Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Dr Meaghan McEvoy
Contact via email
Australian Hearing Hub, Level 2 South
By appointment
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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
The collapse of the Roman empire, after five centuries of domination of the Mediterranean world, represents a major shift in the political, military, and cultural forces of antiquity. Rome's fall is also a key concept in contemporary understanding of the ancient and indeed modern world, arguably the defining idea of the European historical tradition. This unit studies the politics and culture of the Roman and post-Roman period from the fourth to the sixth centuries (segueing into early medieval Europe) through close examination of texts ranging from historical narratives to imperial documents to saints' lives. We also consider how modern thinkers have defined this period and used it as a paradigm for later history, from Gibbon's "triumph of barbarism and religion" to more recent views of Rome's fall as "an interesting experiment that got a little out of hand".
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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:
Submission of Written Assignments
Online Quiz: the quiz will be available on the iLearn unit website.
Submission of Tutorial Paper and Research Essay: The Historical Genre Study and Research Essay are to be submitted through TurnItIn via the iLearn unit website.
Policies on Written Assessment: Extensions, Late/Early Submission, Length
Extensions can only be granted before the assessment is due and if an application is made via Special Considerations.
Late Submission Policy
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 thanseven (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 Considerations Policy see under Policies and Procedures.
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.
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Extensions for the two written assignments will only be granted in the case of overwhelming personal circumstances or medical situation, with supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate, counsellor statement). Barring genuine major emergencies, extensions must be sought in advance of the due date, not retrospectively. Please keep multiple back-ups of work on your computer. Bear in mind that all written assessment (document studies and essays) 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 do so before the due date.
Where an extension is granted, proof of work already undertaken already may be required. 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, restrictions on extensions exist not because your lecturer is mean and sadistic, but for fairness to other students who have worked to submit their items within the common restrictions.
Please see under "Policies and Procedures" for policies on plagiarism.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Online Quiz | 5% | No | Week 4, Mon 18 March, 11.59pm |
Historical Genre Study | 25% | No | Week 7, Mon 8 April, 11.59pm |
Research Essay | 30% | No | Week 11, Fri 24 May, 11.59pm |
Tutorial Participation | 10% | No | Weekly |
Examination | 30% | No | Central Examination period |
Due: Week 4, Mon 18 March, 11.59pm
Weighting: 5%
This short online quiz, with questions on the historical content of the unit covered in lectures and tutorials so far, will help you assess your learning and progress at this early stage, and prior to the university census date.
Due: Week 7, Mon 8 April, 11.59pm
Weighting: 25%
This is a study of types of genres of late Roman literary texts which historians employ as historical sources, and understanding these different types of text in order to be able to use them in historical research. Full details of the assignment will be provided on the unit iLearn site. Submission will be via Turnitin on the unit iLearn site.
Due: Week 11, Fri 24 May, 11.59pm
Weighting: 30%
A close study of a particular topic within the scope of the unit. Full details of the assignment will be provided on the unit iLearn site. Submission will be via Turnitin on the unit iLearn site.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 10%
Tutorials will consist of online discussions. Active participation in each tutorial will be required to secure a mark.
Due: Central Examination period
Weighting: 30%
The examination will be scheduled centrally. It will consist of unseen short-answer and essay format questions.
Set Readings and Text:
It is essential to buy the Unit Reader from the Coop Bookstore on campus:
· AHIS220 Readings (this is essential for all tutorials): from the Coop Bookstore on campus
The following book is also essential reading for this unit:
· Stephen Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 2nd ed. (Blackwell; Malden MA, 2015)
This book can either be purchased from the Coop Bookstore, or accessed as an e-book online through the MQ University Library.
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 Historical Genre 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 Schedule of Lectures and Tutorials (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 Schedule 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 certain tutorials also relate directly to the topic of the first 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 a source for either the Historical Genre Study or the Research Essay.
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 Historical Genre 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:
Two modern studies:
· Roger Collins, Early Medieval Europe, 300-1000, 2nd ed. (New York, 1999) – a broad overview of the period, written as a text-book
· Guy Halsall, Barbarian Migrations and the Roman West, 376-568 (Cambridge University Press; Cambridge, 2007) – a major new interpretation of the period
Two books with sources: both focus primarily on the Frankish kingdom of Gaul, which we will touch on at the end of the unit:
· Gregory of Tours, The History of the Franks, tr. Lewis Thorpe (Penguin; Harmondsworth, 1974) – the first major history written in the West after the collapse of the Roman empire
· From Roman to Merovingian Gaul: A Reader, ed. A. C. Murray (Broadview; Toronto, 2000) – a collection of a wide range of sources relating to Roman- and post-Roman Gaul, including examples of some of the types of texts addressed in the Document Study (letters, chronicles).
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.
See iLearn site for details
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:
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).
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 published on platform other than eStudent, (eg. iLearn, Coursera etc.) 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 or if you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@mq.edu.au
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Submission of Written Assignments
Submission of Online Quiz: the Online Quiz is to be completed through Turnitin via the iLearn website.
Submission of Tutorial Paper and Research Essay: The Historical Genre Study and Research Essay are to be submitted through TurnItIn via the iLearn unit website.
Policies on Written Assessment: Extensions, Late/Early Submission, Length
Extensions can only be granted in exceptional cases and may only be sought through an application via Special Considerations before the assignment is due.
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 Disruption of Studies Policy see under Policies and Procedures.
__________________________________________________________
Extensions for the two written assignments will only be granted via applications through Special Considerations and in the case of overwhelming personal circumstances or medical situation, with supporting documentation (e.g. medical certificate, counsellor statement). Barring genuine major emergencies, extensions must be sought in advance of the due date, not retrospectively. Multiple back-ups must be kept of all work. Bear in mind that all written assessment (document studies and essays) 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 contact Special Considerations well before the due date.
Where an extension is granted, proof of work already undertaken already may be required. 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, restrictions on extensions exist not because your lecturer is mean and sadistic, but for fairness to other students who have worked to submit their items within the common restrictions.
___________________________________________________________
Academic honesty is an integral part of the core values and principles contained in the Macquarie University Ethics Statement (http://www.mq.edu.au/ethics/ethic-statement-final.html). Its fundamental principle is that all staff and students act with integrity in the creation, development, application and use of ideas and information. This means that:
The link below has more details about the policy, procedure and schedule of penalties that will apply to breaches of the Academic Honesty policy:
Academic Honesty Policy
http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Plagiarism: Plagiarism entails any of the following:
(a) use of published material without adequate acknowledgement and citation (i.e. you must footnote your sources clearly).
(b) any use of any material produced by other students
(c) any re-use of an assessment item you have produced for any other university unit
(d) purchase of essay material from an essay-writing provider, either via the Web or otherwise.
The university penalties for plagiarism (which can include failure of the unit or expulsion from the university) will be strictly enforced.
If you are in any doubt about what constitutes plagiarism – and the difference between plagiarism and citation – please read Macquarie University’s official statement, “What is Plagiarism?” (http://www.student.mq.edu.au/plagiarism/), a helpful discussion with examples.
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You are expected to present yourself for examination at the time and place designated in the University Examination Timetable. The timetable will be available in Draft form approximately eight weeks before the commencement of the examinations and in Final form approximately four weeks before the commencement of the examinations at: http://www.timetables.mq.edu.au/exam.
The only exception to not sitting an examination at the designated time is because of documented illness or unavoidable disruption. In these circumstances you may wish to consider applying for a Supplementary Examination under the Disruption to Study policy. Information about unavoidable disruption and the Special Consideration process is available under the Extension and Special Consideration section of this Unit Guide.
If a Supplementary Examination is granted as a result of the Disruption to Studies policy, the examination will be scheduled after the conclusion of the official examination period, through arrangement with the relevant Departments.
Note: You are advised that it is Macquarie University policy not to set early examinations for individuals or groups of students. All students are expected to ensure that they are available until the end of the final day of the official examination period.
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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
If you are a Global MBA student contact globalmba.support@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.
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:
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:
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:
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:
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:
This unit was last offered in 2015. A new tutorial, Tutorial 10, has been added.
Date | Description |
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15/02/2019 | Date revision |