Description:
Director Ridley Scott’s Gladiator was a box office hit, grossing $465.5 million upon its release in 2000. Recently, Scott has followed up with Gladiator II in November of 2024. In both films, patriotic Roman warriors find themselves in slavery, fighting against tyrannical and lurid emperors who have plunged the Roman Empire “from a kingdom of gold to one of iron and rust.” In this class, Historian and Los Medanos College Professor, David Hlusak, questions the validity of these narratives, looking at the history of Rome’s most infamous emperors to determine whether they really were the villains we have been told they were, or if the History leads us to a different, more nuanced understanding. This class will explore the History of Rome, its emperors, and take Scott’s narratives to task in helping us better understand the differences between History and storytelling. This class is a great follow-up to the “What is History? History, Storytelling, and the Human Brain,” as we will be putting into practice many of the ideas and concepts explored in “What is History?” Please feel free to watch both Gladiator and Gladiator II before attending this course, as there will be spoilers while we work to distinguish the History from the creative liberties of film makers and the stories they like to tell.
Instructor:
David Hhulsak
Registration Cutoff Date:
Dates & Times:
3/4/2025 1:00PM - 3:00PM
LMC Brentwood Center Room 306
