Course Dates
No upcoming courses. We are hoping to run the course again but the dates are TBC.
Key Features
Aims of the course
- To inform participants of the life of the emperor Augustus.
- To familiarise participants with the contemporary Roman Empire.
- To show the artistic and other achievements of the era.
- To engage students in online discussion.
Welcome week (Week 0)
Purpose:
- personal introductions
- introducing the course
- useful reading
- personal objectives
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have:
- become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
- test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
- learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
- contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies
Teaching Week 1: The Son of Caesar
Learning outcomes:
- to have understood the political situation in Rome in 44 BC
- to gain knowledge of the major political players
- to gain a knowledge of the last Republican writers such as Cicero, Sallust and Catullus
Teaching Week 2: The Rise to Triumvir
Learning outcomes:
- to have understood how Octavian rose to power
- to gain a working knowledge of the contemporary Roman army
- to gain an understanding of the allegiances of the provinces of the Rome's empire
Teaching Week 3: Becoming Augustus
Learning outcomes:
- to understand how Augustus became the sole ruler of Rome
- to know his constitutional settlements
- to understand the Roman economy
- to provide an introduction to the first imperial writers, including Vergil, Horace and Livy
Teaching Week 4: The first Emperor
Learning outcomes:
- to learn about the various events that occurred during the reign of Augustus
- to learn about the Julio-Claudian family
- to explore contemporary art and architecture (including Augustan building projects)
Teaching Week 5: Augustus
Learning outcomes:
- to gain an understanding of the size and diversity of the empire
- to learn about the Client Kings
- to explore how Rome controlled the provinces
- to understand what is meant by the term 'Romanisation'
- to explore the legacy of Augustus
Week 6: What Next?
- assessment of student learning
- assessment of student satisfaction
- encouragement of further study
This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.
Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences.
Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course.
Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person.
While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material).
Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).
Fees
The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes.
Concessions
For more information, please see our concessions information page.
Alison Fordham Bursary
University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses.
Application criteria:
- applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
- applicants who can demonstrate financial need
For more information, please see our bursaries information page.
A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.
