City of Rome Postgraduate Course (BSR)

• Credit value: 30 credits at Level 7
• Convenors: Professor Catharine Edwards (Birkbeck) and Dr Chris Siwicki (British School at Rome)
• Assessment: an oral presentation (20%) and 4000-word project (80%)

This intensive module is taught in Rome by the British School at Rome in April and May.

We will explore key ancient Roman monuments and sites - some of which are not normally accessible to the general public. Site visits are complemented by lectures given by distinguished international experts on key facets of the topography of the city. This is underpinned by a chronological framework which allows a picture of the city in its entirety to be built up step by step, with an emphasis on the continuity of urban activity.

You will have the opportunity to analyse selected monuments in terms of their:

• structural history
• architectural characteristics
• place in the development of the urban plan
• social, economic or religious function
• subsequent use and influence.

The application process is competitive. If you are selected for a place you will need to be resident at the British School at Rome for around eight weeks at your own expense and will also need to fund and arrange your own travel. You will be expected to have prior knowledge of Roman history and Roman building techniques, and as some seminars, lectures and texts will be in Italian, you will be expected to have a reasonable level of fluency in the language.

By the end of this module, you will be able to:

• understand a range of topics relating to the study of the city of Rome, its monuments, archaeological sites and ancient sources
• discuss questions of cultural and historical context
• demonstrate familiarity with diverse approaches in different scholarly traditions.