Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor, Lecturer and Tutor
Yann Tristant
Contact via yann.tristant@mq.edu.au
W6A 525
By appointment only
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Credit points |
Credit points
3
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
AHIS190 and 6cp at 200 level
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is an examination of the methods and techniques used by archaeologists in a field situation to identify, recover, analyse and interpret their data. The course consists of lectures coupled with direct experience in field techniques of archaeology (survey techniques including aerial survey, geophysics and field walking; excavation strategies and recording; sieving and sampling strategies, etc.) using a range of modern scientific techniques. The majority of the teaching will take place in the teaching infrastructure (simulated archaeological excavation site) that will be built on campus starting from 2016 where students will practice the new skills acquired during the course.
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
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 will contain feedback from the marker within them.
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
All assessments will be graded using a rubric, which can be found on the iLearn unit site.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Online Quizz | 20% | No | Week 4 |
Research Grant Application | 30% | No | Week 7 |
Field Notebook | 30% | No | Week 11 |
Excavation practice | 20% | No | Last day of the session |
Due: Week 4
Weighting: 20%
Quiz will consist of 20 multiple choice or true/false questions that focus on the content of the lectures, textbook, and practicals from week 1 to 4.
Due: Week 7
Weighting: 30%
Using the information provided in class, write a grant proposal (including a budget) convincing a grant review panel that you should receive the requested funds to perform an archaeological project overseas. The purpose of this assignment is to provide students experience with designing a research project, writing a research proposal and putting together a grant proposal. The benefits are both academic and professional.
Due: Week 11
Weighting: 30%
Students are required to maintain a Field Notebook which documents their participation in the activities of the excavation. This notebook should record their work, together with a brief evaluation of their tasks. It might also include any other information or thoughts that the student believes relevant to their excavation experience including pictures, drawings, sketches, plans, maps, etc. The maximum length is 2,000 words. Do not be afraid to comment on mistakes or where you have changed your mind.
Due: Last day of the session
Weighting: 20%
Students are required to participate in the simulated excavation. They are required to undertake all of the duties which have been allocated to them by the lecturer or supervising staff during the excavation, as well as assist in all aspects of field work.
Delivery
Lecture Monday 9-11am
Location 29 Wallys Walk (X5B) 039 Tutorial Rm
Online units can be accessed at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au
PC and Internet access are required for those who wish to access iLearn. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement.
Please consult teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements.
Resources
The unit will be based on the following text books, which can be purchased at the Co-Op bookstore (http://www.coop-bookshop.com.au):
Required Texts:
Recommended Texts:
Dig kit:
You need to purchase a gridded lab notebook for use as a journal while in the field and a pair of white cotton gloves for handling ancient artefacts in the lab and the museum.
Tools will be provided to you; however, if you are planning on doing archaeology again, it would be a good investment for you to put together a dig kit of your own. At a minimum it should include a pointing trowel (WHS or Marshalltown is best). Optional items include a compass, a tape measure (centimetres), a line level, a hand lens, a folding rule, a paintbrush, knee pads and work gloves (all available at Bunnings); a camera.
Week |
Lecture/seminar |
Practical work |
Assessment |
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1 |
27/02/2017 |
Introduction to field archaeology |
Lab and site visit |
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2 |
06/03/2017 |
Methods and techniques of archaeological survey |
Field research strategy |
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3 |
13/03/2017 |
Basics of site recording, stratigraphy, and excavation |
Survey and mapping |
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4 |
20/03/2017 |
Research design and grant application |
Excavation |
Online quiz |
5 |
27/03/2017 |
Aerial photography (kite and drone demo) |
Excavation |
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6 |
03/04/2017 |
Objects and material record |
Excavation |
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7 |
10/04/2017 |
Methods for archaeological finds processing |
Excavation and finds processing |
Grant Proposal Application |
MID-SEMESTER BREAK |
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8 |
01/05/2017 |
Analysis of archaeological finds |
Excavation and finds processing |
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9 |
08/05/2017 |
Principles of chronology and archaeological dating |
Excavation and finds processing |
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10 |
15/05/2017 |
Interpretation of archaeological finds |
Excavation and finds processing |
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11 |
22/05/2017 |
Interpretation of archaeological sites |
Excavation and finds processing |
Field Notebook |
12 |
29/05/2017 |
Report and publication strategy |
Excavation and finds processing |
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13 |
05/06/2017 |
Review and summary |
Excavation and finds processing |
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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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