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Campus | Bryn Mawr |
Semester | Fall 2020 |
Registration ID | CSTSB221001 |
Course Title | Women of Roman Egypt |
Credit | 1.00 |
Department | Classical Studies |
Instructor | Devereaux,Jennifer |
Times and Days | MTh 01:10pm-02:30pm
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Room Location | |
Additional Course Info | Class Number: 2427 This course aims to be an introduction to the history of female persons in the ancient world. It focuses particularly on Roman Egypt, but covers a broad range of material spanning the period of 300 BCE – 476 CE. Students engage with a number of historical issues, such as legal personhood, access to education, political protest, economic freedom, religious practice, etc.. Students will acquire familiarity with a) Egypt as a part of the Greco-Roman world; b) the role of women in both Egyptian society and Rome more generally; and c) the written sources available for the study of female experience in the ancient world. Because the course focuses on the social, cultural, and institutional environments in which women operated, the topic offers itself as a useful study of the ancient world as a whole, as well as to particular issues of representation and authority. By the end of the course, students will have general understanding of Egypt as a part of the Graeco-Roman world, a keen understanding of how women operated in the society of Ancient Egypt (ca. 300 BCE – 450 CE), and the ability to form arguments about the historical relevance of our sources.; This course takes a sociological approach to the study of the women who lived, learned, loved, and died in ancient Egypt. The focus is on the Roman period, but due to the complex history and multicultural character of Roman-Egyptian society, you will also gain familiarity with aspects of native Egyptian and Graeco-Egyptian life. From an intersectional perspective, which considers how a variety of factors shaped the lives of a diverse population of women, we will focus on documentary evidence: letters and inscriptions written by common Egyptian, Greek, and Roman women about their legal, economic, educational, familial, religious, and romantic experiences. Along the way, you will also develop a keen understanding of the divine feminine in ancient Mediterranean religions and cultures, read one of the most outrageous novels from the Roman period, become acquainted with female philosophers and mathematicians, ponder the origins and lasting effects of magical symbolism, and engage with modern scholarship on gender, sexuality, and political empowerment. Approach: Cross-Cultural Analysis (CC); Enrollment Cap: 40; This course will be taught in-person if conditions permit, but students may also take the class remotely. Instruction will generally involve synchronous meetings during the allotted course time, with some asynchronous instruction as needed. |
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