Roman Civilization

CMS 206 /History 206

1.  Review Syllabus
2. Romanitas
   • noun made from adjective Romanus, a, um
   • cf. "ness" in English; e.g. "American - ness"
3. If Cicero were teleported to your house over winter break, and asked you what "American-ness" was, how would you answer?
4. Categories of analysis when we think about culture and civilization
   • What do we mean when we use the word "culture"?
     • etymology?
     • What would you point out to Cicero as examples of American culture?
     • How would these examples demonstrate "American-ness"?
   • What do we mean when we use the word "civilization"?
     • eymology?
     • What would you point out to Cicero as examples of American civilization?
     • How would these examples demonstrate "American-ness"?
   • How do these examples relate to each other? How are they different?
5. Would everyone in the class have the same examples and explanations of American-ness?
6. If not, what does that say about "American-ness?"
7. If not, what does that say about the methods cultural historians use and the evidence they study?
8. This semester, we're going to try to teleport back to Rome and ask Romans what Romanitas was.
   • What categories of analysis should we think about when we study Romanitas?
   • What limitations will the nature of our evidence impose on our study?
9. Dennis Sipowicz as a role model for cultural historians

   "People and places, the things that they do and the times that they do them."