Hillsdale College launches new online course

Staff report
·2 min read

Hillsdale College announces the release of its newest free online course, “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic.” The course is taught by Kenneth Calvert, professor of history and director of the Oxford Study Abroad Program at Hillsdale College, and Carl Young, assistant professor of classics.

“Rome is often remembered for its empire, but it rose to greatness as a republic,” says Kyle Murnen, director of Online Learning. “Lasting nearly 500 years, the republic grew from a small city in the middle of the Italian Peninsula to control the entire Mediterranean. Ancient Rome provides a story of political and military achievement as well as a cautionary tale of the challenges presented by great success.”

Calvert and Young explain that while today’s popular histories of ancient Rome often center on its emperors, America’s Founding Fathers looked to the heroes of the Roman Republic as models of statesmanship and virtue for the newly formed United States. The Founders not only learned from the strengths of the Roman Republic but also sought to improve upon their model as they established our nation on the principle of equality.

“The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic” examines the many lessons from Rome’s history on how best to preserve a republic, and what may cause its undoing. The 12-lecture course begins with an introduction by Hillsdale College President Larry P. Arnn and includes topics on:

  • The Ancient World Before Rome;

  • The Founding of Rome;

  • The Roman Constitution;

  • Patricians and Plebeians;

  • The Punic Wars;

  • The Challenges of Expansion: Cato the Elder and the Gracchi;

  • Civil War: Marius and Sulla;

  • The First Triumvirate: Crassus, Pompey, and Caesar;

  • Cicero’s Defense of the Republic;

  • Julius Caesar and the Collapse of the Roman Republic; and

  • Rome and the American Founding.

Visit hillsdale.edu/rome to learn more about “The Rise and Fall of the Roman Republic” and to sign up for this free online course.

This article originally appeared on Hillsdale Daily News: Community