CLST 277: The World of Late Antiquity Spring Semester 2017 Tuesdays & Thursdays 9:30-10:45pm Section A04 Dr. David Lambert Email: dlambert1@luc.edu Office Hours: Mondays 11:45am-12:45pm, or by appointment Course Description This course is a survey of the history and culture of Late Antiquity the age of the end of the Roman empire in the West and the transition from the ancient world to the middle ages. It covers the period from about 250 AD to about 570 AD: from the Third Century Crisis which almost brought about the fall of the Roman Empire to the age of the emperor Justinian, encompassing the recovery of the Roman Empire, its adoption of Christianity under the emperor Constantine, its division into eastern and western empires, the fall of the western empire in the fifth century and its replacement by early medieval kingdoms, and the attempted reconquest of the west by Justinian. As well as political history, the course also covers major developments in the history of religion during late antiquity, and in late Roman and early medieval culture. This course has no prerequisites and assumes no prior knowledge of Roman or early medieval history. Learning Outcomes This course is a survey of the history of the Roman and post-roman world from the mid 3rd century to the mid 6th century AD. By the end of the course, students should be able to: Demonstrate knowledge of the events, institutions, trends, major historical figures, and significant political, cultural and social accomplishments of the age. Show awareness of the problems and debates concerning key themes from this period of history. Demonstrate an understanding of the working of historical mechanisms by scrutinizing, evaluating and critically analyzing the source material, and being sensitive to the problems of interpreting evidence. Required Text / Materials Stephen Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-641, 2 nd edition (Wiley Blackwell, 2014). Reader Attendance Policy In accordance with the JFRC mission to promote a higher level of academic rigor, all courses adhere to the following absence policy: For all classes meeting once a week, students cannot incur more than one unexcused absence. For all classes meeting twice a week, students cannot incur more than two unexcused absences. For all classes meeting three times a week, students cannot incur more than two unexcused absences. 1
This course meets twice a week, thus a total of two unexcused absence(s) will be permitted. Unexcused absences beyond these will result in a lowering of your final grade. Evaluation Final grade assessments will be based on the combination of two exams, one mid-term and one final, and one essay concerning a topic of free choice and based on primary sources and secondary literature. A small percentage of each student s grade will be derived from attendance and participation. Midterm Exam 30 % Essay 30 % Final Exam 30 % Participation 10 % The two exams test knowledge and understanding of the material in the textbook (Stephen Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire), the topics dealt with in the lectures and seminars, and the additional literature prescribed for each class. The textbook provides a general outline of the developments of Roman history, society and culture in the period. Grading 94-100: A 90-93: A- 87-89: B+ 84-86: B 80-83: B- 77-79: C+ 74-76: C 70-73: C- 67-69: D+ 60-66: D 59 or lower: F Written work and examinations meriting the grade of A (excellent) must: address the assigned question or topic directly and intelligently; demonstrate a careful and considered reading of the texts at hand; present a lucid thesis and a reasoned argument in its defense; use correct grammar, punctuation, and sentence construction; make appropriate use of quotations from the texts; reveal thoughtfulness, originality and insight. Written work and examinations awarded the grade of B (good) adequately fulfil a majority of these criteria, with areas of improvement indicated by grading remarks and comments. The grade of C (average) is given when written work and examinations fail to meet most criteria, therefore indicating to the student that an appointment should be made with the professor, before the next assignment, to discuss methods for improvement. 2
Finally, the grade of D is assigned to written work and examinations that are unacceptable, according to the criteria outlined above, in which case an appointment must be made with the professor and arrangements determined for re-submitting the assignments in an acceptable form. The Essay Students are free to choose their own essay topic (within the general subject matter of the course), in consultation with the instructor. All essay topics must be approved by the instructor, and students must produce a rough draft of their essay for review before final submission of the essay. Students are expected to base their essay on suitable reading, consisting of relevant primary sources and appropriate modern scholarly literature (books, journal articles, scholarly reference works, whether in printed or online form). They must show that they have made a reasonable effort to read and engage with any reading for their essay suggested by the instructor. This semester s timetable is as follows: deadline for essay proposals, Thursday 16 March (Wk 8); deadline for submission of draft, Thursday 6 April (Wk 11); final submission deadline, Thursday 20 April (Wk 13). Essays submitted after the final deadline will be penalized by a grade. Essays have a word-limit of 3,000 words, including footnotes/endnotes. Academic Honesty Plagiarism and other forms of academic dishonesty are unacceptable at the JFRC and will be dealt with in accordance with Loyola University Chicago s guidelines. Please familiarize yourself with Loyola s standards here: http://www.luc.edu/academics/catalog/undergrad/reg_academicintegrity.shtml. You are responsible for understanding what constitutes plagiarism according to the LUC Student Handbook. Disabilities Students with documented disabilities who wish to discuss academic accommodations should contact me the first week of class, as well as the Senior Academic Services Advisor. 3
Class Schedule Week 1: The Third Century Crisis Stephen Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, AD 284-641 (2 nd edition, Wiley Blackwell 2014), 1-50. Fergus Millar, The Roman Empire and its Neighbours (New York, 1967), 239-248. John Drinkwater, Maximinus to Diocletian and the Crisis, in A. Bowman, A. Cameron, & P. Garnsey (eds.) The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. XII, The Crisis of Empire, AD 193-337 (Cambridge 2005), 28-66. Week 2: The New Empire: Diocletian Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 51-66. A.H.M. Jones, The Later Roman Empire, 284 602. A Social, Economic, and Administrative Survey, 2 vols. (Baltimore, 1986), vol. I, 37-76. Simon Corcoran, The Empire of the Tetrarchs. Imperial Pronouncements and Government, 284 324 (Oxford, 2000), 205-233. G.E.M. de Ste. Croix, Aspects of the Great Persecution, Harvard Theological Review, 47.2 (1954), 75-113. Week 3: The New Empire: Constantine Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 66-78, 276-85. A.H.M. Jones, The Later Roman Empire, 284 602. A Social, Economic, and Administrative Survey, 2 vols. (Baltimore, 1986), vol. I, 77-111. Peter Weiss, The Vision of Constantine, Journal of Roman Archaeology 16 (2003), 237-259. H.A. Drake, Constantine and the Bishops: The Politics of Intolerance, 3-34, 192-231. Week 4: Church and State Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 242-276. Ramsay MacMullen, What difference did Christianity make, in MacMullen, Changes in the Roman Empire. Essays in the Ordinary (Princeton, 1990), 142-155. Richard Lim, Christian triumph and controversy, in: G.W. Bowersock, Peter Brown, Oleg Grabar, Late Antiquity. A Guide to the Postclassical World (Cambridge, Mass./London,1999; repr. 2000), 196-218. Week 5: The Reign of Julian Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 78-84, 285-90. G.W. Bowersock, Julian the Apostate (Cambridge, Mass., 1981), 46-65, 79-93. Mar Marcos, He Forced with Gentleness : Emperor Julian s Attitude to Religious Coercion, Antiquité Tardive 17 (2009), 191-204. Rowland Smith, Julian s Gods. Religion and Philosophy in the Thought and Action of Julian the Apostate (London 1995), 179-218. 4
Week 6: The Late Roman State Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 84-89, 165-205. Ramsay MacMullen, Corruption and the Decline of Rome (New Haven, 1988), 122-170. John Matthews, The Roman Empire of Ammianus (London, 1989), 231-278. Week 7: Economy and Society Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 325-354. Ramsay MacMullen, Social Mobility and the Theodosian Code, Journal of Roman Studies 54 (1964), 49-53. Peter Garnsey and Caroline Humfress, The Evolution of the Late Antique World (Cambridge, 2001), 107-131. Week 8: Religion and Culture in the Age of Augustine and Jerome Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 90-94, 290-324. Edward J. Watts, The Last Pagan Generation (Berkeley 2015), ch. 7. Brent D. Shaw, The family in Late Antiquity: the experience of Augustine, Past & Present 115 (1987), 3-51. Alan Cameron, The last pagans of Rome, in W.V. Harris (ed.), The Transformation of Vrbs Roma in Late Antiquity (JRA Supplementary Series 33; Portsmouth RI, 1999), 109-121. Week 9: The Disintegration of the Western Empire Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 96-112, 117-121, 123-125, 206-241. Peter Heather, The Huns and the End of the Roman Empire in Western Europe, English Historical Review 110 (1995), 4-41. Guy Halsall, The Barbarian Invasions, in P. Fouracre (ed.), The New Cambridge Medieval History, vol. 1 (Cambridge 1999), 35-55. Week 10: Constantinople and the East Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 112-117, 121-123, 125-132, 355-408. A.H.M. Jones, The Later Roman Empire, 284 602: A Social, Economic, and Administrative Survey, 2 vols. (Baltimore, 1986), vol. I, 687-711. Bryan Ward-Perkins, Old and New Rome Compared: The Rise of Constantinople, in L. Grig and G. Kelly (eds.), Two Romes: Rome and Constantinople in Late Antiquity (New York 2012), 53-78. Fergus Millar, A Greek Roman Empire: Power and Belief under Theodosius II, 408-450 (Berkeley 2006), 39-83. Week 11: Justinian: the Empire Strikes Back Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 132-164. Michael Maas, Roman Questions, Byzantine Answers: Contours of the Age of Justinian, in M. Maas (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian (Cambridge 2006), 3-27. Averil Cameron, Justin I and Justinian, in A. Cameron, B. Ward-Perkins, and M. Whitby (eds.), The Cambridge Ancient History, vol. XIV, Late Antiquity. Empire and Successors, A.D. 425-600 (Cambridge, 2000), 63-85. 5
Averil Cameron, Procopius (London, 1985), 49-83. Week 12: Urban Change and the End of Antiquity? Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 408-440, 466-496. J.H.W.G. Liebeschuetz, The end of the ancient city, in J. Rich (ed.), The City in Late Antiquity (London and New York, 1992), 1-49. Bryan Ward-Perkins, The Fall of Rome and the End of Civilization (Oxford, 2005), 138-168. Peregrine Horden, Mediterranean Plague in the Age of Justinian, in M. Maas (ed.), The Cambridge Companion to the Age of Justinian (Cambridge 2006), 134-160. 6