HS 427 Ancient Rome & America

Course Overview

Syllabus

ESSENTIAL QUESTIONS:

How did ancient Romans live?             Social History/Artifacts

Who built the Roman Empire ?            Biography/ Oration

Christianity and the Decline of the Empire        Debate/Reading Journals          

Did classical Roman civilization influence the creation & development of the American Republic?  

“Your task, Roman…will be to govern the peoples of the world in your empire.  These will be your arts-and to impose a settled pattern upon peace, to pardon the defeated and war down the proud.”                                                          -Vergil, Aeneid

SUMMARY :    This History elective  will explore the history and culture of ancient Rome in first century before Christ, the time of Julius Caesar, the Augustan Era ( 27 B.C.E.- 14 C.E. ), and through the rise of Christianity under Constantine in the 3^rd Century  C.E.  Field trips to the Worcester Art Museum or the M.F.A. will allow students to explore the cultural and political history of Rome through art and archaeology.  Each week, we will investigate a topic or theme in Ancient Roman society through diverse sources (documents, art, maps, films, documentaries, literature) and conclude each week with an Essential Knowledge Quiz .   These topics will inform and relate to three major projects for the course. First, we will try to imagine and research how ancient Romans lived:  food, clothing, work, religion, architecture, entertainment, etc.  We will use artifacts and/or archaeological evidence for this first unit.  The rise and expansion of the Empire from Italy to the Mediterranean world will be the focus of Unit 2. We will explore and re-present the people who built this empire in a biographical project.  Finally, we will use our new understanding of classical Roman civilization to make connections to the modern world, specifically the creation & development of the American Republic in the 18^th Century.   You will choose an area of interest, and research the legacy of Rome in the modern world or modern America.  In what ways is modern civilization similar to Ancient Rome?  Are there lessons for the “American Empire” in the fall of the Roman Empire?    

Major Resources :

• Ancient Rome: The Rise and Fall of an Empire , Simon Baker (2006)

• Rome in the First Century , PBS Documentary

• Roman City, PBS & David Macaulay

• Gladiator, Film (2000)

• World History Chapter 5 ‘The Roman Republic: Rise and Fall of Empire’  (5 Sections)

• Museum of Fine Arts (Field Trip)  

• Museum of Science “A Day in  Pompeii” Exhibit (2012)   Online resources   www.mos.org