Unit Guide

General Information

Unit convenor and teaching staff	Unit convenor and teaching staff Convener Christopher Forbes christopher.forbes@mq.edu.au Please consult the section instructor, who handles day-to-day running of the unit Section Instructor Elizabeth Stockdale elizabeth.stockdale@mq.edu.au Contact via iLearn Dialogue Tool
Prerequisites	Prerequisites
Corequisites	Corequisites
Co-badged status	Co-badged status
Unit description	Unit description Alexander the Great's extraordinary conquests towards the end of the fourth century BC opened up vast areas of the ancient Near East to Greek influences. This unit deals with the cultural history of the eastern Mediterranean area, beginning with Alexander's invasion of the Persian Empire. It follows the fortunes of his successors in the third and second centuries BC, treating the Hellenisation of native peoples and reactions to cultural change, down to and including the early first century AD and the emergence of the Roman Empire. All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au

Important Academic Dates

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/

Learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Showing an awareness of the differing kinds of ancient evidence (including textual, epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological evidence) and appropriate methods for dealing with them
Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Gaining a comprehension of ancient world-views and cultural concepts
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

General Assessment Information

The short paper, major essay, and exam will be submitted via Turnitin. Comments on the weekly discussion are to be submitted within iLearn.

Assessment Tasks

Name	Weighting	Hurdle	Due
Short Paper	20%	No	Sunday the following Week
Major Essay	35%	No	0900 Monday of Week 9
Exam	30%	No	2355 Friday of Week 13
Online Comments	15%	No	Weekly

Short Paper

Due: Sunday the following Week
Weighting: 20%

The Short Paper topics are found on iLearn in the "Assessments, Resources, and Guides" section.

You must hand in a Short Paper on a topic set in the tutorial discussion questions for one of the weeks of term. This assignment is to be handed in on or before Midnight, Sunday of the following Week. (This means you have a week to discuss the material with one another and the Tutor, and then a week to write up your chosen topic.)

The short paper is an exercise in careful and critical reading of documentary sources. Their aim is to develop skills of analysis and deduction, and the ability to write a lucid short answer to a precise question. They are not primarily exercises in the collection of the opinions of others, even if those others are great scholars, but you should read widely and refer to modern scholarship where relevant. The assignments will be marked primarily on your understanding of the sources themselves.

Please note that essay form is required for all work submitted. Point form or extended notes are not good enough. Footnotes should be given, and should conform to the rules laid out in "Essay Presentation & Conventions: Style Guide".

On successful completion you will be able to:

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Showing an awareness of the differing kinds of ancient evidence (including textual, epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological evidence) and appropriate methods for dealing with them
Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Major Essay

Due: 0900 Monday of Week 9
Weighting: 35%

The Major Essay topics are found on iLearn in the "Assessments, Resources, and Guides" section.

The major essay (word limit: 2,000 including footnotes but not bibliography) is due at 0900 Monday of Week 9 . Essay formalities (footnotes, bibliography) should follow the guidelines laid out in “Essay Presentation & Conventions: Style Guide”.

Both Footnotes and a full Bibliography of all the works you found useful are required. Note that the provided Bibliographies (also in the "Assessments, Resources, and Guides" section of iLearn) are wide-ranging but are not intended to be complete. They are suggestions as to a range of good places to start your research. You are perfectly free to go beyond them. You certainly ought not to think that the opinions of those books or articles given here are the "course line": all opinions are to be checked against the primary evidence!

On successful completion you will be able to:

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Showing an awareness of the differing kinds of ancient evidence (including textual, epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological evidence) and appropriate methods for dealing with them
Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Gaining a comprehension of ancient world-views and cultural concepts
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Exam

Due: 2355 Friday of Week 13
Weighting: 30%

The examination for this unit will ask you to write four short essays out of a range of approx. fifteen questions. The exam will be divided into three sections with approx. five questions each; you must do one question out of each section, and your fourth question can be from any of the three sections. All questions are of equal value. The sections will be as follows:

Section 1: Alexander and the first generation of the Successors (approx. Weeks 1-4)
Section 2: The Kingdoms and Culture of the Hellenistic world and responses to them (approx. Weeks 5-10)
Section 3: The Later Hellenistic period and the rise of Rome, and Unit Summary (approx. Weeks 11-13).

The exam will be made available for a period of precisely one week, from 0900 (EST) Friday of Week 12 to 2355 (EST) Friday of Week 13. It will be a "take home" exam, meaning that you can decide for yourself how much time to spend on it during the given week. The exam will be found on iLearn in the "Assessments, Resources, and Guides" section at 0900 on Friday of Week 12.

Treat the exam as much as possible as if you were doing it under ‘exam conditions’. In particular, don’t make it into another essay: don’t give footnotes and bibliographies, but work principally from memory. The idea is to gauge how effectively you can argue and draw conclusions from material discussed in the unit, and scholarly work you have read.

You are asked if possible to do the take-home exam in three hours. This cannot be policed, and you may give yourself longer if you think it helps; but note that 2,500 words amount to about 625 words per answer, and there will be no extra marks for extra length.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Showing an awareness of the differing kinds of ancient evidence (including textual, epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological evidence) and appropriate methods for dealing with them
Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Online Comments

Due: Weekly
Weighting: 15%

Write comments in the online discussion each week (but those who contribute in at least ten weeks out of thirteen will be eligible, if the quality is right, for full marks). The comment should respond to the questions set for the week and should be based on reading of ancient and modern source material. Footnoting and listing of bibliography is not required (the online comments are not a dry run for the Short Paper! But general references to sources are encouraged), and courteous interaction with comments posted by other students is encouraged. Word length in each case should be between 100 and 250 words. The exact date when you post a comment does not matter (though it will be hard to engage with others and produce high quality discussion if you post when everyone has left the forum), but the axe will fall at 5 p.m. on the Friday of Week 13, and comments cannot be added to the site after that time.

On successful completion you will be able to:

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Gaining a comprehension of ancient world-views and cultural concepts
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Delivery and Resources

This unit is 100% online. In your first week of study, spend time browsing the iLearn site and checking the resources we have made available.

Lectures are accessed via Echo360.

Required and recommended texts.

Three textbooks are required for this unit.

Arrian, The Campaigns of Alexander (AKA Anabasis Alexandri).
Austin, M. The Hellenistic World from Alexander to the Roman Conquest. 2nd ed. Cambridge: CUP, 2006. [1st edition also acceptable]
Shipley, G. The Greek world after Alexander: 323-30 BC. Routledge History of the Ancient World. London: Routledge, 2000.

NB:

Austin is available online via the library. See the link under "Assessments, Resources, and Guides>Ancient History Resources Online." The book is far easier to use with a physical copy, but if you would like to save money, make use of the subscriptions the library has!
Some editions of Arrian are online (links are in the same place as Austin). They are usually old. We recommend the Penguin edition. It is easy to read, and cheap to obtain (use a second-hand book store).

Unit Schedule

Week 1

Alexander the Great: his career and achievements

Alexander's motives: propaganda, mythology, wanderlust and logistics

Week 2

Guest Lecture: Prof. I. Worthington.

Week 3

Alexander's Death, his Will and "Last Plans"

The succession crisis and the Diadochoi

Week 4

The rise of Monarchy

Monarchy and Religion: the ruler cult

Week 5

L10

The new institutions of the Hellenistic kings and the decline of democracy

The Seleucid Kings

Week 6

L11

L12

The Ptolemies

The Antigonids

Week 7

L13

L14

The Hellenistic Polis (1)

The Hellenistic Polis (2)

Week 8

L15

L16

Hellenistic Art

Hellenistic Philosophy

Week 9

L17

L18

The Hellenisation Process (1)

The Hellenisation Process (2)

Week 10

L19

L20

Anti-Hellenic Reaction in Egypt

Rome and the Greek States (1)

Week 11

L21

L22

Anti-Hellenic Reaction in Palestine

Rome and the Greek States (2)

Week 12

L23

L24

Rome and the Greek States (3)

Judaism, Hellenistic and other

Week 13

L25

L26

Hellenistic Religion

Hellenistic Religions continued, and Unit Summary

Policies and Procedures

Late Submission - applies unless otherwise stated elsewhere in the unit guide

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.

Extension Request

Special Consideration Policy and Procedure (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policies/special-consideration)

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:

were serious, unexpected and unavoidable
were beyond your control
caused substantial disruption to your academic work
substantially interfered with your otherwise satisfactory fulfilment of the unit requirements
lasted at least three consecutive days or a total of 5 days within the teaching period and prevented completion of an assessment task scheduled for a specific date.

If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:

Visit Ask MQ and use your OneID to log in
Fill in your relevant details
Attach supporting documents by clicking 'Add a reply', click 'Browse' and navigating to the files you want to attach, then click 'Submit Form' to send your notification and supporting documents
Please keep copies of your original documents, as they may be requested in the future as part of the assessment process

Outcome

Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.

OUA Specific Policies and Procedures

Withdrawal from a unit after the census date

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.

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

Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Assessment tasks

Short Paper
Major Essay
Exam
Online Comments

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

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Showing an awareness of the differing kinds of ancient evidence (including textual, epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological evidence) and appropriate methods for dealing with them
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Assessment tasks

Short Paper
Major Essay
Exam
Online Comments

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 outcome

Gaining a comprehension of ancient world-views and cultural concepts

Assessment tasks

Major Essay
Online Comments

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

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Showing an awareness of the differing kinds of ancient evidence (including textual, epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological evidence) and appropriate methods for dealing with them
Gaining a comprehension of ancient world-views and cultural concepts
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Assessment tasks

Short Paper
Major Essay
Exam
Online Comments

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

Learning from a variety of ancient text types and other ancient sources relevant to the career of Alexander the Great, and the political, social and cultural history of the subsequent Hellenistic period
Showing an awareness of the differing kinds of ancient evidence (including textual, epigraphic, numismatic and archaeological evidence) and appropriate methods for dealing with them
Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Gaining a comprehension of ancient world-views and cultural concepts
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Assessment tasks

Short Paper
Major Essay
Exam
Online Comments

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

Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Gaining an awareness of the complexity of ancient accounts of past events and experiences
Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Assessment tasks

Short Paper
Major Essay
Exam
Online Comments

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

Contextualising particular ancient documents and other sources of information within their wider cultural environment
Conducting independent research on a chosen topic
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Assessment tasks

Short Paper
Major Essay
Exam
Online Comments

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 outcomes

Gaining a comprehension of ancient world-views and cultural concepts
Engaging with and responding critically to a variety of scholarly opinions
Formulating an independent view in dialogue with both ancient evidence and modern interpretations

Assessment tasks

Short Paper
Major Essay
Exam
Online Comments

Changes from Previous Offering

(1) Short papers can now be written on any of the weekly discussion topics. In previous offerings students were required to write on either Week 2 or Week 3. As a result the due date of the short paper will vary according to the topic chosen. Please note: Short papers are now due at the end of the week after their week, i.e Week 4's short paper is due before Midnight on the Sunday of Week 5.

(2) The values of the various assignments have been tweaked. Short Papers are now worth 20%, Major Essays 35%, the Exam 30% and Participation 15%.