Julius Caesar, The Conquest of Gaul, trans. S.A. Handford, rev. Jane P. Gardner (Penguin Classics, 1983).
Why I Assigned This
I assigned this in Fall 2022. Following the mostly successful use of Josephus the previous fall, I wanted to continue emphasizing Roman history. Julius Caesar always appeals to students in a military college, so I knew this would be a successful choice. I had also read large sections of Caesar’s work in earlier classes, so I knew it would appeal to undergraduates. This was a “safe choice” after the disaster from the previous year.
How Students Responded
As I anticipated, my students really liked this book. They really got in the weeds discussing Caesar’s military strategies in the conquest of Gaul, and they found the description of the Gauls interesting. They struggled a bit to read the book critically, despite numerous discussions about how Caesar wrote it as an act of self-promotion while building his reputation at home in Rome during the Triumvirate.
The Assignment
I asked them to write a 1,000- to 1,500-word essay based on the following questions:
- What can we learn about Roman military practices or strategy from Caesar’s account?
- What can we learn about Roman politics, imperialism, and society?
- Do you find Caesar’s account reliable? How might historians use documents such as this?
The Verdict
This was a success. My students really enjoyed the book (as much as any freshmen ever likes to read a book), and the essays were pretty good. ChatGPT appeared in November 2022, and it forced a slow rethinking of how to approach the essays.