| Course Title: Bread and Circuses: The Politics of Public Entertainment in Ancient Rome |
| Start Date: 01/27/2026 End Date: 05/12/2026 |
| Term: Spring Semester 2026 |
| Description: Bread and circuses (panem et circenses) was a catchphrase in the Roman empire that described the political strategy of controlling an unruly populace through free bread and public entertainment. Against a backdrop of Roman social and political institutions, this course focuses on the imperial ideology, aristocratic ethos, and cultural practices that underpinned this catchphrase, as well as questions concerning the careers of entertainers -- gladiators, charioteers, and actors -- who were at once celebrities and social outcasts; the rules of spectatorship at the games; the use of these games as a form of social control; and the logistics of feeding the city population. |
| 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 |
| 01/27/2026 - 05/12/2026 | Seminar | Tuesday and Thursday | 03:15PM - 04:30PM | CLAP - Clapp Laboratory | 306 | Weekly |
| Requisite Courses | ||
| None |
| Comments |
| Additional Comments |
| Taught in English. |
| 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. |
| CLASS0002 | CLAS-HS: Classical Studies - Historical | This course has been approved to count towards the Classical Studies major in the Historical subject area. |
| PRI0001 | Used to identify primary sides of crosslisted courses for Workday conversion |
| Cross-listed Sections |
| CLAS-226-01 Bread and Circuses |
| HIST-226-01 Bread and Circuses |
| Course Availability | ||||
| Section status: Open | Capacity: 38 | Enrollment: 26 | Available: 12 | Waitlist: 0 |
BOOK INFORMATION
| Book List | Required | Publisher Full Price |
| Title: Life, Death, and Entertainment in the Roman Empire Author: Potter, D.S. Copyright: 2010 Edition: rev Volume: ISBN: Publisher: University of Michigan Press |
Required | 24.66 |
| Title: The Roman Games Author: Futrell, Alison Copyright: 2006 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9781405115681 Publisher: Wiley-Blackwell |
Required | 35.92 |
| Title: Daily Life in Ancient Rome: A Sourcebook Author: Harvey, Brian K. Copyright: 2016 Edition: Volume: ISBN: 9780585107957 Publisher: Focus |
Required | 24.95 |
| Additional Book Comments |
| This is the complete book list for this class. |