Students
AHIS1200 – Myth in the Ancient World
2020 – Session 2, Fully online/virtual
Notice
As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group learning activities on campus for the second half-year, while keeping an online version available for those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.
To check the availability of face to face activities for your unit, please go to timetable viewer. To check detailed information on unit assessments visit your unit's iLearn space or consult your unit convenor.
General Information
Download as PDF
| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Ian Plant
Contact via email: ian.plant@mq.edu.au
Room B164, 25B Wally's Walk Macquarie University, NSW 2109, Australia
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| Credit points |
Credit points
10
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| Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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| Corequisites |
Corequisites
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| Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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| Unit description |
Unit description
You will begin with the earliest creation myths, explore myths of gods and goddesses, heroes, Amazons, and monsters, and examine the development of myth in both literature and art. The unit is largely based upon Greek and Latin texts in translation as well as the representation of myth in Greek and Roman art. Egyptian, Near-Eastern and biblical texts will also be studied. The unit focuses on the relevance of key themes in myth to the cultures in which the myths were retold, investigating the role of myth in the religious, political and social life of the classical world. |
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:
- ULO1: Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts, principles and theories used in the study of myth and the content of select representative examples of myths from the ancient world.
- ULO2: Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information about myth in the ancient world.
- ULO3: Create clear, coherent, evidence-based exposition of knowledge and ideas about myth in the ancient world.
- ULO4: Communicate critical and reflective judgements effectively with teaching staff and peers.
General Assessment Information
1. Tutorial Paper
You must submit ONE tutorial paper: Tutorial 6. Your tutorial paper is due at 5pm on the Friday of Week 6. Submit your tutorial paper through TURNITIN: you will find a link in the tutorial section of the ilearn site and in the ACTIVITIES box. Choose the correct link for your tutorial group when you submit your tutorial paper: ie. the name of your tutor (internal students) or External MQ or OUA as appropriate.
Prepare written answers to the questions in Tutorial 6 of no more than 1,000 words. Answers not be in point form or notes: write full sentences. Address each of the questions in the tutorial and number your answers. Submissions which exceed the prescribed length will not be marked. A list of works of reference and ancient sources actually consulted and found useful should be appended as a bibliography (this list is not included in the word-count). Additionally, all work should be fully referenced. Footnotes are also not included in the word count.
2. Quizzes
Due: Quizzes for weeks 1 and 2 must be completed by Friday Week 3: 5pm.
All other quizzes must be completed by Friday Week 13: 5pm
There are short online quizzes on the material covered in the lectures and tutorials each week. Access to the quizzes is through links in the ilearn site. Quizzes 1 and 2 must be completed by Friday of week 3; you may take the other quizzes at any time. You may take each quiz only once. Maximum time allowed for each quiz is 15 mins. These quizzes are instead of an exam: there is no formal examination for the unit.
At 5pm on the Friday of week 13 the access to the quizzes will close and no further attempts will be possible. You are advised to complete the quizzes relevant to each week by the end of that week. The quizzes should be attempted after listening to the relevant lectures for that week and looking at the material set for the tutorial. It may be useful to have the lecture notes (pdf) open while you attempt the quiz; these are available for you in the videos of the lectures and in separate documents (pdf) for your convenience. The readings from the ancient evidence set for the tutorials may also be tested in the quizzes.
You have the flexibility in the course to take the quiz at any time up to the end of week 3 (quizzes for weeks 1 and 2) and week 13 (all other quizzes) but please do note that access will be closed at the time specified above. Please do not start a quiz until you are ready to answer the questions! Last year some students opened a quiz to see how it worked: once opened the quiz must be completed as you may take each quiz only once.
3. Essay
You must submit one essay through TURNITIN. The link is in the essay section of the ilearn page and in the ACTIVITIES box to the right of the screen. Your essay is due at 5pm on the Friday of Week 10. The essay topic is in a separate document in the essay section of the ilearn site. The word limit is 2000 words; this does not include footnotes and bibliography. All work from which you draw ideas should be fully referenced in your text. A list of works of reference and ancient sources used should be appended as a bibliography (this list is not included in the word-count). Citation of references and sources should conform to the guidelines set out in the document found in the link on the unit website: Assignment Presentation: Style Guide. WriteWISE will help you in writing your essay. Don't leave it to the last minute! Contact WriteWISE well in advance of the due date for support with your essay.
Please note: 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
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.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quizzes | 25% | No | Friday 5pm: Week 3 (quizzes 1 and 2); Week 13 (all other) |
| Analysis of a Myth | 25% | No | 5pm on the Friday of Week 6 |
| Essay | 50% | No | 5pm on the Friday of Week 10 |
Quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: Friday 5pm: Week 3 (quizzes 1 and 2); Week 13 (all other)
Weighting: 25%
These are short online quizzes on the material covered in the lectures and tutorials. Access to the quizzes is through links in the ilearn page.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts, principles and theories used in the study of myth and the content of select representative examples of myths from the ancient world.
Analysis of a Myth
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 5pm on the Friday of Week 6
Weighting: 25%
A short written paper in which you analyse a myth: your word limit is 1000 words. Submit answers to the questions set through the Turnitin link in the unit's ilearn page. Further details on this task are on the unit's ilearn page.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts, principles and theories used in the study of myth and the content of select representative examples of myths from the ancient world.
- Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information about myth in the ancient world.
- Communicate critical and reflective judgements effectively with teaching staff and peers.
Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 5pm on the Friday of Week 10
Weighting: 50%
This is a longer written assessment task: your word limit is 2000 words. You will be given a choice of topics in the Essay section of the unit's iLearn site. Submit your essay through the Turnitin link in the unit's ilearn page. Further details on this task and how to complete it successfully are on the unit's ilearn page.
On successful completion you will be able to:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the fundamental concepts, principles and theories used in the study of myth and the content of select representative examples of myths from the ancient world.
- Analyze, synthesize, and evaluate information about myth in the ancient world.
- Create clear, coherent, evidence-based exposition of knowledge and ideas about myth in the ancient world.
- Communicate critical and reflective judgements effectively with teaching staff and peers.
1 If you need help with your assignment, please contact:
- the academic teaching staff in your unit for guidance in understanding or completing this type of assessment
- the Writing Centre for academic skills support.
2 Indicative time-on-task is an estimate of the time required for completion of the assessment task and is subject to individual variation
Delivery and Resources
1. Delivery mode Internal and Online. Please note that internal classes may run as online tutorials due to Covid-19 restrictions.
2. Lectures: Lectures have been pre-recorded for each of the thirteen weeks of the course. These lectures are available on the unit's website. There are notes to accompany each lecture: these and a list of topics are on the website too. You may set your own pace and listen to the recorded lectures at a time most convenient to you. There are no lectures to attend.
3, Tutorials: There are tutorials for eleven of the thirteen weeks of the course. Your tutor and your classmates will discuss the tutorial topics with you (except for week 6: for internal students that will be in class (online in 2020 due to covid-19 restrictions); for external students that will be online. Students in online tutorials should note the need to answer the questions set and to respond to posts by other students. The tutorial topics are found in the weekly schedule for the unit on the website.
4. Online resources and requirements: Access to the unit's webpage is essential. Online you will find: recorded lectures, lecture notes, discussion of tutorial and lecture topics, essential unit information, the quizzes, submission links for your written assignments, links to learning support and contact with teaching staff. The unit can be accessed online at: http://ilearn.mq.edu.au/.
PC and Internet access are required. Basic computer s kills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Please contact teaching staff for any further or more specific information.
5. Essential Textbook: Ian Plant, Myth in the Ancient World (Palgrave Macmillan: Sydney, 2012). There is reading set from this book for each tutorial. All ancient sources required for the tutorials are in the textbook.
6 Modern Scholarship: For each tutorial, some modern scholarship has been chosen to supplement the textbook. These readings are available in E-Reserve through the Macquarie University Library’s website. The LEGANTO link in the ilearn page takes you to the readings. You can access these readings online. Further reading may, of course, be found in the Macquarie Library too. Do not google a general website (such as Wikipedia) and think you have read what is required!
Unit Schedule
Unit schedule: Lectures and Tutorials
Lectures are pre-recorded. You may access them at any time through the unit's ilearn site. There are tutorials to complement each of the lecture topics (these may take up themes from the lectures, but are not necessarily on the same subject matter). There are separate documents which include the content (questions and readings) for the tutorials on the unit's ilearn page.
Unit schedule: Lectures and Tutorials
Week |
Topics and Lecture topics |
Lecturer |
Tutorial Topic |
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Topic 1: Introduction to the study of myth |
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1 |
Lectures A: What is Myth? B: Definitions of Myth. |
Ian Plant |
Tutorial Topics Introduction to Study in Ancient History, in Arts and at MQ Introduction to the unit Introduction to Myth in the Ancient World. Daphne and Lucretia (Livy History of Rome and Ovid Metamorphoses) |
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2 |
A: External interpretations of myth. B: Internal interpretations of myth. |
Ian Plant |
The Greek Gods A Greek Creation Myth (Hesiod Theogony) |
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Topic 2: Myths of Mesopotamia |
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3 |
Lectures A: Mesopotamian Creation Myths. B: Genesis and Mesopotamian Creation Myths |
Stephen Llewelyn |
Tutorial Topics Alienation of the Divine (Hesiod Works and Days & Genesis) |
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4 |
A: The Near Eastern Context for the Biblical Myths. B: Mesopotamian and Biblical Flood Myths: |
Stephen Llewelyn |
Flood Myth (Genesis & Babylonian texts) |
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Topic 3: Myths of Ancient Egypt |
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5 |
Lectures A: Egyptian Creation Myths. B: Egyptian Creation and 'uncreation' myths. |
Lecturer Boyo Ockinga |
Tutorial Topic Egyptian Funerary Myth (The Book of the Dead) |
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6 |
A: Divine Kingship in Egypt B: Ancient Egyptian Kingship Myths. |
Boyo Ockinga |
No tutorial class this week: prepare your tutorial paper for submission by FRIDAY week 6 |
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Submit your tutorial paper this week |
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Divine Women (The Homeric Hymn to Demeter) |
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Topic 4: Myths of Ancient Greece |
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7 |
Lectures A: Amazons in Literature. B: Amazons in Art and History. |
Lecturer Ian Plant |
Tutorial Topics Myth in Drama (Euripides Bacchae & Amazon sources and iconography) |
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8 |
A: The Search for the Trojan War. B: History in Homer |
Ian Plant |
The Trojan War (Homer Iliad) |
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9 |
A: Myth and Religion: Greek Myth, Ritual and Religion. B: Greek Heroes and Hero Cult in Athens. |
David Phillips |
The Hero (Euripides and other Greek sources) |
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Topic 5: Myths of Rome |
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| Essay Due |
Submit your essay by Friday week 10 |
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10 |
No Lecture this week |
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No tutorial class this week: prepare your essay for submission |
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11 |
Lectures A: Roman Adoption of Greek Mythology. B: Roman Mythology. |
Lecturer
Tom Hillard |
Tutorial Topics The Founding of Rome (Livy, Dionysius of Halicarnassus, Plutarch & Virgil) |
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12 |
A: Ovid's Life and Work B: Ovid's Metamorphosis of myth |
Ian Plant |
Ovid & the transformation of myth (Ovid Metamorphosis) |
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Topic 6: Myths Today |
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13 |
Lectures A: The Christmas Stories
B: Heracles, Simpson & his Donkey |
Lecturer Stephen Llewelyn Ian Plant |
No tutorial class
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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.)
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 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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