Roman Empire

The Roman Empire

HIST 40303/50303 • Fall 2025

This course counts towards the Histories of Global Cultures and Societies & Histories of Statemaking and the Limits of Power Concentrations

Relief from a triumphal monument showing the Emperor Nerva and the Roman gods

Instructor: Dr. Charles E. Muntz

Time: MWF 9:40-10:30 am

Place: SCEN 205

Dr. Muntz's Office: 408 Old Main

Office Hours: M 1:00-2:30

Phone: (479) 575-5891

Email: cmuntz@uark.edu

Overview

History of Rome from the Emperor Augustus to Constantine, ca. 30 BCE - 337 CE. Topics include the sources for imperial Rome, the organization of imperial government, the reigns of individual emperors, the provinces of Rome and provincial government, art and literature under the empire, the rise of Christianity, and the conversion of the Empire.

Learning Objectives (Undergraduates)

Students will be able to evaluate the ancient sources for the Roman Empire and the problems with using them.

Students will understand the evolution of the figure of the Roman Emperor from Augustus to the Dominate of the 4th century.

Students will understand the development of the Roman Empire from Augustus to the conversion to Christianity.

Students will be able to describe the development of the Roman provinces and the process of “Romanization"

Learning Objectives (Graduates) - all of the above, plus

Engage with and evaluate modern scholarship on the Roman Empire

Assess historiographic trends on the Roman Empire

Workload

Exams: There will be an in-class midterm on September 19, and a final exam on December 8 at 10:15-12:15. Both will consist of short identifications and essay questions. Bring an exam book.

Short Paper: A 1600-1800 word paper comparing Tacitus' adaptation of the Lyons Speech of Claudius with Claudius' original speech, due September 15 by 5pm. Assignment here.

Long Paper (Undergraduates): A 3200-3600 word paper analyzing Plutarch's, Suetonius's, and Tacitus's accounts of the Emperor Galba, due December 5 by 5pm. Assignment here.

Long Paper (Graduates): A 3500-4000 word research paper on a topic of the student's choice, in consultation with the professor, due December 5 by 5pm.

Class Discussion: Certain class periods are set aside for class discussions. Questions based on the primary sources to get things started can be found here, but feel free to raise other issues or questions on your own.

Attendance: Regular attendance is important. I will allow each student to miss up to three classes without penalty to cover things like illness and religious observances. However, absences on discussion days or days when graded material is due are not permitted except by prior arrangement or in case of emergencies. Please email me in advance if you are going to miss class. For each absence after the first three, unless there is a serious problem, I will lower the final participation grade by 10 points. If you do have to miss a class, make sure you meet with another student to find out what you missed!

Grade Breakdown:

Participation: 15%

Paper 1: 15%

Paper 2: 30%

Midterm: 15%

Final: 25%

Reading Materials

Required Texts:

Birley, A. R. Tacitus: Agricola & Germany. ISBN 019953926X - The Library has an eBook of this as well with unlimited access.

Fagles, Robert. Virgil: The Aeneid. ISBN 9780143106296

Fyfe, W. H. Tacitus: The Histories. ISBN 9780199540709

Yardley, J. C. and A. Barret, trans. Tacitus: The Annals. ISBN 019282421X - The Library has an eBook of this as well with unlimited access.

Other texts will be made available via links under the Daily Topics

Super resource if you need to look up a person or topic (much better than Wikipedia or other web sources):

The Oxford Classical Dictionary

Policies

Academic Integrity: As a core part of its mission, the University of Arkansas provides students with the opportunity to further their educational goals through programs of study and research in an environment that promotes freedom of inquiry and academic responsibility. Accomplishing this mission is only possible when intellectual honesty and individual integrity prevail.

Each University of Arkansas student is required to be familiar with and abide by the University’s ‘Academic Integrity Policy’ which may be found at http://provost.uark.edu/. Students with questions about how these policies apply to a particular course or assignment should immediately contact their instructor.

Equal Access: University of Arkansas Academic Policy Series 1520.10 requires that students with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodations to ensure their equal access to course content. If you have a documented disability and require accommodations, please contact me privately at the beginning of the semester to make arrangements for necessary classroom adjustments. Please note, you must first verify your eligibility for these through the Center for Educational Access (contact 479-575-3104 or visit http://cea.uark.edu for more information on registration procedures).

Unauthorized Websites or Internet Resources: There are many websites claiming to offer study aids to students, but in using such websites, students could find themselves in violation of our University’s Academic Integrity and Code of Student Life policies. These websites include (but are not limited to) Quizlet, Bartleby, Course Hero, Chegg, and Clutch Prep, as well as AI such as ChatGPT. The U of A does not endorse the use of these products in an unethical manner. These websites may encourage students to upload course materials, such as test questions, individual assignments, and examples of graded material. Such materials are the intellectual property of instructors, the university, or publishers and may not be distributed without prior authorization. Furthermore, paying for academic work to be completed on your behalf and submitting it for academic credit is considered ‘contract cheating’ per the Academic Integrity Policy. Students found responsible for this type of violation face a grading penalty of ‘XF’ and a minimum one-semester academic suspension per the University of Arkansas Sanction Rubric. Please let me know if you are uncertain about the use of a website.

Unauthorized Recording by Student: Recording, or transmission of a recording, of all or any portion of a class is prohibited unless the recording is necessary for educational accommodation as expressly authorized and documented through the Center for Educational Access with proper advance notice to the instructor. Unauthorized recordings may violate federal law, state law, and university policies. Student-made recordings are subject to the same restrictions as instructor- made recordings. Failure to comply with this provision will result in a referral to the Office of Student Standards and Conduct for potential charges under the Code of Student Life. In situations where the recordings are used to gain an academic advantage, it may also be considered a violation of the University of Arkansas' academic integrity policy.

Recording of Class Lectures: By attending this class, student understands the course may be recorded and consents to being recorded for official university educational purposes. Be aware that incidental recording may also occur before and after official class times.

Unauthorized Use and Distribution of Class Notes: Third parties may attempt to connect with you to buy your notes and other course information from this class. I will consider distributing course materials to a third party without my authorization a violation of my intellectual property rights and/or copyright law as well as a violation of the University of Arkansas' academic integrity policy. Continued enrollment in this class signifies your intent to abide by the policy. Any violation will be reported to the Office of Academic Initiatives and Integrity.

Please be aware that such class materials that may have already been given to such third parties may contain errors, which could affect your performance or grade. If a third party should contact you regarding such an offer, I would appreciate your bringing this to my attention. We all play a part in creating a course climate of integrity.

Inclement Weather: If the University cancels in-person classes due to winter weather, I will hold lecture classes via Zoom at the normal time. The link will be distributed by email beforehand. I will record the lecture and make the recording available for a limited time for those who are unable to attend. If it would be a discussion, it will be postponed until the next in-person class, and I will deliver the next lecture by Zoom instead.

Miscellaneous: Please turn off and put away all cell phones and any other non-course related items and finish any food you might be eating before coming into class. Drinks are acceptable. Please remain seated during class - if you need to use the lavatory, do so before or after class.

Daily Topics and Reading Assignments

Week 1

August 18: Introduction

August 20: The Dying Republic

Sallust: Preface to the Bellum Catilinae

August 22: Caesar's Heir

Week 2

August 25: The Civil Wars

Livy: Preface

August 27: The New Order

Virgil: Aeneid Books 1 & 2

August 29: The City of Marble