What killed the Roman Empire in the West? Here we investigate the suspects, from crop failure to barbarian invaders, to discover what destroyed antiquity's greatest civilization.
This course introduces one of the most fascinating periods in history and examines the controversies surrounding events which still affect our world today.
Course Dates
Course details
Tutors
Key Features
Aims of the course
- To establish why (and if) the Western Roman Empire fell.
- To educate students into methods of historical enquiry.
- To teach collaborative working techniques in an online environment.
Course content overview
- This course will examine the death of the Western Roman Empire as though it were a forensic case. We shall look at possible causes of death, match them with observed symptoms and deduce the likelihood that the suggested cause did indeed bring about the end result.
- in the first weeks we will look at a variety of causes. The last two weeks will ask firstly 'Did the Western Empire really fall?' (currently being hotly debated by academics), and secondly 'Why did the Eastern Empire survive?'
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
Week 1: Was it the barbarians?
Purpose:
- to examine the role of barbarian incursions in the fall of the western empire
- to query whether this is essentially a story of straightforward military conquest
- the importance of the sack of Rome
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week the students should have:
- familiarity with various barbarian tribes and confederations
- understanding of the military and strategic issues of the fifth century
- an understanding of the chronology of the major barbarian invasions
- engaged with original texts and sources
Week 2: Did Rome rot from within?
Purpose:
- to examine the role that civil war, self-interest and a corrupt bureaucracy played in bringing down the empire
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have:
- familiarity with the Late Imperial form of government
- familiarity with the events of the period
- understanding of academic debate on the issue, and means of enquiry
- engaged with original contemporary texts
Week 3: Was it something else?
Purpose:
- to discuss other theories for the fall of the western Roman empire. (e.g. Plague, economic collapse, Christianity, depopulation by famine, climate change)
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have:
- an understanding of the fragility of ancient societies
- an understanding of archaeological and epigraphic techniques
- an understanding of how to present and deconstruct historical theories
- engaged with original contemporary texts
Week 4: Did the West really fall?
Purpose:
- some academics argue the Western Empire did not fall, but only changed profoundly
Learning outcomes:
By studying this wee,k the students should have:
- followed the current academic debate
- re-evaluated the meaning of a 'fallen empire'
- understood processes of continuity and change in 5th and 6th century Europe
- engaged with original contemporary texts
Week 5: Why did the East not 'fall'?
Purpose:
- to discover why the eastern Roman empire endured for another thousand years
Learning outcomes:
By studying this week, the students should have:
- understood geopolitical issues in the 5th century
- been introduced to the Byzantine era
- grasped the basics of comparative history
- engaged with original contemporary texts
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.
