Investigation - Your Process

• You will work in a group, deciding on your topic focus as you explore the resources. Your research goal is to gather information that will allow you to
  • compare Roman civilization to our own (United States) civilization
  • explore the influence Roman civilization has had on us
• Though you will work with your group to choose a topic and do your presentation,
  • you will take on a specific individual research task related to your group's topic
  • you are also individually responsible for identifying, gathering information and reporting back to the group about something still to be found in the modern world that shows the influence of Rome or a strong similarity to ancient Rome that you can validate through your research.

Steps in the Research process

1. Survey the resources to get a general understanding of the Roman world and a come up with a list of terms for keyword and subject searching in your information sources.As you survey, be on the alert for similarities and differences between our culture and Roman culture.
2. Choose a topic area. Here are some suggestions (but your group can come up with another topic area; make sure you get it approved by your teachers, who will know whether it will work in terms of project goals and resources):
   • Entertainment
     (including sports and recreation) Bread and Circus is not just the name of a grocery store--it refers to Roman history. Some Romans felt that the people would be happy and not cause trouble to their leaders if they were given food (bread) and entertainment (circuses). If true, how does this compare with sports and entertainment today? How important are they to us?
   • Architecture/Sculpture/Art
     The Romans borrowed from other cultures, particularly the Greeks, when it came to the arts. But they developed the forms and interpreted them in ways that expressed Roman values and talents. Explore this area, comparing our own arts with theirs. Think about the types of buildings and statues you see that remind you of Roman buildings and statues. Why might the builders/sculptors have imitated the Romans in designing these? Take another look at the George Washington statue and the building in front of which it stands. (Some sculptors actually put our first president in classical --Greek/Roman--dress, as one of the items in the Arizona State University Museum illustrates.)
   • Leaders
     Romans had definite ideas about what made someone a good leader. You might want to think about our own values--what do we admire in a leader, as represented in--for example--Airforce One?
   • Growth and protection of the empire
     Some historians have made comparisons between the "American Empire"--starting from the original thirteen colonies and moving westward--and the Roman Empire. Others note that while the United States does not have an empire, it has an interest in what happens in other countries and in preserving stability and peace beyond our borders. This makes us take on a role similar to that of the Romans in the ancient world. What was their role? What issues did they have to deal with in establishing, managing and maintaining their empire?
3. Develop questions to use in gathering information
4. Identify relevant resources that are likely to contain good information relevant to your questions. Start with the suggested print and electronic sources.
5. Take notes (using standard forms) that reflect your accurate understanding of the information you've gathered through reading, listening or viewing. Remember to check back for accuracy and details such as spelling. If your notes are based on observation--of a museum artifact or a building you see downtown, for example--include information about the object from a caption, sign or knowledgeable adult.
6. Record your sources using the appropriate forms. Make sure you've been complete and accurate (including spelling everything correctly). This goes for Internet resources too!
7. Share the information you gathered as a group; make a Venn diagram for your topic comparing and contrasting ancient Rome and the modern United States.
8. Decide on a way to present your information. Some suggestions are given on the Presenting the Results page.

Information Resources

Presenting the Results