Students
AHIS200 – Greek Bronze Age
2016 – S1 Day
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Shawn Ross
Contact via Email
W6A 510
Monday 2-3 pm and by appointment
Lecturer
Kenneth Sheedy
By appointment
|
|---|---|
| Credit points |
Credit points
3
|
| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
12cp
|
| Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
| Unit description |
Unit description
This unit explores the era of the palace-based states in the Aegean during the Bronze Age (c.3000 BC – c.1100 BC). These are the dramatic years of Greek prehistory which the poet Hesiod famously described as the ‘Age of Heroes’. It was the time of the Trojan War. This unit critically examines the rich archaeological evidence. We begin with the emergence of complex societies in the Cyclades and Crete and the creation of the Minoan palace civilization with its capital at Knossos. Then follows a critical study of the rise of competing states on the Greek mainland and the eventual domination of Mycenae and its allied fortified palaces in the Peloponnese.
|
Important Academic Dates
Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
Learning Outcomes
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
- Recognise key elements of the material culture of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Explain the chronology and geography of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age world.
- Summarise the cultural, social, and political evolution of the Greek Bronze Age in its broader Mediterranean context.
- Outline the history of Greek Bronze Age archaeology, identifying key approaches used by archaeologists in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Locate and analyse a range of primary and secondary source materials related to the study of the Greek Bronze Age, including material evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
General Assessment Information
General Assessment Information
Unit Requirements and Expectations
Students must achieve an overall mark of 50% or above to complete this unit satisfactorily.
Assignment submission
All written work must be submitted through the iLearn website. Please upload your assignment to the drop-box for the relevant week. Save your assignment as a pdf or a doc file (a pdf is best; please do not use docx).
All assignments must include the following at the start: Student name; Student Number; Assessment Task Title or Question. Any assignment submitted without these will not be marked.
All written assignments will be returned via the ‘turnitin’ tool on the iLearn Unit site, and feedback from the marker will be delivered through that tool.
Extensions and Special Considerations
If you anticipate any difficulty in attending class for a scheduled test it is important that you contact us as early as possible. Please avoid asking for extensions as missing deadlines complicates the work of markers and puts you behind. If you have to ask for an extension or the opportunity to reschedule the date of a test please request it before the deadline, and only request the extension if you face serious crises that can be documented in some way (e.g. with a medical certificate). ‘Getting behind with your work’ or 'I ran out of time’ are not excuses. If you miss a class test due to illness or a serious crisis that can be documented, you can re-schedule and sit the test at a later time. Please see us as soon as possible to organise a time and place to sit a supplementary test.
Special Consideration Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/special_consideration/policy.html
Applying for Special Consideration Students applying for Special Consideration circumstances of three (3) consecutive days duration, within a study period, and/or prevent completion of a formal examination must submit an on-line application with the Faculty of Arts. For an application to be valid, it must include a completed Application for Special Consideration form and all supporting documentation.
The online Special Consideration application is found at: http://www.arts.mq.edu.au/current_students/undergraduate/admin_central/
Extensions can only be granted in exceptional cases and may only be sought in consultation with the unit convenor and with support of documentary evidence. If you anticipate any difficulty in meeting assigned due dates then it is important that you contact the course’s convenor as early as possible.
Please avoid asking for extensions as missing deadlines complicates the work of markers and puts you behind. If you have to ask for an extension, request it before the deadline, ‘Getting behind with your work’ or 'I had other deadlines' do not count.
Written assessment tasks submitted after the due date without good reasons will be penalised by a deduction of 2% a day (including weekends) of the mark gained. After five days, a mark of 0% will be assigned.
Written assessment tasks submitted that are under or over the word length by more than 10% will be penalised with a 10% deduction. The marker will only read the listed word limit, i.e. if the word limit is 1000 words they will stop reading at 1000 words (plus or minus up to 100 words).
Written assessment tasks submitted without proper referencing, i.e. little or no page numbers or no bibliography will receive an automatic fail.
Marking Rubric
Major assessments will be graded using a rubric, which can be found on the iLearn unit site.
Assessments
1. Weekly quizzes or short writing. A weekly assignment based on reading and lecture content and supporting in-class tutorial activities. Specific tasks will vary, but may include quizzes, short formal writing, or informal writing.
2. Essay preparation tasks. For each of the two essays, students will complete preparatory tasks that advance their essays and avoid the pitfalls of last-minute writing.
Examples of these tasks include:
- A bibliographic essay
- An annotated bibliography
- A thesis statement
- Informal writing to develop essay ideas
- A summary or outline
- A draft
- Peer reviews
List of possible essay topics will be distributed in Week 1 (Cyclades / Minoan Crete) and Week 7 (Mycenaean Greece).
3. Research Essays (two). Two research essays, one due in each half of the semester. The first research essay will concern Early-Middle Cycladic culture or Minoan Crete, the second Mycenaean Greece. Each essay should be approximately 2,000 words in length. A list of broad research topics will be distributed, but these topics will need to be refined and narrowed by students. Students may also choose their own research topics in consultation with the appropriate instructor.
4. Preparation and Participation. Students must demonstrate thorough tutorial preparation (completion of all readings; review of lecture materials) through thoughtful, active participation in tutorial activities each week. A combination of self, peer, and instructor evaluation will determine the quality of participation.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Due |
|---|---|---|
| Tutorial writing / quizzes | 30% | Weekly (Weeks 2-13) |
| Preparation and Participation | 15% | Weekly (all weeks) |
| Essay preparation | 15% | Recurring from Week 4 |
| Research Essays | 40% | Week 6; Week 13 |
Tutorial writing / quizzes
Due: Weekly (Weeks 2-13)
Weighting: 30%
A weekly assignment based on reading and lecture content and supporting in-class tutorial activities. Specific tasks will vary, but may include quizzes, short formal writing, or informal writing.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Recognise key elements of the material culture of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Explain the chronology and geography of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age world.
- Summarise the cultural, social, and political evolution of the Greek Bronze Age in its broader Mediterranean context.
- Outline the history of Greek Bronze Age archaeology, identifying key approaches used by archaeologists in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
Preparation and Participation
Due: Weekly (all weeks)
Weighting: 15%
Students must demonstrate thorough tutorial preparation (completion of all readings; review of lecture materials) through thoughtful, active participation in tutorial activities each week. A combination of self, peer, and instructor evaluation will determine the quality of participation.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Recognise key elements of the material culture of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Explain the chronology and geography of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age world.
- Summarise the cultural, social, and political evolution of the Greek Bronze Age in its broader Mediterranean context.
- Outline the history of Greek Bronze Age archaeology, identifying key approaches used by archaeologists in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
Essay preparation
Due: Recurring from Week 4
Weighting: 15%
For each of the two essays, students will complete preparatory tasks that advance their essays and avoid the pitfalls of last-minute writing.
Examples of these tasks include:
- A bibliographic essay
- An annotated bibliography
- A thesis statement
- Informal writing to develop essay ideas
- A summary or outline
- A draft
- Peer reviews
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Locate and analyse a range of primary and secondary source materials related to the study of the Greek Bronze Age, including material evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Research Essays
Due: Week 6; Week 13
Weighting: 40%
Two research essays, one due in each half of the semester. The first research essay will concern Early-Middle Cycladic culture or Minoan Crete, the second Mycenaean Greece. Each essay should be approximately 2,000 words in length. A list of broad research topics will be distributed, but these topics will need to be refined and narrowed by students. Students may also choose their own research topics in consultation with the appropriate instructor.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Locate and analyse a range of primary and secondary source materials related to the study of the Greek Bronze Age, including material evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Delivery and Resources
Required texts (both available online through the Library):
Shelmerdine, C. (ed.). 2008, The Cambridge companion to the Aegean Bronze Age. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge ; New York.
Cline, E. H. (ed.). 2010. The Oxford handbook of the Bronze Age Aegean (ca. 3000-1000 BC). Oxford University Press, Oxford ; New York.
Supplemental readings:
Students may be asked to complete supplemental readings as part of tutorial writing and preparation.
NB: All readings for class must be completed before Lecture.
Unit Schedule
| Part I: Cycladic and Minoan Culture | ||||
|
Week |
Date |
Lecture / Tutorial Topics |
Readings |
Research Essays |
|
1 |
29 Feb |
Introducing the Greek Bronze Age. The Minoan Palace. A student’s guide. |
Shelmerdine, Ch. 1 Cline, 'Background and Definitions': -'History of Research' -'Chronology and Terminology' |
Essay 1 topics distributed |
|
2 |
7 March |
Urbanization: from the Neolithic to the Bronze Age The Early Bronze Age in the Aegean: the Cyclades |
Shelmerdine, Ch. 2-4. Cline, Ch 3,5 and 6. |
|
|
3 |
14 March |
The Rise of the Palaces. A beginners guide to bull leaping. |
Shelmerdine, Ch. 5-7 Cline, Ch 8, 14, 17, 19. |
Topic selection due |
|
4 |
21 March |
Minoan Santorini/Thera. The Santorini Eruption and the Problem of Chronology. |
Shelmerdine, Ch. 8 Cline, Ch. 34, 56. |
Bibliographical essay due |
|
5 |
28 March |
Easter Monday: No lectures. Complete assigned readings. |
|
|
|
6 |
4 April |
The Destructions of the Late Bronze Age palaces and the Mycenaean hegemony. LMII-III: a different world? |
Shelmerdine, Ch. 9, 12B. Cline, Ch 11, 39 |
Essay 1 Due |
|
Break |
11 April |
Enjoy your mid-session Break |
|
|
| Part II: Mycenaean Culture | ||||
| Week | Date |
Lecture / Tutorial Topics |
Readings | Research Essays |
| 7 | 25 April |
The Late Bronze Age World: Orientation and overview. Mycenaean antecedents (Early and Middle Helladic Greece). |
Cline, 'Chronology and Geography: -'EBA: Mainland Greece' -'MBA: Mainland Greece' 'Specific Sites and Regions': TBD in tutorial Review Shelmerdine, Ch. 1 Cline, 'Background and Definitions': -'History of Research' -'Chronology and Terminology' |
Essay 2 topics distributed |
| 8 | 02 May |
Early Mycenaean Greece. The rise of complexity. |
Cline, 'Chronology and Geography': -'LBA: Mainland Greece' Shelmerdine, Ch. 10 |
Topic and preliminary bibliography |
| 9 | 09 May |
Mycenaean states and administration. Linear B. Mycenaean kingship and legitimacy. |
Cline, 'Thematic Topics': -'Society and Culture: State and Society, Weapons and Warfare' -'Seals and Writing: Linear B' 'Specific Sites and Regions': TBD in tutorial Shelmerdine, Ch. 12a Review Shelmerdine, Ch. 12b |
Exploratory writing |
| 10 | 16 May |
Mycenaean Art and architecture. Mainland traditions and Minoan influence: Imitation and innovation in Mycenaean material culture. |
Cline, 'Thematic Topics': -'Art and Architecture: Mycenaean Architecture, Figurines, Frescoes' -'Material Crafts: Mycenaean Pottery, Textiles, Jewelery' 'Specific Sites and Regions': TBD in tutorial Shelmerdine, Ch. 11 |
Thesis statement and annotated bibliography |
| 11 | 23 May |
Mycenaean society and culture. The structure of Mycenaean society. |
Cline, 'Thematic Topics' -'Society and Culture: Mycenaean Religion, Death and Burial' -'Material Crafts: Materials and Industries' 'Specific Sites and Regions': TBD in tutorial Shelmerdine, Ch. 13 |
Essay draft |
| 12 | 30 May |
Mycenaean Greece in the wider Mediterranean world. An LBA 'world system'? |
Cline, 'Thematic Topics': -'Society and Culture: Trade' Cline, 'Specific Sites and Regions': -'Wider Mediterranean: Uluburun Shipwreck' 'Specific Sites and Regions': TBD in tutorial Shelmerdine, Ch. 14 |
Peer review |
| 13 | 06 June |
The end of the Bronze Age. The collapse of complex societies. |
Cline, 'Thematic Topics': -'Events: The Collapse at the End of the Bronze Age' 'Specific Sites and Regions': TBD in tutorial Shelmerdine, Ch. 15 |
Essay 2 due |
Learning and Teaching Activities
Lectures
Readings
In-class activities
Writing
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Student Code of Conduct
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results
Results shown in iLearn, or released directly by your Unit Convenor, are not confirmed as they are subject to final approval by the University. Once approved, final results will be sent to your student email address and will be made available in eStudent. For more information visit ask.mq.edu.au.
Student Support
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Student Services and Support
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
Student Enquiries
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
IT Help
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://www.mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/information_technology/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use of IT Resources Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
Graduate Capabilities
Creative and Innovative
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Assessment tasks
- Tutorial writing / quizzes
- Preparation and Participation
- Essay preparation
- Research Essays
Learning and teaching activities
- Discussions, debates, role-plays, in-class writing, and similar activities, taking place in small groups or plenary sessions. These activities will usually occur during Tutorials, but may also take place during Lectures.
- This unit adopts a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, where writing is used throughout the unit to engage students with content and foster critical thinking.
Capable of Professional and Personal Judgement and Initiative
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Locate and analyse a range of primary and secondary source materials related to the study of the Greek Bronze Age, including material evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Assessment tasks
- Essay preparation
- Research Essays
Learning and teaching activities
- This unit adopts a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, where writing is used throughout the unit to engage students with content and foster critical thinking.
Discipline Specific Knowledge and Skills
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Recognise key elements of the material culture of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Explain the chronology and geography of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age world.
- Summarise the cultural, social, and political evolution of the Greek Bronze Age in its broader Mediterranean context.
- Outline the history of Greek Bronze Age archaeology, identifying key approaches used by archaeologists in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Locate and analyse a range of primary and secondary source materials related to the study of the Greek Bronze Age, including material evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Assessment tasks
- Tutorial writing / quizzes
- Preparation and Participation
- Essay preparation
- Research Essays
Learning and teaching activities
- Lectures delivered by unit instructors.
- Required and recommended readings, plus individual readings students complete as they prepare their essays. All readings for class must be completed before the relevant lecture.
- Discussions, debates, role-plays, in-class writing, and similar activities, taking place in small groups or plenary sessions. These activities will usually occur during Tutorials, but may also take place during Lectures.
- This unit adopts a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, where writing is used throughout the unit to engage students with content and foster critical thinking.
Critical, Analytical and Integrative Thinking
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Outline the history of Greek Bronze Age archaeology, identifying key approaches used by archaeologists in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Locate and analyse a range of primary and secondary source materials related to the study of the Greek Bronze Age, including material evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Assessment tasks
- Tutorial writing / quizzes
- Preparation and Participation
- Essay preparation
- Research Essays
Learning and teaching activities
- Required and recommended readings, plus individual readings students complete as they prepare their essays. All readings for class must be completed before the relevant lecture.
- Discussions, debates, role-plays, in-class writing, and similar activities, taking place in small groups or plenary sessions. These activities will usually occur during Tutorials, but may also take place during Lectures.
- This unit adopts a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, where writing is used throughout the unit to engage students with content and foster critical thinking.
Problem Solving and Research Capability
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Summarise the cultural, social, and political evolution of the Greek Bronze Age in its broader Mediterranean context.
- Assess and apply selected theoretical and methodological approaches to the study of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Locate and analyse a range of primary and secondary source materials related to the study of the Greek Bronze Age, including material evidence, ancient texts, and modern scholarship.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Assessment tasks
- Tutorial writing / quizzes
- Preparation and Participation
- Essay preparation
- Research Essays
Learning and teaching activities
- Required and recommended readings, plus individual readings students complete as they prepare their essays. All readings for class must be completed before the relevant lecture.
- Discussions, debates, role-plays, in-class writing, and similar activities, taking place in small groups or plenary sessions. These activities will usually occur during Tutorials, but may also take place during Lectures.
- This unit adopts a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, where writing is used throughout the unit to engage students with content and foster critical thinking.
Effective Communication
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcomes
- Explain the chronology and geography of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age world.
- Summarise the cultural, social, and political evolution of the Greek Bronze Age in its broader Mediterranean context.
- Outline the history of Greek Bronze Age archaeology, identifying key approaches used by archaeologists in the 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries.
- Combine and synthesise material evidence, textual primary sources (where available), and secondary sources to compose original written and oral arguments.
Assessment tasks
- Tutorial writing / quizzes
- Preparation and Participation
- Essay preparation
- Research Essays
Learning and teaching activities
- Discussions, debates, role-plays, in-class writing, and similar activities, taking place in small groups or plenary sessions. These activities will usually occur during Tutorials, but may also take place during Lectures.
- This unit adopts a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, where writing is used throughout the unit to engage students with content and foster critical thinking.
Engaged and Ethical Local and Global citizens
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Learning outcome
- Recognise key elements of the material culture of the Greek Bronze Age.
Learning and teaching activities
- This unit adopts a Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) approach, where writing is used throughout the unit to engage students with content and foster critical thinking.