Students

AHIS344 – Religions along the Silk Road

2017 – S2 Day

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit Convenor
Gunner Mikkelsen
Contact via gunner.mikkelsen@mq.edu.au
AHH
Credit points Credit points
3
Prerequisites Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above or (6cp in AHIS or AHST or MHIS or HIST units at 200 level)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
Most of the world's major religions spread and flourished along the Silk Road. This unit studies the history, teachings, literature, art and archaeology of Buddhism, Manichaeism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism in Central Asia and North China in the first millennium of the CE. It explores themes related to cross-cultural transmission, translation, assimilation and reception.

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:

  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.
  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

General Assessment Information

Assessment criteria

The Essay will be marked against the following criteria: (1) knowledge of the relevant subject matter, (2) the range of primary sources used and their analysis, (3) the range of secondary works consulted and the depth of engagement with them, (4) correct citation of sources, (5) structure of argument, (6) formal presentation including correct referencing, English language grammar, spelling and punctuation.

Submission of Essay

The Essay must be submitted via Turnitin.

Extensions and penalties

Extensions can only be granted in exceptional cases and may only be sought in consultation with the unit convenor and before the assignment is due.

Assessment tasks / assignments are compulsory and must be submitted on time. As a general rule, extensions will not be granted without a valid and documented reason (e.g. medical certificate). Late submissions will be penalised by 2% for each day (including weekends) the assignment task is late. No assignments will be accepted after assignments have been corrected and feedback has been provided.

For Disruption to Studies Policy see under Policies and Procedures.

Completing the unit

To complete the unit satisfactorily, students must listen to the lectures and reflect on them and do the set weekly readings. Regular attendance at lectures is strongly recommended. Students must submit all items of assessment and hand in work which is formatted in accordance with Department of Ancient History guidelines, spell-checked, written in good English, and demonstrating both an understanding of the material in the lectures and readings and independent reflection on the subject of the assessment.

An overall mark of 50% or above must be achieved to complete the unit satisfactorily.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Tutorial Participation 20% No Weeks 2-13
Essay 40% No Friday Week 10
Exam 40% No TBA

Tutorial Participation

Due: Weeks 2-13
Weighting: 20%

One 1-hour tutorial each week. Tutorials start in Week 2. Tutorial participation is compulsory.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.

Essay

Due: Friday Week 10
Weighting: 40%

One assessed essay, approx. 2,500 words on a topic selected from a list of essay titles which will be distributed in Week 3. The essay must be supplied with footnotes and a complete bibliography of primary and secondary sources recorded according to one of the accepted conventions. Feedback and a mark for the essay will usually be given within two weeks after submission.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.
  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

Exam

Due: TBA
Weighting: 40%

One 2-hour exam. This written examination will take place in the examination period.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.

Delivery and Resources

Classes

For lecture times and classrooms please consult the MQ Timetable website: http://timetables.mq.edu.au. This website will display up-to-date information on your classes and classroom locations.

Required and Recommended Texts and/or Materials

Required texts:

FOLTZ, Richard C., Religions of the Silk Road: premodern patterns of globalization, 2nd ed. (New York: Palgrave, 2010).

HANSEN, Valerie, The Silk Road: a new history with documents (New York & Oxford.: Oxford University Press, 2017).

Materials are available for the unit in the Library's Reserve and online. See further the Detailed Bibliography for the unit in iLearn.

Technology Used and Required

This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/. All lectures will be recorded and made available here via the Echo360 system.

Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient. For technical support go to: http://mq.edu.au/about_us/offices_and_units/informatics/help For student quick guides on the use of iLearn go to: http://mq.edu.au/iLearn/student_info/guides.htm

 

Unit Schedule

Week Lecture    
1 Introduction    
2 Religion and trade along the Silk Road    
3 Spread of Buddhism along the Silk Road    
4 Buddhism in Central Asia – the evidence from Turfan and Dunhuang    
5 Buddhism meets Confucianism and Daoism: the arrival of Buddhism in China    
6 Between China and India: Chinese Buddhist pilgrims on the Silk Road    
7 Reading Week    
  Mid-session break    
8 From Mesopotamia to China: the spread of Manichaeism along the Silk Road    
9 Manichaeism meets Buddhism: Manichaean missionary techniques in Central Asia and China    
10 The Church of the East (“Nestorian” Christianity) in Central Asia and Tang China    
11 Spread of Zoroastrianism along the Silk Road    
12 Zoroastrians in China: archaeological evidence    
13 A melting pot no more: the fate of Buddhism, Manichaeism, Christianity and Zoroastrianism in Central Asia after the arrival of Islam    

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

Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.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 (in effect until Dec 4th, 2017): http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html

Special Consideration Policy (in effect from Dec 4th, 2017): https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration

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 outcomes

  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.
  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

Commitment to Continuous Learning

Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcomes

  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.

Assessment tasks

  • Essay
  • Exam

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

  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.
  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay
  • Exam

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

  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.
  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay
  • Exam

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

  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to evaluate how historical information may be extracted from ancient sources, written and archaeological.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.
  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay
  • Exam

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

  • Ability to find, analyse and interpret primary and secondary sources and present the information in a written format to a high standard.
  • Ability to formulate arguments and articulate ideas to an advanced level.
  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

Assessment tasks

  • Tutorial Participation
  • Essay
  • Exam

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

  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.

Socially and Environmentally Active and Responsible

We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.

This graduate capability is supported by:

Learning outcome

  • Ability to plan, revise and submit work according to the unit schedule.