Roman Youth

3 Credits · Level: Undergraduate

How do we write the history of an ancient age group? This seminar examines a variety of possible answers to this question through the age category of “youth” in ancient Rome, from the Middle Republic down to the emperor Hadrian. The applicability of modern theoretical approaches to youth, drawn from disciplines such as cultural anthropology and performance studies, will be assessed alongside previous approaches in Roman studies. Equal emphasis will be placed on analysis of the ancient textual and visual evidence, such as comedy, oratory, elegy, historiography, biography, law, graffiti, coins and portraiture. Seminars will revolve around weekly discussion of thematic topics, such as demography and early death, gendered notions of youth, intergenerational conflict in Roman politics, the historical development of a youthful aesthetic, and the differences between elite and non-elite experiences of youth, among others. Students will write a major research essay throughout the semester that will be work-shopped in different formats in the class.