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Roman Political Thought

Module description

In this module you will study the development of Roman political thought from the late Republic to the end of the Empire, exploring a variety of source materials including philosophy, oratory, historiography and iconography. You will consider different themes such as the idea of a republic, the role of the people in politics, the importance of civic virtue, the role of leadership, the development of citizenship and interpretations of political crisis. This module is suitable for students who have studied CLA1002/2002 Roman History; it may be an advantage to have studied Roman Historiography or Philosophy.

Module aims - intentions of the module

The aim of this module is to explore the development of political thought in ancient Rome, and how this was reflected in its literature, historiography and art. It will explore how Roman thinkers interpreted their own political institutions and traditions, drawing on and arguing with ideas taken from Greek authors, and how they confronted dramatic changes in their politics, including the transition from a small city state to a world empire, but especially the collapse of the Republic and the rise of autocracy. It will consider the uses of different kinds of source material, and the different perspectives they offer. This module should encourage you to reflect not only on ancient political thought and its theorization, but also on how these same ideas have often been taken up by modern political thinkers as well.

Intended Learning Outcomes (ILOs)

ILO: Module-specific skills

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

• 1. Demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the development of Roman political thinking in relation to changing political structures and events
• 2. Demonstrate understanding of and be able to analyse the main issues addressed by Roman political thinkers from the late Republic to the end of the Empire, and how they have influenced later debates
• 3. Demonstrate understanding of the political nature of different kinds of ancient texts and images

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

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

• 4. Identify the relevant historical and intellectual contexts for understanding key passages of the ancient sources, and offer plausible interpretations of your own
• 5. Show knowledge and understanding of the traditions of interpreting Roman political thought, and how these shape our readings of the ancient texts

ILO: Personal and key skills

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

• 6. Conduct independent research, including the use of a wide range of library and online resources, to identify, evaluate and organise relevant material
• 7. Engage critically with a wide range of arguments
• 8. Construct coherent, relevant and plausible arguments based on your knowledge and understanding, and present these clearly and effectively
• 9. Respond appropriately and effectively to feedback

Syllabus plan

Whilst the exact content may vary from year to year, it will cover most of the following topics:

• The idea of the Republic
• The importance of civic virtue
• Elections and electioneering
• The role of the people
• The ideal of leadership
• The rise of autocracy
• The development of citizenship
• The idea of empire
• Interpreting crisis and civil war

The legacy of Roman political thought

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

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Formative assessment

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 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Key Texts (all available online from Loeb Classical Library, via the Library webpage):

• Augustine, City of God
• Cicero, Republic, De Officiis, Speeches against Catiline
• Q.Cicero, Commentary on Electioneering
• Pliny, Panegyric
• Sallust, The War Against Catiline
• Seneca, On Anger, On Clemency
• Tacitus, Annals

Introductory Reading:

• J.W. Atkins (2018) Roman Political Thought (CUP)
• R.K. Balot, ed. (2009) A Companion to Greek and Roman Political Thought (Blackwell)
• H. Mouritsen (2017) Politics in the Roman Republic (CUP) 
• C. Rowe & and M. Schofield, eds. (2005) Cambridge History of Greek and Roman Political Thought (CUP)
• S. Salkever, ed. (2009) The Cambridge Companion to Ancient Greek Political Thought (CUP) 
• K. Vlassopoulos (2010) Politics: antiquity and its legacy (I.B. Tauris) 

Key words search

Politics, Roman History, Republicanism, Political Thought, Empire