| Course Title: Bad Roman Emperors |
| Start Date: 01/28/2025 End Date: 05/13/2025 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2025 |
| Description: Caligula was a god (or so he thought); Nero fiddled while Rome burned; Commodus dressed as a gladiator and fought man and beast in the arena. The historical tradition of Rome is replete with stories about eccentric and insane emperors whose scandalous reigns raise questions about the nature of the emperor's power and his role in administering the empire. A close study of Roman imperial biography and historiography -- the source of so many of these stories of bad emperors -- weighed against documentary evidence and material remains reveals the dynamic between the emperor, his court, and his subjects that was fundamental to the political culture of imperial Rome. |
| Distribution(s): I - Humanities |
| Academic Level Of Course: Undergraduate | Credits:4.00 |
| Faculty | Phone | Email address |
| Geoffrey Sumi | 413-538-2277 | gsumi@mtholyoke.edu |
| Meeting Dates | Method | Meeting days | Meeting times | Building name | Room | Frequency |
| 01/28/2025 - 05/13/2025 | Seminar | Tuesday and Thursday | 03:15PM - 04:30PM | SKNR - Skinner Hall | 212 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| Prereq: 8 credits in Classics, Latin, Greek, Classical Studies, or History. | Take previously | Required |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| This course will open to History majors and minors in the second week of preregistration. |
| Course Tags | ||
| CLASS0001 | CLAS: Classical Studies major | This course has been approved to count towards the Classical Studies major and/or minor. |
| CLASS0001 | CLAS: Classical Studies minor | This course has been approved to count towards the Classical Studies major and/or minor. |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| CLAS-320-01 Bad Roman Emperors |
| HIST-320-01 Bad Roman Emperors |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 18 | Enrollment: 16 | Available: 2 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| Title: Tacitus. The Annals Author: Yardley, J. C. Copyright: 2008 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780192824219 Publisher: Oxford University Press |
Required | 16.95 |
| Title: Suetonius. Lives of the Caesars Author: Edwards, Catherine Copyright: 2000 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 97802832719. Publisher: Oxford University Press |
Required | 12.95 |
| Title: The Death of Caligula Author: Wiseman, T. P. Copyright: 2014 Edition: 2nd Volume: ISBN: 9781846319631 Publisher: Liverpool University Press |
Required | 19.95 |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is the complete book list for this class. |
| Instructor's comments about the book list: The last book on the list "Death of Caligula" is available as an e-book through the MHC library. |