Students
AHIX1200 – Myth in the Ancient World
2021 – Session 3, Fully online/virtual
Session 2 Learning and Teaching Update
The decision has been made to conduct study online for the remainder of Session 2 for all units WITHOUT mandatory on-campus learning activities. Exams for Session 2 will also be online where possible to do so.
This is due to the extension of the lockdown orders and to provide certainty around arrangements for the remainder of Session 2. We hope to return to campus beyond Session 2 as soon as it is safe and appropriate to do so.
Some classes/teaching activities cannot be moved online and must be taught on campus. You should already know if you are in one of these classes/teaching activities and your unit convenor will provide you with more information via iLearn. If you want to confirm, see the list of units with mandatory on-campus classes/teaching activities.
Visit the MQ COVID-19 information page for more detail.
General Information
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| Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Ray Laurence
Loren Demol
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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
Gain an understanding of Greek, Roman and Near-Eastern society and culture through the study of myth. 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.
Assessment Tasks
| Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
|---|---|---|---|
| Analysis of a Myth | 25% | No | 11:59pm 17/12/21 |
| Essay | 50% | No | 11:59pm 17/01/21 |
| Quizzes | 25% | No | 11:59pm 17/01/21 |
Analysis of a Myth
Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 11:59pm 17/12/21
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.
- Create clear, coherent, evidence-based exposition of knowledge and ideas about myth in the ancient world.
Essay
Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 11:59pm 17/01/21
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.
Quizzes
Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 11:59pm 17/01/21
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.
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: Online.
2. Lectures: Lectures have been pre-recorded for this 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 two tutorials for five weeks in the course. Your tutor and your classmates will discuss the tutorial topics with you 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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1.1 |
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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1.2 |
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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2.1 |
Lectures A: Mesopotamian Creation Myths. B: Genesis and Mesopotamian Creation Myths |
Stephen Llewelyn |
Tutorial Topics Alienation of the Divine (Hesiod Works and Days & Genesis) |
|
2.2 |
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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3.1 |
Lectures A: Egyptian Creation Myths. B: Egyptian Creation and 'uncreation' myths. |
Lecturer Boyo Ockinga |
Tutorial Topics Egyptian Funerary Myth (The Book of the Dead) |
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3.2 |
A: Divine Kingship in Egypt B: Ancient Egyptian Kingship Myths. |
Boyo Ockinga |
There is no tutorial discussion on topic 3.2: prepare your tutorial paper for submission by FRIDAY week 3 |
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Submit your tutorial paper this week |
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3.2 Divine Women (The Homeric Hymn to Demeter) |
| THERE IS A TWO WEEK RECESS BEFORE WEEK 4 BEGINS | You may like to listen to the lectures on the Christmas stories by Dr Llewelyn (located in week 6) | ||
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Topic 4: Myths of Ancient Greece |
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4.1 |
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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4.2 |
A: The Search for the Trojan War. B: History in Homer |
Ian Plant |
The Trojan War (Homer Iliad) |
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Topic 5: Myths of Rome |
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5.1 |
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) |
|
5.2 |
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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6 |
Lectures A: The Christmas Stories
B: Heracles, Simpson & his Donkey |
Lecturer Stephen Llewelyn Ian Plant |
No tutorial class
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Unit information based on version 2021.01 of the Handbook