Professor Mellor is a very engaging and approachable professor, and even more so in his small seminar courses. The grade in the class was comprised of 2 short papers (one on Ronald Syme's Roman Revolution and one on Karl Galinsky's Cambridge Companion to the Age of Augustus), a 30-minute presentation, and a 12-15 page research paper. Mellor is one of those professors who can make a 3 hour class seem like only a 1 hour class, thanks to his enthusiasm about the material and his amusing anecdotal tendencies. He gives you plenty of flexibility in the choice of the research paper topic, and is more than willing to help you out if you can't make up your mind. He also arranged an optional trip for the class to the Getty Villa, and gave us a tour. My only advice is that you may want to take his 114B class BEFORE taking this class, as this seminar somewhat presupposes familiarity with the time period and the life of Augustus. Overall, a very enjoyable class, and a great professor!