Classical History The Flavian Amphitheater, Rome

Classical History surveys the development of the ancient Greek and Roman civilizations from the time of the ancient Minoans on Crete in 2,000 BC to the fall of the Roman Empire to Germanic invaders in the 400’s AD.  The course explores the needs, institutions, ideas, innovations, and material accomplishments of the peoples who have arguably most impacted Western Civilization.

Greek and Roman arts, government, law, religion, philosophy, economics, and social structures are investigated in such a way so that students understand and appreciate the contributions of these ancient civilizations. The Greek and Roman civilizations are analyzed in terms of their importance in their own times as well as their impact on the twenty first century.

Course Requirements:   All students are required to analyze documents, take notes, and actively participate in class discussions and group projects.  Homework assignments include text readings, several essays, and/or historical fiction writing. All students will complete individual and group projects, and  tests will include a substantial essay component.  Honors students are expected to work more independently and complete a 10 page formal research paper.

Textbook:  Ancient & Medieval Worlds by Helen & Robert Howe, Longman Publishing, 1987.
 
 

INDEX

Architecture Final Project

Greek Sculpture

Classical Architecture

Research Paper

You don't need to travel to Europe or the Middle East to see what ancient peoples have left to the modern world. Whether it is the classical styles of the Greeks or the innovative engineering accomplishments and city planning of the Romans, ancient influences can be seen all around us.
 

The White House, Washington, D.C.

Yankee Stadium, Bronx, NY

Lincoln Memorial, Washington, D.C.

The Assignment:   Find (8) eight examples of ancient building styles and structures in our community.  Either sketch or photograph the buildings, and provide written descriptions of the buildings. You and/or your partner must appear in any photographs. You must find at least (4) four Greek style buildings and at least (3) three Roman influenced structures or buildings. If you are working alone you must find (3) Greek and (2) Roman structures.

The following information and analysis  must accompany
your visual presentation:

 • The name and location of the building or structure

 • A description of the building's current use  -
        Is it a government building, a bank, a private residence, a city square, etc. ?

 • A brief description of what makes this building characteristic of the classical style.
    If the building has columns, tell whether the capitals are Doric, Ionic, or Corinthian.
   You must have at least one example of each type of capital.
 

• A brief analysis of why you think the architect chose this particular style for thisbuilding.
    For  instance, was the designer trying to make a statement, show the building’s importance,
    or create a link with the institutions of the ancient world that are important to society today?

Resources:class notes, handouts, videos, your textbook, architecture books in the library, and anything that you think may be helpful.  This isn't specifically a research project, but if you use outside sources you must provide a bibliography and cite your sources.

Presentation and grading criteria:  The format is up to you, but be creative, concise, and clear.  Popular choices in the past have included posters, brochures, booklets, slide shows, Power Point presentations, and even videos.  (If you make a video, you must provide a script).  Make sure the written/audio descriptions match your images.

Remember, your artistic ability is not being graded, but you are being evaluated on your organizational skills and your ability to look at the world around you and trace its historical roots.  Please don't turn this into a epic project.  Half page descriptions for each building should be sufficient.
 

Your general objective is to choose a topic that interests you about some aspect of ancient Greece or Rome.  Specifically, you are to form a question that your research will answer, and ultimately you will form a thesis statement. Your topic must  be specific enough so that you can prove your thesis in the allotted time.

Getting Started

1. Select a general topic area.  • Read a background article or section of a book.  • Define a specific research question.  • Locate at least four or five sources beyond your background article.  • Create bibliography cards and draft a bibliography.

2. Record information on notecards.  Limit yourself to one fact per card.  Write the source including page number on every card.  Use topic headings.

3.  Submit a preliminary bibliography, research question, and a basic outline.

Research

Continue recording research on cards.  Note your own ideas as well.  Work toward a main idea, known as a thesis;  it should be the answer to your research question. Outline the paper using your note cards.

Sources

You must have a minimum of four sources, no more than ONE of which can be encyclopedic sources (book or CD-ROM).  The goal of a research paper is to take information from a variety of sources and combine it (synthesize) to prove your point.  If you use online sources, I need to see some sample printouts.

If you write your paper using just one source, you will fail!

Writing

1. You will write the equivalent of a 8-10 page double-spaced typed paper (approximately 2,000-2,500 words).  Develop and support your thesis with the facts and ideas that you have derived from your research.

2. Include notation for information from your sources using parenthetical citations

3. Submit your paper with a formal bibliography.
 

Evaluation

Component Parts: research question; note cards; background essay; thesis statement; outline; bibliography

Written Report:  Proving your thesis (main point); attention to detail; organization; clarity; proper formats
 

BACKGROUND ESSAY - (the little paper before the big paper)

Basically, tell me what you've learned so far, paying special attention to the following:

Writing a background essay ensures that you quickly establish a basic knowledge of your topic and its historical context.  Without this step it is easy to spend too much time gathering basic facts.  Only when it is too late do you  realize that you have the makings of an encyclopedia article rather than an insightful essay on a specific question.  Remember, you need to be aware of the great events that may have exerted a powerful influence on your subject.

"The Big Picture”  Your background essay needs to address the historical context
of your topic and answer the following questions:

•What time period are you studying?
•What important events and conflicts occurred then?
•What important trends or generalizations characterize the period?  How do they
 connect with your topic?
•Did any changes occur that might influence your subject?

"A Close-up of Your Subject"

•How does your subject connect to the time period?
•Does your subject typify something in the period or stand as an exception?
•Was the person or event important then or only in retrospect?
•How does your subject connect to time periods before and after the one you are studying?

Basic Factual Information

Once you establish the historical context, you need to quickly answer the basic journalistic questions: Who, What, When, Where, Why, How. An in-depth why or how may be the crux of your paper, but a quick overview of your topic, along the lines of an encyclopedia article should be relatively simple.  If you are doing a person, summarize the important events in the person's life; if you are doing an event or issue, give an overview. Select facts that emphasize the main issues of both the time period and your specific topic.

Forming a Research Question

The final step in the research process is to form a very precise research question.  While you already have a basic question, by this stage in your research you should be able to create a very focused question.  Be sure that your question focuses on an important point of analysis.  For instance, "What does Egyptian art reveal about ancient daily life?" not  "What did the Egyptians paint?"

Presentation

Present your background research in a 1-2 page essay.

Use your focused research question as the title.

Remember, this essay does not require foot / endnotes.  This essay is basically a summary of what you have learned so far and is a tool that will help you focus your paper on a specific question.