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Rome: Globalisation, Materiality

Module description

Through the lens of globalisation, this module provides a framework for the critical analysis of material culture in the Roman world. As well as considering the applicability of globalisation theory to the orbis terrarum, the module explores how new interpretations of material culture may be fostered by addressing concepts such as connectivity and entanglement, and the implications for understanding traditional aspects of Roman history (e.g. Rome’s expansion, economy and  impact on conquered societies). Prior knowledge of Roman archaeology would help; the module is recommended for students with an interdisciplinary interest in the historical and anthropological dimensions of globalisation and materiality.

Module aims - intentions of the module

• Overall the course aims to give you the tools to access those cultural histories and ideologies which appear unattainable through literary sources, allowing for the expansion and elaboration of existing narratives and challenging the underlying models which inform our understanding of key historical and cultural processes and constructs.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 1. Develop an understanding and appreciation of the qualities and methods of using material and visual culture
• 2. Work critically with different types of material/archaeological evidence and to use them in effective combination as a tool of historical and socio-cultural analysis and reconstruction

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 3. Collate and analyse widely different types of evidence, much of which is incomplete and ambiguous in its significance
• 4. Draw independent inferences about the relationship of myth to its cultural and historical context
• 5. Reflect critically on the origins, development and significance of traditional stories in one's own and another culture

ILO: Personal and key skills

On successfully completing the module you will be able to...

• 6. Apply key bibliographical skills, the latest forms of information retrieval, as well as word-processing skills
• 7. Think autonomously and analytically on the basis of written and visual sources and secondary literature
• 8. Construct and defend a sustained argument (both in written form and orally)
• 9. Work with instructor and peers in an independent, constructive and responsive way

Syllabus plan

Examples of possible seminar topics include: the Roman world-empire, visual culture as globalising koine, urban change and connectivity, economic integration, roads and time-space compression, globalising institutions: the army, mass consumption and entanglement, food and regionality, social and economic inequality.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Details of summative assessment

Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)

Re-assessment notes

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

• Appadurai, A (ed.). 1986. The social life of things. Commodities in cultural perspective. Cambridge.
• Bang, P. 2008.  The Roman bazaar. A Comparative Study of Trade and Markets in a Tributary Empire.
• Cambridge.
• Jennings, J. 2011.  Globalizations and the ancient world. Cambridge.
• Mattingly, D.J. 2011. Imperialism, power and identity. Princeton.
• Nederveen Pieterse, J. 2009. Globalization and culture. Global mélange. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield.
• Pitts, M and Versluys, M.J. (eds.) forthcoming. Globalisation and the Roman world. Cambridge.
• Thomas, N. 1991. Entangled objects. Harvard.
• Woolf, G. 1998. Becoming Roman. Cambridge.

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

• ELE – https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=4214

Key words search

Globalisation, Rome, Material Culture