Submission of Written Assignments

Quiz: The quiz will be available on the unit iLearn site.

Submission of written assignment (Historical Genre Study): The Historical Genre Study is to be submitted through TurnItIn via the iLearn unit website.

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Policies on Written Assessment: Extensions, Late/Early Submission, Length

Extensions can only be granted if an application is made through the Special Consideration system.

Late Submission Penalty

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.

Length policy: Essays exceeding or falling short of the specified word lengths will attract a penalty: divergences of more than 10% will attract a penalty of 10%.

Assignment tasks handed in early will be marked and returned with other papers (i.e. not before the due date).

For Special Consideration Policy see under Policies and Procedures.

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EXTENSION REQUESTS

Extensions for the written assignment will only be granted in the case of overwhelming personal circumstances or  medical situation, with supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate, counsellor statement), submitted as a Special Consideration request.  Barring genuine major emergencies, extensions must be sought in advance of the due date, not retrospectively. Bear in mind that all written assessment should be begun long before the due date; generally, an extension can’t be given because of a problem which arises a day or two before the due date.  If it is necessary to request an extension, please submit a Special Consideration request well before the due date.  Generally extensions will be made on a day-for-day basis (i.e. a medical certificate or counsellor statement for three days will be basis for three days’ extension).

Remember that restrictions on extensions apply with a view to fairness to other students who have worked to submit their items within the common restrictions.

Back-ups and evidence of work completed: Where an extension is granted, proof of work already undertaken already may be required.  You should back up your work at all times, with multiple back-ups; claims of loss of work due to computer failure may not be granted if there is no evidence of maintenance of back-up copies.

Please see under "Policies and Procedures" for policies on plagiarism.

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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.

Set Readings and Text:

      It is essential to buy these two items from the Coop Bookstore on campus:

· AHIS220 Readings  (this is essential for all tutorials): from the Coop Bookstore on campus

· Stephen Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 2nd ed. (Blackwell; Malden MA, 2015): from the Coop Bookstore on campus or (if sold out) from online booksellers

Using Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire:

     This text-book is set as a supplement to the lectures.  One chapter (Chapter 2, “The Nature of the Evidence”) is also required reading for the Document Study.

     The examination questions will be based on information from the text-book as well as from lectures and tutorials.

     Students are expected to read the suggested chapters as self-guided reading throughout the semester.  The unit Program (on the unit iLearn site) includes a recommended schedule for when particular chapters should be read in relation to the lecture program.

     The book covers the eastern as well as western half of the Roman empire, from the late third to mid-seventh centuries, and so not all of the book is directly relevant to this unit.  The unit Program recommends reading chapters 1-6.  Most of Chapter 3 (one of the two main narrative chapters) covers material prior to the time-period examined in this unit; information from this chapter will not be included in the examination, but it is useful background to the period of this unit.

Using the Unit Reader:

     The Reader contains translations of texts from the period of this unit.  Texts for Tutorials Weeks 3 to 6 (also an extra text in the readings for Week 9) relate directly to the topic of the written assignment, the Historical Genre Study.

     Note that each text has been provided with a short introduction with background information.  These introductions are required reading and are assessable for the examination.  They should not, however, be used as sources for the Historical Genre Study, for which you are required to undertake independent research.

     Tutorial readings for some weeks include “Optional additional readings.”  These will not be discussed in tutorials or assessed in the examination, but are provided as additional examples of works in genres relevant to the Document Study.  Of course, all students are encouraged to read these additional texts, some of which (such as Sidonius Apollinaris) are of considerable historical significance.

Additional Resources:

     Students who would like to have a more detailed narrative description of the period may wish to access the following book.  Despite its age, it remains the fullest narrative account of events.  It is available in the Library, in a relatively cheap paperback version, and the full text is available on a public site on the Web:

J.B. Bury, History of the Later Roman Empire, 2 vols. (1923)

Available at: Lacus Curtius (Prof. Bill Thayer, University of Chicago)

http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/BURLAT/home.html

‘Recommended’ Books:

     The following books are available from the Coop Bookstore.  They are not essential texts, and all are held in the Library (most on Reserve) – so you do not have to buy them.  But should you wish to purchase additional works relevant to particular parts of this unit, these are recommended as useful: 

A brief overview of the period of 'Late Antiquity':

· Gillian Clark, Late Antiquity: A Very Short Introduction (Oxford University Press; New York, 2011)

Two modern studies:

· Guy Halsall, Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West, 376-568 (Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, 2007) – a major new interpretation of the period

· Michael Kulikowski, Rome's Gothic Wars (Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, 2007)

Online resources

This unit has an online presence. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/

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 All lectures will be recorded on Echo360, and PowerPoint slides posted (after lectures) on the iLearn site.

Please note that this program may be subject to amendment.

Week beginning:

                                I:  The Emperor in the Later Roman Empire

Text: Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, chapters 1, 3, 5

                                               II:  Romans and Barbarians

Text: Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, chapters 2 and 4

Mid-semester recess (two weeks)