Assessment tasks / assignments are compulsory and must be submitted on time. Extensions for assignments can only be granted for medical reasons or on compassionate grounds. Without documentation (medical or counselling certificates) or prior staff approval, late work will not be accepted. If required, applications for extensions should be made before the assignment's due date. No assignments will be accepted after assignments have been corrected and feedback has been provided (see also the clause below).

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.

Assignment tasks handed in early will not be marked and returned before the due date.

Tasks 10% or less. No extensions will be granted. Students who have not submitted the task prior to the deadline will be awarded a mark of 0 for the task, except for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved.

Tasks above 10%. No extensions will be granted. Students who submit late work without an extension will receive a penalty. This penalty does not apply for cases in which an application for Special Consideration is made and approved. 

For Special Consideration Policy see under Policies and Procedures.

Note on Assessment - To complete the unit satisfactorily you will need to achieve an overall mark worth 50% or above. 

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.

It is highly recommended that you come to all seminars. Further, you should complete the readings and any other work for any given week before that week's meeting.

This unit is offered internally. Access to the internet, MQ library, and various online databases will be necessary for successful completion of this unit. Ability to work with word processing programs and powerpoint (or comparable programs) will also be necessary to complete unit assessments.

There is no textbook for this unit; readings will be drawn from a number of sources, all of which will be available via the unit's Leganto page.

Introduction to the Unit and State Formation (1 week)

Theories of State Formation (1 week)

Case Study 1: Mesopotamia (2 weeks)

Case Study 2: Egypt (4 weeks)

Case Study 3: Israel (2 week)

Case Study: States Outside the Near East (1 week)

Presentations (2 weeks)