-24)
• Sufficient (18-21)

The assessment of the individual criteria will contribute to determining the final grade. In assessing attending students, regular and active participation in the lectures will also be taken into account.

The oral examination lasts about 25-30 minutes. For attending students, it typically consists of:

• two questions on the case studies concerning the reception of the historical experience of ancient Rome as a universal model (based on lecture notes, on slides presented in class, and on the articles listed above);
• a discussion of the paper or review, or the delivery of the oral presentation, on a topic agreed in advance with the teacher.

For non-attending students, the oral examination (also lasting about 25-30 minutes) consists of three questions:

• two questions on the case studies concerning the reception of the historical experience of ancient Rome as a universal model (based on the articles listed above);
• a question on R. Hingley, Globalizing Roman Culture: Unity, Diversity and Empire, London, Routledge, 2005.

Attending students who choose to write a paper or review must submit it (15,000-30,000 characters, including spaces) at least one week before the exam date. For attending students who choose to give an oral presentation, the presentation takes place during the oral exam itself, immediately after the questions on the rest of the syllabus, and should last 20-30 minutes.

Students with learning disorders and/or temporary or permanent disabilities are kindly requested to contact the relevant office (https://site.unibo.it/studenti-con-disabilita-e-dsa/en/for-students ) as soon as possible; the office will propose suitable adjustments, which must in any case be submitted for the lecturer's approval at least 15 days before the exam date. The lecturer will assess the appropriateness of the proposed adjustments in light of the course's learning objectives.

In preparing for the exam, and specifically when drafting the paper or review, or preparing the oral presentation, substantial use of generative AI is permitted and encouraged. Regardless of the format chosen for this part of the assignment, students must submit a brief written critical-analysis appendix — following the same one-week submission deadline as the paper or review — indicating which AI tools they used, for what purpose, their strengths and limitations, any errors encountered, the checks carried out on the generated content, and their own original contribution. These aspects will also be discussed during the oral exam and will carry significant weight in the final grade. After the general presentation of the course, we will discuss in class some guidelines for the appropriate use of these tools.

There are ten exam sessions over the course of the academic year, open to all students: in November, December, January, February, March, May, June, July, September and October — in short, one session every month except April and August. Exams are usually held around the middle of the month; for exact dates, times and venues, please check the calendar at https://www.unibo.it/sitoweb/alessandro.cristofori/teachings?tab=appelli.

Teaching tools

In lectures we will use PowerPoint slides, which will be made available on the Virtuale platform (https://virtuale.unibo.it/ ). Bibliographic materials for the paper, review, or oral presentation will be indicated in individual meetings with students; these materials are mainly available in digital format, or from the Library of the Department of Storia Culture Civiltà – Ancient History Section, Via Zamboni 38, 2nd floor.

Generative AI can be a useful tool to support individual study, for example through further reading, summaries, and self-assessment exercises, and it may play a particularly relevant role in preparing the paper, review, or oral presentation. Guidelines on the appropriate use of AI in exam preparation will be presented and discussed in class.

Office hours

See the website of Alessandro Cristofori