Rise & Fall of Roman Republic
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic This course is an introduction to the literature, politics, culture and history of the Roman Republic (c.509-31BCE) - a period which saw Rome grow from a small city on the Tiber to the supreme power in the Mediterranean, and also saw the development of Latin literature. Our readings cover a broad variety of literary genres and authors: comedy (Plautus and Terence), lyric (Catullus), epic (Ennius), political speeches and letters (Cicero), history (Caesar, Sallust, Polybius), and didactic philosophy (Lucretius). As we read we will be careful to investigate how these texts present different and often conflicting ideas of what it means to be Roman, as well as how different ideologies of Rome compete throughout each work.
The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic This course is an introduction to the literature, politics, culture and history of the Roman Republic (c.509-31BCE) - a period which saw Rome grow from a small city on the Tiber to the supreme power in the Mediterranean, and also saw the development of Latin literature. Our readings cover a broad variety of literary genres and authors: comedy (Plautus and Terence), lyric (Catullus), epic (Ennius), political speeches and letters (Cicero), history (Caesar, Sallust, Polybius), and didactic philosophy (Lucretius). As we read we will be careful to investig …Read more
Star is a wonderful professor. Strikes a great balance of engaging, but not oppressively challenging, workload. Lectures are interesting, and the content feels very relevant. The exams are not bad at all.
This was my first experience with the Classics department, and I have no regrets taking this course. Professor Star is extremely passionate about the material, and his lectures are engaging. There can be quite a bit of reading but it is always very manageable. I learned so much about the Roman Republic and its applicability in both a historical and modern context.
I took this class to fulfil a distribution requirement in EUR and LIT. It is safe to say that I made the correct decision, as the professor is highly enthusiastic about the material he teaches. There is not much more you can ask for then that. Not only that, but the teacher really wants you to succeed, so he shares exactly what you need to study if you want to be successful on the exams.
I took this class to fulfil a distribution requirement in EUR and LIT. It is safe to say that I made the correct decision, as the professor is highly enthusiastic about the material he teaches. There is not much more you can ask for then that. Not only that, but the teacher really wants you to succeed, so he shares exactly what you n …Read more
Star is an amazing professor who really cares about his students. If the class is still taught by him it would be the perfect introductory course for anyone interested in Classics. Tests are not hard if you put in a few hours of studying and pay attention during lectures.
Christopher is a great Professor who clearly loves teaching. This is the perfect class if you have at least some interest in Roman history and want a fairly easy history distribution requirement. He's a very accommodating grader and has multiple extra credit assignments throughout the semester. Some of the course readings were quite difficult, but if you pay attention in class you don't need to read everything and you'll still do fine on exams.
Christopher is a great Professor who clearly loves teaching. This is the perfect class if you have at least some interest in Roman history and want a fairly easy history distribution requirement. He's a very accommodating grader and has multiple extra credit assignments throughout the semester. Some of the course readings were quite …Read more
Professor Star is probably the chillest of them all. This is basically a discussion-based class with no homework and easy tests. Because it's super chill you don't learn a crazy amount of life-changing information. Would recommend if you want a class with a low homework load to balance out other more demanding classes.
This class was awesome. Professor Starr loves the material he teaches, and is very passionate. I would highly recommend taking any class by Professor Starr. Overall a great class, especially if you are interested in classics.
Professor Star is extremely enthusiastic about the topic in a way that draws you in and makes you feel more interested. That said, there is a lot of reading, which can be pretty dense – but you can get away with skimming most of the time.
This course is an interesting look into the concept of a Republic via the successes, trials, and shortcomings on the Roman Republic. Professor Star is enthusiastic about the material, and is a thoughtful professor. My one complaint is that the course assumes a lot of prior classics knowledge / desire to pursue the classics studies further. Just taking it as a distribution / curiosity, it is definitely still interesting, but sometimes feels difficult to stay engaged in discussion, which I think contributes to a sort-of stagnant classroom.
This course is an interesting look into the concept of a Republic via the successes, trials, and shortcomings on the Roman Republic. Professor Star is enthusiastic about the material, and is a thoughtful professor. My one complaint is that the course assumes a lot of prior classics knowledge / desire to pursue the classics studies fu …Read more
The course was very fun. The professor is very passionate about the work he does. The only homework assignments we had for the class were readings. However, the readings could be a lot at certain times. The class can be boring, but it was fun to learn about Rome.
Professor Star is a great teacher and person. Class has a lot of reading but he addresses a lot of the material in his lecture. Courseload include readings for class, two essays, a project, and two exams. Would certainly take again.
Christopher star is so chill and such a great prof. He is super kind and accommodating. Also has great knowledge of the content and his classes are quite engaging. Definitely take this class if you are interested in roman history/literature
I enjoyed this class. The professor was relaxed and the coursework was manageable. As long as you stayed up to date on readings (even skimming) and knew the study guide it was easy to succeed in the class.
There's reading for every class, but you can easily get away without doing it. The midterm was super easy. You only need to do one short presentation, and two very short papers and most students got an A or A-.