Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Bernard Doherty
Kyle Keimer
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
When Tertullian posed the famous question 'What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?', he was highlighting the tensions in the early to mid-Roman empire over the Roman state's reaction to the advent of Christianity. This unit will explore two areas relevant to this controversy: What did Greeks and Romans make of Judaism and why did Jews and Christians come into conflict with Roman society. On completion, you should have a sound knowledge of the nature and causes of conflict between Christians, Jews and the Roman government during the first three centuries AD. You will gain an awareness of the various ancient source traditions on this topic.
All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Short Essay | 20% | No | Friday Week 3 |
Major essay | 35% | No | Friday Week 10 |
Take Home Exam | 35% | No | Friday Week 13 |
Forum Participation | 10% | No | Weekly |
Due: Friday Week 3
Weighting: 20%
Choose either the activity question (see Forums) from Week 2 or the activity question from Week 3 (parts a and b) and write 1000 words on it.
The essay should be primarily based on your own reading of the primary (i.e. ancient) sources set for each of the weeks (in the Book of Readings and Mark Harding's Early Christian Life and Though in Social Context).
Due: Friday Week 10
Weighting: 35%
Students should submit a 2,000 word essay (excluding references) by 5pm (EST) Friday of Week 10. 2000 words is a maximum word limit (+/- 10%), and essays which exceed it will not be viewed favourably (and may attract penalties depending on the severity of the infraction).
These essays MUST conform in presentation to the requirements as laid out in a separate document available on request from the Ancient History Office.
Extensions will be granted only in cases of misadventure or illness.
You may choose your own essay topic, as long as it is related to the subject matter and time frame of the unit and students must clear their proposed topic with the course convener/tutor beforehand.
You may also expand any one of the tutorial topics into an essay topic, using bibliographies given plus your own further reading. The question must involve an argument or discussion. It is important to base your essay on primary sources, and to compile your own list of up-to-date secondary reading. Do not pick a question which has too much ground to cover and do not hesitate to discuss your questions with the unit Convenor at any stage of the Study Period via email.
Essays should be accompanied by separate bibliographies of primary (ancient) sources and modern works and footnotes. The presentation should follow accepted scholarly practice.
Students may also choose one of the following set questions.
Due: Friday Week 13
Weighting: 35%
There will be a take home examination and detailed instructions posted on the Forum under Announcements on Friday Week 12 at 9.00am. Students will also be sent the exam via the Dialogue section.
It must be uploaded here by the following Friday. There will be one (1) compulsory question given here:
Why (in your opinion, backed by ancient sources) did the Roman state come into conflict with both Jews and Christians? How far did the Romans distinguish the two?
Students must also answer two (2) additional questions chosen from nine additional options covering various course modules.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
For tutorials, students must participate in the discussion forum on the Unit Website, which will address the tutorial tasks and be based on the readings.
Students are REQUIRED to make a posting on EACH of the tutorial topics, of about 250 words each.
Late posts will receive zero ("0") unless a compelling reason is given. Students who post all 12 weeks in Week 12 or 13 will received zero ("0").
Books can be obtained from the Coop Bookshop.
Required Reading
There is no required textbook for this course.
Recommended Reference:
Students are advised to obtain a copy of the anthology of texts:
A New Eusebius – Documents illustrating the History of the Church to AD337 by James Stevenson, 2nd edition
Recommended Reading
Available via eReserve – see iLearn
Online units can be accessed at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/ (http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/)
PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
Please contact teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements. Consult the OUA website for more detailed information on technology requirements:
http://www.open.edu.au/public/future-students/getting-started/computer-requirements (http://www.open.edu.au/public/future-students/getting-started/computer- requirements)
Week 1 |
Welcome and Introduction |
Week 2 |
Rome and the Jews in the First Century |
Week 3 |
Jewish and Greek Culture and the spread of Christianity in the first two centuries |
Week 4 |
The Roman world to the Third Century and the Imperial Cult |
Week 5 |
The Roman state’s reaction to Jews and Christians in the Third Century |
Week 6 |
Evidence for Third Century Christianity |
Week 7 |
Decius, Valerian and the Christians |
Week 8 |
The Great Persecution |
Week 9 |
Pagans, Jews and Christians in the Papyri (II-III) |
Week 10 |
Pagans, Jews and Christians in the Papyri (III-IV) |
Week 11 |
Philosophical Debates |
Week 12 |
Philosophical Debates |
Week 13 |
Examination Week |
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.
You need to show that the circumstances:
If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:
Outcome
Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.
You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.
If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.
If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.
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.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
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.
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