What does it take for a republic to end? This course explores the fall of the Roman Republic and the rise of Augustus, Rome?s first emperor. We'll focus on literature as a window into this transformative moment, reading works by Vergil, Ovid, Horace, and Livy to see how Romans experienced, interpreted, and debated political and cultural change. Students will analyze these texts alongside art, architecture, coins, and inscriptions to understand their wider cultural context and uncover how shifting ideas about politics, family, religion, and culture shaped this revolutionary age. Beyond ancient Rome, this class will ask the bigger questions about how societies change, how power is justified, and why these debates still matter today.
Gopher Grades is maintained by Social Coding with data from Summer 2017 to Fall 2025 provided by the University in response to a public records request