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Learner Reviews & Feedback for Roman Art and Archaeology by University of Arizona

4.7
stars
625 ratings

About the Course

The objective of this course is to provide an overview of the culture of ancient Rome beginning about 1000 BCE and ending with the so-called "Fall of Rome". We will look at some of the key people who played a role in Rome, from the time of the kings through the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire. We will also focus on the city of Rome itself, as well as Rome's expansion through Italy, the Mediterranean, and beyond....

Top reviews

LL

Apr 12, 2021

I learned a lot about Ancient Rome. The instructor was interesting and down to earth, and I really appreciated that he spelled out unfamiliar terms. I especially liked Lana, the canine assistant.

YY

Jun 5, 2021

Hi, My Name is Yogesh B. I Studied This Course From India. I Hope This Course Will Be Very Useful For me. I Would Like To Thank Coursera For Giving Me This Opportunity.

Thank !

😊😊😊😊😊..

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1 - 25 of 210 Reviews for Roman Art and Archaeology

By Veony V

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Jun 17, 2020

The lectures and videos are phenomenal. It really feels like travelling back to Ancient Rome. I'm so grateful for Dr Soren, the Coursera Team, and everyone who made this happen!

By Juan D L A

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Aug 22, 2020

This course is one of the best introductions to the Ancient Rome.

It's not just history, Roman Art & Archeology really makes honor to the tiltle.

The idea and achieved objective of this course, at least to me, is to not see Ancient Rome like past events written down in a book, it really searches to contextualize how life was back in those times, how all of the social classes lived, how artesany was thought and how technology improvements affected Rome through the centuries.

Finally, with Mr. Soren's lectures I was capable of mentally dimensionalizing the Roman world, seeing myself mentally in the Forum (a basic understanding of Ancient Rome to my criteria). That mental level of understanding of Ancient Rome is what this course is intended to.

Before this course I hadn't had any Ancient Rome class, and what this course offers is more that a highschool level up.

I highly suggest it, it's very complete.

By Vladimir J

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Jul 6, 2016

To me, it is the best structured course so far. Quiz after every lesson and written assignment after every week. Also, prof. Soren is reproducing it steadily and in comprehending fashion.

By Jan K

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Jul 20, 2017

Very disappointed with this course. Answers to quizzes are wrong, and although students reported this months ago, no corrections have been made.

Professor is on camera much more than necessary and many of the images provided are not the best. Significant errors-- e.g. professor says that the Roman colosseum seated 20,000 while most scholars put the number closer to 50,000. His dog gets more air time than the Pantheon. He shows clips from fictional films such as Gladiator that have only marginal relation to the course.

Very little about archaeology is presented-- although the underwater segment and the one on trees were good. But no mention of aerial surveillance or ground penetrating radar. Barely anything about the traditional "dig."

This course needs a major overhaul. Much better Coursera course is Roman Architecture by Prof. Diana Kleiner from Yale. It's harder. But so much better.

By Julio L M

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Jun 21, 2016

Dr. Soren explains very well all the subjects, making them very easy to be followed and understood. There is a very mix of technics during the course, using videos, maps, 3D representations, etc. Dr. Soren is really good and very, very nice person.

The only thing I miss, is more weeks of course to enjoy even more this subject. It could be great to have a second part of the course, to have the chance of study Rome deeper and deeper :-)

Greatings from Spain!

By Nina A

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Oct 15, 2020

I really enjoyed every second of it! It was very comprehensive yet easy to understand and enjoyable. If you have the tiniest passion for classics, I definitely recommend this course!

By shant m

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Jul 23, 2019

Dr. Soren is a great professor. You can tell he has a passion for what he teaches which adds value to the already interesting content. My only issue is the way the review is done on assignment. I just hoped there could be a way to do it without depending on others. I completed the entire course in 2 weeks but had to wait weeks after for a review. Otherwise an amazing course and great professor!

By Cristhian C A C

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Nov 5, 2020

The first Romans laid the foundations of art, political system, language, and traditions, thanks to their centuries of rule, in these areas without a doubt the influence of ancient Rome still continues and will endure in the history of the world. The Doctor David Soren course is a great investigation, study, and analysis of the ancient Roman world.

By Neil B

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Mar 31, 2017

A great course that provides very important and valuable insights into Ancient Roman art and archaeology. While this course moves through 1,000 years of history relatively quickly, it provides a very firm and clear understanding of the hows and whys of Roman history through archaeology and Roman art.

By Diana G P

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Jan 17, 2018

I strongly recommend this course of Archaeology because it is made with a great love of Roman history and it is very interesting. David Soren is a passionate orator and it is a pleasure to listen to him and the others collaborators, which are very passionated with Roman history too.

By Anupama S

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Mar 1, 2022

It's an amazing course with a lot of details and snippets of history. Great learning, especially if you can correlate the facts given to various other threads of historical importance.

By Christopher B C

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Oct 6, 2020

Muy bien explicado, además el profesor que imparte el curso lo hace de manera muy natural y buena.

It was great and the teacher was great as well.

Cést magnifique et le professeur aussi.

By Wim

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Dec 22, 2017

the so called peer-graded assigments do not add anything to the value of the course, I would say on the contrary. otherwise, a good overview of the Roman civilisation and culture, although major aspects are missing; the language, the impact on the western modern civilisation, the literature, the daily life of the Romans, etc. Professor Soren is a very nice presenter of the course, although review of the past lecture would not be superfluous.

By Pamela B M

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Mar 23, 2021

This is absolutely one of the most incredible opportunities/courses I have ever taken (and I have taken many-my Dad used to call me a "professional students.") Always learning! I have recently retired from teaching after 42 years and loved taking a class from Dr. Soren and Lana. I have plans in mind to go to Italy and all the info in this course has helped me add sites I want to explore!!! The University of Arizona seems incredible and depth of the research going on there in so many facets makes me want to visit there, too! Thank you, Dr. Soren and ALL involved! Loved, Loved, Loved this course!

By Mary E S

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May 8, 2020

This course engaged me from beginning to end. Dr. Soren, accompanied by his beloved Lana, is an excellent lecturer with a droll sense of humor. The lectures were always of appropriate length and the variety of film clips and guest lecturers enhanced the content of the course. I have a masters degree in Classics, earned many years ago, and this course was both a great refresher and a source of new knowledge. The quizzes were at an appropriate level of difficulty and the essay questions were a great way to construct knowledge. The use of peer review was another opportunity for learning.

By Ruth R

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Jun 13, 2020

After the star of the show, Lana, Dr. Soren was pretty awesome! The information was really more than I expected. The videos brought things to life- could have included more...The site was easy to get through- no problems at all in getting out to look up something on Google although I know many students do this. It would be a tad easier if the site had a "hold on, I'm looking something up" button. It was helpful to have the transcriptions handy, although Dr. Soren has an easy, clear voice. A completely enjoyable course, thank you.

By AEH

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Feb 21, 2016

This course is amazing. It doesn't just provide an excellent introduction Roman art, archaeology, history, and material culture; it also offers insight into several of the innovative sciences being utilized within Archaeology today. There are several guest speakers; tours of actual sites/tombs/museums/campus labs and architecture; 3D mapping; and even a few videos that introduce various craft making processes. Dr. Soren & The University of Arizona really went out of their way to make this a great course :)

By Raushan A

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Nov 14, 2016

Excellent job on content selection, visual materials, reenacting clips, guest lectures and presentation! Truly appreciated Dr. Soren's engaging and pleasant lecturing style - his passion for the subject is truly contagious and inspiring. Thank you for putting together such an informative course that gave a good picture of evolution and demise of the Roman Empire, but did not overwhelm with too many dates or characters - not an easy thing to do given the complexity of the history and the time span covered.

By Eren Y

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Jul 12, 2020

I really enjoyed this class and it was a pleasure to be a taught by Mr. Soren and Lana! Gives you a good deal of insight about art and archeology during Ancient Rome. I liked doing peer-graded assignments for this class because it helped me remember what I have learned even though, the grading system is bit unfair as you get graded by other students. Sometimes you give the correct answer and yet you cannot earn full points. So, you have to be really elaborate with your answers to earn full points.

By Laura S

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Apr 25, 2021

An enjoyable class on the history of Ancient Rome and Italy, from its early tribal days to the height and fall of the powerful Roman Empire. Through the study of archeological finds, a way of life is revealed, along with the development of art styles and innovative construction and engineering advances. Dr. Soren teaches with a high level of interest and passion, and humor, making ancient history come alive through the use of movie clips, guest lecturers, and walks through ancient sites.

By Matthias V

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Jul 25, 2020

This has been my first course here on Coursera, and I must say I enjoyed it a lot! Although sometimes it was a little bit cumbersome to get the required reviews for the assignments every week, it was worth the effort. I learned a lot from Dr. Soren and his guest lecturers, and would really recommend this course to everyone interested in ancient Roman history or the history of arts and architecture.

By Mike C

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Sep 6, 2016

Fantastic course! Dr. Soren was engaging and informative. He's also actually worked on a lot of the archaeological sites discussed in this course, which gives a nice perspective. Look him up, he's made some impressive discoveries in his own right. particularly about the factors that led to the fall of the Roman Empire. And the cameo appearances by his dog, Lana, were always appreciated.

By Eva T

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Aug 12, 2020

I loved this course! Of course I like the subject, otherwise I wouldn't have done this course, but the material was quite interesting. The professor was great; he explained everything well and was quite funny actually. But what I was satisfied most with were the assignments, because they were quite elaborate and I was happy to go through the material thoroughly once again!

By Michelle H

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Jan 16, 2021

This course is well designed and one of the few that uses the technology of online learning in an entertaining and useful way. Although some lectures focussed on particular works of art or buildings could use a more dynamic visual approach, overall the videos were interesting and relevant. The subject matter is fascinating.

By María L

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Nov 20, 2020

Great course. I have learnt a lot thanks to Professor Soren's lectures. I particularly enjoyed the "virtual" visits to archeological sites and the recreations made of Ancient Rome.

It would be great to offer a second part of the Course to deepen more into the knowledge of Roman Art and Archeology.