Instructor: Randall M. Colaizzi
Department of Classical Studies, Rabb 128
Phone: 508-259-1202
E-mail: colaizzi@brandeis.edu
Office Hours: Tuesdays and Fridays 1:30-2:30, & by appointment.

This course satisfies requirements for both creative arts (CA) and humanities (HUM).
If you are a student with a documented disability on record at Brandeis University and wish to have a reasonable accommodation made for you in this class, please see me immediately.

Required Texts:
Fred S. Kleiner, A History of Roman Art, Thomson Wadsworth, ISBN: 0-534-63846-5 (Kleiner)
JoAnn Shelton, As the Romans Did, Oxford Univ. Press, ISBN: 0-19-508974-X (Shelton)

Required (posted on LATTE):
Paul MacKendrick, The Mute Stones Speak, W.W. Norton & Co., ISBN: 0-393-30119-2 (MacKendrick)
Frank Sear, Roman Architecture, Cornell Univ. Press, ISBN: 0-80149245-9 (Sear)

Recommended:
J. J. Pollitt, The Art of Rome: c. 753 BC – AD 337, Cambridge Univ. Press, ISBN:052127365-X, (Pollitt)

Most required and recommended texts are also on RESERVE (R) in the library along with other suggested reading material for the course.
Check LATTE, as well. The readings from MacKendrick and Sear are posted there.

Course Description:
      This survey course is designed to familiarize students with the art and architecture of ancient Rome, from the founding of the city to the end of the Empire. We consider monumental and domestic architecture, wall painting, mosaics, sculpture, occasional coins and epigraphic evidence, as well as maps and ancient sources. In addition to ancient Rome itself, Pompeii, Herculaneum, and Ostia, various cities in the provinces are also examined in some detail in order to provide understanding of the original contexts for these media. We want to know how ancient art and objects of daily life were used, viewed, and appreciated by their original patrons and owners as well as how to recognize and date them. If you take the course seriously, you will time travel to ancient Rome, and that is an aerobic exercise, I promise.

Course Requirements:

1. You should be present (in mind and body) and participate as actively as you can during lectures and discussions.  Questions are always welcome and encouraged. Class attendance will be taken on a regular basis, orally at the beginning of the term so that your professor can get to know you, and then by sign-in sheets distributed at the beginning of every class. Please note that it quickly becomes apparent who is present and who is not, especially from the class sign-in sheets, but it is important that you come to class.
2. You must complete all assigned readings (from required texts and from books and articles posted on LATTE). Your appreciation and understanding of lectures and discussions will be greatly enhanced if you complete reading assignments by their due date. This syllabus contains assignments from your required and recommended texts (and from various books on the reserve reading or items posted from time to time on LATTE) for the semester. Since my lectures are original creations, you are advised not to miss them. Many points made in them cannot be found in the required or reserve reading.
3. You will also take one quiz on geography and terminology (see the Schedule). Study guides will be provided and posted on LATTE. This quiz is not given to cause you unnecessary stress or anxiety. Rather it will assure your professor and you that you are not lost (literally and figuratively). Just as it is crucial that you learn to recognize for all time certain important objects, plans, and architectural remains as one of the main objectives of the course, you should have a good sense of the topography and geography we shall travel together, and a sense of some archaeological terminology and chronology. When you make your next trip to the Mediterranean world (or your first trip) and to the ancient sites for yourself, you will be grateful for this exercise. Sorry, no make-up, unless you have a documented medical excuse or other serious family emergency.
4. You will take one midterm slide exam (see the Schedule). (Again:  no make-up, unless you have a documented medical excuse or other serious family emergency). If your grade is unsatisfactory (C or lower) on the midterm, you can come to your professor to discuss the possibility of an optional research paper to improve your grade. The grade you receive on the research paper will be averaged with the grade you received on your midterm. The research paper’s grade, in other words, will not replace your entire exam with a new grade. Still, this option should produce a more satisfactory midterm grade, if taken seriously.
5. You will also complete a writing project; a full explanation will be forthcoming. (See the Schedule for the deadlines.) This project requires a sustained effort to be done well. You will have opportunities to consult with me about this. Unless you have a documented medical excuse or other serious family emergency, you will receive no credit if you miss the deadline.  This assignment is instead of a final exam.

Grading:

Academic Honesty:
      You are expected to be honest in all of your academic work. Brandeis University policy on academic honesty is contained in your Student Handbook in section 5 under “Rights and Responsibilities.” Instances of cheating, plagiarism, or other alleged dishonesty will be reported to the Office of Campus Life for possible referral to the Student Judicial System. The adjudication process is also outlined in your Handbook. Potential consequences of academic dishonesty include (in addition to an “E” on the assignment) failure in the course, disciplinary probation, and suspension from the University. A record of any offense will remain in a student’s disciplinary file in the Office of Student Affairs throughout his or her career at Brandeis. Please know that I take this code very seriously. If you have any questions about my expectations, please ask me.   The Short Version:  Your Work Must Be Your Own.