Students
AHIS200 – Greek Bronze Age
2018 – S1 Day
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Lecturer
Susan Lupack
Contact via email
Australian Hearing Hub, Level 2 South
By appointment via email
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| Credit points |
Credit points
3
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
12cp at 100 level or above
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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 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.
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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.
- Understand 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
Unit Requirements and Expectations
Students must achieve an overall mark of 50% or above to complete this unit satisfactorily. The Artifact Essay and the Research Essay must be completed in order to pass the class. Please talk with me if you miss more than two of the quizzes and/or two of the tutorials.
Written assessment tasks that are under or over the word length by more than 10% will be penalised with a 10% deduction.
Written assessment tasks should be submitted with proper referencing, i.e., with page numbers or and a scholarly bibliography. We will talk about how to go about this in tutorials.
The essay assessments will be graded using a rubric, which I will post on our iLearn site.
IMPORTANT NOTE ON FINAL MARKS: Please note with respect to the marks you receive for work during the session: that the marks given are indicative only; final marks will be determined after moderation. See further the note on Results in the Policies and Procedures section below.
Assignment Submission
All written work must be submitted through the turnitin tool on our iLearn website. I will also give you feedback and return your essays through turnitin. The links to hand in the essays will be found under the Assessments heading.
All assignments must include the following at the start: Student name, Student Number, and Assessment Title.
The quizzes will also be set up on our iLearn site. You will find the link to take them within each week's section.
Extensions and Special Considerations
If you anticipate any difficulty in handing in either the Artifact Essay or the Research Essay it is important that you contact me as early as possible and, perhaps more importantly, file a Special Consideration with the University. Macquarie's policy on late assessments has changed. Please note the following:
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.
At this link you can read about and apply for a Special Consideration:
Special Consideration Policy: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration
At that link, the introductory material reads as follows:
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.
Five Essential Factors of 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 fulfillment 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.
Assessments
Quizzes
Due: Every week (except for weeks 1, 7, and 12). Weighting: 30%
In ten of our weeks there will be an on-line quiz. These will present 5 multiple-choice questions relating to the preceding lecture and the readings for that week. The quizzes following weeks in which there was no quiz will cover the material from the preceding two weeks.
Tutorial Participation
Due: Weekly (Weeks 1-13). Weighting: 30%
Students will be assessed on tutorial preparation (completion of all readings; review of lecture materials), and through thoughtful, active participation in tutorial activities each week.
Artifact Essay
Due: Week 7. Weighting: 15%. Word count: 750.
For this essay you will choose an artifact or an archaeological feature, describe it, and discuss what it tells us about the ancient culture of the Minoans or the Mycenaeans. We will discuss the types of artifacts that you can choose in class, and definitely send me an email to let me know which one you have chosen by week 5.
Research Essay
Due: Week 12. Weighting: 25%. Word count: 1500.
The topics for the Research Essay will deal with themes that were discussed in lectures on the Minoans and Mycenaeans, but in your essay you will develop the topic further based on your research into the subject. The topics will be provided by week 7.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 30% | No | Thursdays, Weeks 2–6, 8–11, 13 |
| Tutorial Participation | 30% | No | Weekly from Week 1 |
| Artifact Essay | 15% | No | Week 7, Wednesday, 11 April |
| Research Essay | 25% | No | Week 12, Wednesday, 30 May |
Quizzes
Due: Thursdays, Weeks 2–6, 8–11, 13
Weighting: 30%
These will be multiple choice quizzes consisting of 5 questions each that will be based on material covered in the Wednesday lecture and the readings that were assigned for that week. The idea behind these quizzes is to make sure you are keeping up with the class lectures and readings, so that you are prepared to participate in the tutorial on Friday. So the quiz will open in the afternoon after the Wednesday lecture and close at 11:59 on Thursday night. They will be found on our iLearn site under Assessments. There will be no quizzes on weeks 1, 7, and 12, which means that there will be 10 quizzes in all. The quizzes following a week in which no quiz was given will cover the material from the previous two weeks.
Once commenced, the quizzes must be completed in one 15-minute session.
Marks will become available when the quiz is no longer open.
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.
- Understand 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.
Tutorial Participation
Due: Weekly from Week 1
Weighting: 30%
We will engage in a variety of activities, including group work, discussions, presentations, role-plays, and in-class writing. My thinking is that the time devoted to tutorials is most beneficial when students have the opportunity to actively participate. The work that you do when you are learning actively, that is, when you are analyzing ideas, discussing them, or presenting them to others, fixes those ideas in your brain in a more permanent way. But almost more importantly, this type of activity also enables you to become a more critical thinker, better able to make sound evaluations and judgements for yourself -- in all aspects of your life. And besides, it's more fun for everyone. But I also think that this only works when you have a foundation of knowledge upon which to base your thinking and a reasonable structure that supports your active learning. That's where I come in. I will be using a variety frameworks in the tutorials to give you a chance to contribute in different ways, and I will always be ready to offer guidance. And, of course, tutorials will be based on the lectures and the readings, so if you aren't able to attend a lecture, please make sure to listen to it before the tutorial.
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.
- Understand 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.
Artifact Essay
Due: Week 7, Wednesday, 11 April
Weighting: 15%
In week 7, on Wednesday 11 April, you will be expected to hand in a 750-word essay (not counting the Bibliography) that takes an artifact or an archaeological feature as its focus and uses that artifact as a way to interpret and better understand the Minoan or Mycenaean culture. I have two aims for this assessment: the first is to encourage you to engage closely with something that sparks your interest, and the second is to give you an opportunity to practice and refine your research and documentation skills in preparation for the larger Research Essay. I will provide guidelines in the tutorial leading up to this assessment as to what type of sources are expected, and how to go about doing research. I will also talk about what types of artifacts you might choose. Please email me with your chosen artifact by week 5.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand 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.
Research Essay
Due: Week 12, Wednesday, 30 May
Weighting: 25%
In week 12, on Wednesday, 30 May, you will be expected to submit a 1500-word Research Essay (not counting the Bibliography). I will provide topics for you to choose from before the April break. These essay topics will deal with themes that will be covered in the lectures, but you will go beyond the material presented in class in your research and your essay will reflect this more advanced thinking. Tutorial time will be devoted to helping you to prepare for this essay.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Understand 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.
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.
Recommended text:
This year, we have ordered Cline, E. H., 2014. 1177: The Year Civilization Collapsed, Princeton University Press, Princeton, which I highly recommend. We'll discuss this in class.
Supplemental readings:
Students may be asked to complete supplemental readings as part of tutorial writing and preparation.
NB: All readings for class should be completed before the lecture, and must be completed before taking the quizzes and attending the tutorials.
Learning and Teaching Activities
Lectures
Readings
In-class activities
Policies and Procedures
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
- Academic Appeals Policy
- Academic Integrity Policy
- Academic Progression Policy
- Assessment Policy
- Fitness to Practice Procedure
- Grade Appeal Policy
- Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public
- Special Consideration Policy (Note: The Special Consideration Policy is effective from 4 December 2017 and replaces the Disruption to Studies Policy.)
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/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/study/getting-started/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
- 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
- Quizzes
- Tutorial Participation
- Artifact Essay
- Research Essay
Learning and teaching activities
- We will take part in a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) group work, discussions, presentations, role-plays, and in-class writing. These activities will usually occur during tutorials, but may also take place during lectures.
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
- 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 Participation
- Research Essay
Learning and teaching activities
- We will take part in a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) group work, discussions, presentations, role-plays, and in-class writing. These activities will usually occur during tutorials, but may also take place during lectures.
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.
- Understand 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
- Quizzes
- Tutorial Participation
- Artifact Essay
- Research Essay
Learning and teaching activities
- I will deliver two-hour lectures designed to discuss and illustrate the important points in your readings, but also, to provide background information when needed, and to go beyond them when I think there are some more interesting topics that we can get into. I want to say that I really welcome your thoughtful questions and ideas that are inspired by the what we're reading and talking about.
- There will be required and sometimes recommended readings, as well as your own readings that you will find while you are doing the research for your essay assessments. All readings for class must be completed before the relevant quiz and tutorial, and ideally before the lecture(!).
- We will take part in a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) group work, discussions, presentations, role-plays, and in-class writing. These activities will usually occur during tutorials, but may also take place during lectures.
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
- Recognise key elements of the material culture of the Greek Bronze Age.
- Explain the chronology and geography of the eastern Mediterranean Bronze Age world.
- Understand 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
- Quizzes
- Tutorial Participation
- Artifact Essay
- Research Essay
Learning and teaching activities
- I will deliver two-hour lectures designed to discuss and illustrate the important points in your readings, but also, to provide background information when needed, and to go beyond them when I think there are some more interesting topics that we can get into. I want to say that I really welcome your thoughtful questions and ideas that are inspired by the what we're reading and talking about.
- There will be required and sometimes recommended readings, as well as your own readings that you will find while you are doing the research for your essay assessments. All readings for class must be completed before the relevant quiz and tutorial, and ideally before the lecture(!).
- We will take part in a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) group work, discussions, presentations, role-plays, and in-class writing. These activities will usually occur during tutorials, but may also take place during lectures.
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
- Understand 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
- Quizzes
- Tutorial Participation
- Artifact Essay
- Research Essay
Learning and teaching activities
- I will deliver two-hour lectures designed to discuss and illustrate the important points in your readings, but also, to provide background information when needed, and to go beyond them when I think there are some more interesting topics that we can get into. I want to say that I really welcome your thoughtful questions and ideas that are inspired by the what we're reading and talking about.
- There will be required and sometimes recommended readings, as well as your own readings that you will find while you are doing the research for your essay assessments. All readings for class must be completed before the relevant quiz and tutorial, and ideally before the lecture(!).
- We will take part in a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) group work, discussions, presentations, role-plays, and in-class writing. These activities will usually occur during tutorials, but may also take place during lectures.
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.
- Understand 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
- Quizzes
- Tutorial Participation
- Artifact Essay
- Research Essay
Learning and teaching activities
- We will take part in a variety of activities, including (but not limited to) group work, discussions, presentations, role-plays, and in-class writing. These activities will usually occur during tutorials, but may also take place during lectures.
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.
Assessment task
- Artifact Essay
Changes from Previous Offering
In the past, this unit was team-taught by Dr. Ken Sheedy and Dr. Shawn Ross. This year I will be teaching it because both of these professors are involved in other activities this term. I am extremely excited about this because the Bronze Age is my area of specialty both in my archaeological work and in my personal research, which focuses on Linear B and what the tablets tell us about Mycenaean society, economy, and religion.
Changes since First Published
| Date | Description |
|---|---|
| 19/02/2018 | I fixed a mistaken comma in the Resources section. |