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INTRODUCTION TO ROMAN LAW
Introduction and Tentative Syllabus |
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Professor Charles Donahue
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For a ‘printer-friendly’ version this syllabus (PDF), click here. |
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This is the basic website for this course. In addition to this syllabus, the website contains class outlines, PDFs of the class assignments, and links to the recorded lectures and their slides (all under ‘Lectures’). We will be using the Canvas site for the course for email, the discussion board, and storage of complete copies of the course readings. There are several separate documents that are connected with this syllabus, most of which are referred to in it: |
Contents | |
Meeting times | Background |
Course contents | Assignments |
Prerequisites | Discussion, Papers, Exams |
Requirements | Office Hours |
Workload | Syllabus Proper |
Prerequisites |
None. See below under Background. |
Requirements |
(1) Post some sort of reaction to the materials for the class on the discussion board before each class (particularly important in the first half of the course). (2) A short paper (no more than 5 double-spaced pages exclusive of notes), a first draft rewritten in response to my comments. (3) A take-home exam. For further details, see below under Discussion, Papers, Exam. |
Assignments |
With only 24 classes, preparation for, and attendance at, each class is critical. If you can’t make it to class (illness, attendance at court), send me an email, and we’ll figure out how you can make it up. Each class has an assignment that is posted under Lectures on the website. All the classes have reading assignments in the Materials, which are posted in the same place. Every class also has an outline which you can download and print. (The ones for the last quarter of the course will be made up after you have decided what we are going to cover.) The outlines have been made up in advance and cover material both in the recorded lectures and in the class. The first half of the course has recorded lectures that are linked in the same place. The recorded lectures have accompanying PowerPoint slides that can also be downloaded from the same place. How you balance these various pieces is up to you. Do what works for you. As noted above, however, I would like you to watch the recorded lectures before the class and post some kind of reaction (comments, questions, a few sentences, no more than a couple of paragraphs) on the discussion board before 7:00 a.m. on the morning of the class, because the discussion in class will be based on the recorded lectures and your reaction to them. |
Discussion, papers, exam |
Posting something on the discussion board is particularly importatnt in the first half of the course when the class discussion is dependent on what you have to say. There are, however, discussion topics for more than three-quarters of the course, and I will add topics for the last quarter when we get a clearer idea of what we are going to do. I’d like to get reactions (as above, comments, questions, a few sentences, no more than a couple of paragraphs) from all of you for all the classes before 7:00 a.m. on the morning of the class (earlier is better), but the requirement is that you do it for more than half of the 24 classes. I grade them but on a pass-fail basis. If you make a good faith effort to say something intelligent, you pass. In addition to preparation for and attendance at class, you will be required to submit a paper and to take a take-home final exam (described in the course description as two ‘take-home’ papers). If you have kept up with the reading and lectures, the exam should not take you more than a day to complete, but it will be distributed in the last class and may be turned in at any time during the examination period. It will pose a problem, a traditional law-school ‘issue-spotter’ (“Gaius lent Julius his lawn mower, which the latter left out in the rain . . . ” – you get the idea) to be answered in traditional law-school fashion. It will also require a general essay, maximum five pages, on some aspect of the relationship between Roman private law and Roman society. The take-home exam should be emailed to me not later than Fri., 15 Dec. (You do not turn it into the registrar’s office.) The paper should be no more than five pages exclusive of notes. It should analyze a piece or a couple of pieces of primary source material (the original or in translation as you prefer) and lead to a general idea. It may deal with any of the topics covered in Parts III and IV of the course, or with a topic of your choosing. You should let me know your choice of topic not later than Tue., 10 Oct. (earlier is better). A draft of the paper should be emailed to me no later than the day on which we cover your topic in class (preferably before the class). You will be asked to do a brief presentation of your paper to the class. I will return the draft to you with comments. On the basis of the comments and of the class discussion of your topic, you are to rewrite the paper, emailing the final draft to me no later than Fri., 15 Dec. There is more about the papers in Papers and Paper Topics and the Select Bibliography contains at the beginning some advice on how to proceed.. The submissions on the discussion board count for 10% of your final grade, the paper for 30%, and each of the take-home exam questions for 30%. Ties will be broken on the basis of the paper. |
Office hours |
My office hours are currently scheduled from 1:30-3:30 on Tuesdays , or by appointment. I was not a great fan of Zoom classes, but I thought that Zoom office hours worked well. Send me an email, and I’ll send you back a Zoom link. If that starts getting awkward, we’ll try something else. I’m also available by email at other times. My assistant, Ms. Chaudhry-Muffuletto (email), will be handling some of the course administration. Feel free to get in touch with her if you can’t raise me. |
Abbreviations |
Part I (weeks 1–3) |
Part II (weeks 4–6) |
Part III (weeks 7–9) |
Part IV (weeks 10–12) |
In what follows: Materials = C. Donahue, ed., Materials on Roman Law (unpublished ed., 2023 ); Nicholas = B. Nicholas, An Introduction to Roman Law (Oxford, 2008); Wolff = H. J. Wolff, Roman Law: An Historical Introduction (Norman, 1951); Watson = A. Watson, Rome of the Twelve Tables (Princeton, 1975). Basically, Wolff is the secondary reading for the first part of the course, Nicholas for the second, and Watson for the third. The secondary readings for the fourth part of the course will be included in the Materials for that part of the course when they are issued. Compete copies of the Materials and all of the secondary readings are available online in Canvas under the ‘Files’ tab. |
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URL: http://www.law.harvard.edu/faculty/cdonahue/courses/rlaw/syll/index.html
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