Students

AHIS1300 – Digging up the Past: An Introduction to Archaeology

2021 – Session 1, Special circumstances

Notice

As part of Phase 3 of our return to campus plan, most units will now run tutorials, seminars and other small group activities on campus, and most will keep an online version available to those students unable to return or those who choose to continue their studies online.

To check the availability of face-to-face and online 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

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor, lecturer and tutor
Dr Susan Lupack
Contact via Contact via Email
25B Wally's Walk, B158
By appointment only
Yann Tristant
Susan Lupack
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description
This unit serves as a broad introduction to archaeology, where students become familiar with its fundamental principles and concepts. Students will study the emergence of archaeology as a discipline, its purpose and aims. This unit will provide students with a foundation in the various methods and analytical techniques used to study archaeological evidence by using a combination of theory and practical case studies drawn from all periods of archaeology. Students will explore the various ways of interpreting archaeological remains, taking into account the multidisciplinary nature of the discipline.

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: Acquire knowledge of the archaeological discipline
  • ULO2: Analyse source material, including archaeological records, ancient sources, and modern scholarship
  • ULO4: Communicate archaeological information and concepts through oral, visual and written formats
  • ULO3: Identify fundamental developments, theories and techniques of archaeology
  • ULO5: Demonstrate critical thinking in reading of the literature and interpretation of the data

General Assessment Information

Unit Requirements and Expectations Students must achieve an overall mark of 50% or above to complete this unit satisfactorily.

Assignment submission All written work must be submitted through the iLearn website. Please upload your assignment to the drop-box for the relevant week. Save your assignment as a pdf or a doc file (a pdf is best; please do not use docx). All assignments must include the following at the start: Student name; Student Number; Assessment Task Title or Question. Any assignment submitted without these will not be marked. All written assignments will be returned via the ‘turnitin’ tool on the iLearn Unit site, and will contain feedback from the marker within them.

Extensions and Special Considerations If you anticipate any difficulty in attending class for a scheduled test it is important that you contact us as early as possible. Please avoid asking for extensions as missing deadlines complicates the work of markers and puts you behind. If you have to ask for an extension or the opportunity to reschedule the date of a test please request it before the deadline, and only request the extension if you face serious crises that can be documented in some way (e.g. with a medical certificate). ‘Getting behind with your work’ or 'I ran out of time’ are not excuses.

Special Consideration Policy: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration

Applying for Special Consideration: Students applying for Special Consideration circumstances of three (3) consecutive days duration, within a study period, and/or prevent completion of a formal examination must submit an on-line application with the Faculty of Arts. For an application to be valid, it must include a completed Application for Special Consideration form and all supportingdocumentation. The online Special Consideration application is found at: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/my-study-program/special-consideration Extensions can only be granted in exceptional cases and may only be sought in consultation with the unit convenor and with support of documentary evidence. If you anticipate any difficulty in meeting assigned due dates then it is important that you contact the course’s convenor as early as possible. Please avoid asking for extensions as missing deadlines complicates the work of markers and puts you behind. If you have to ask for an extension, request it before the deadline, ‘Getting behind with your work’ or 'I had other deadlines' do not count.

Late Assessment 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.

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: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/exams/exam-results

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Weekly quiz 30% No Every week from Week 2 to Week 12
Encyclopedia entry 10% No Weeks 3-13
Artefact study 20% No Week 6 (04/04/2021)
Final examination 40% No Examination period

Weekly quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Every week from Week 2 to Week 12
Weighting: 30%

10 short, weekly questions related to content covered in lectures and tutorials.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire knowledge of the archaeological discipline
  • Communicate archaeological information and concepts through oral, visual and written formats
  • Identify fundamental developments, theories and techniques of archaeology

Encyclopedia entry

Assessment Type 1: Non-academic writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weeks 3-13
Weighting: 10%

Write a short encyclopedia entry (approximately 200 words)


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire knowledge of the archaeological discipline
  • Analyse source material, including archaeological records, ancient sources, and modern scholarship
  • Communicate archaeological information and concepts through oral, visual and written formats
  • Demonstrate critical thinking in reading of the literature and interpretation of the data

Artefact study

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Week 6 (04/04/2021)
Weighting: 20%

Describe, analyse and document an artefact


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Communicate archaeological information and concepts through oral, visual and written formats
  • Identify fundamental developments, theories and techniques of archaeology
  • Demonstrate critical thinking in reading of the literature and interpretation of the data

Final examination

Assessment Type 1: Examination
Indicative Time on Task 2: 40 hours
Due: Examination period
Weighting: 40%

A two-hour examination on all course content


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire knowledge of the archaeological discipline
  • Analyse source material, including archaeological records, ancient sources, and modern scholarship
  • Communicate archaeological information and concepts through oral, visual and written formats
  • Demonstrate critical thinking in reading of the literature and interpretation of the data

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

Delivery

Lecture: Tuesday 9-11am

Location:  Classes are online - consult iLearn for further detail

Online units can be accessed at: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au PC and Internet access are required for those who wish to access iLearn. Basic computer skills (e.g., internet browsing) and skills in word processing are also a requirement. Please consult teaching staff for any further, more specific requirements.

Resources The unit will be based on the following text books:

Required Texts:

  • Gamble, C. (2015), Archaeology. The basics, London, New York, 3rd ed.
  • Renfrew, C. and Bahn, P. (2020), Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice, London, 8th ed.

Recommended Texts:

  • Bahn, P. (2012), Archaeology: A Very Short Introduction, Oxford, New York.
  • Cullen, J. (2013), How to Read, Write, and Think about History, Malden, Oxford.
  • Scarre, C. (2018), The Human Past, London, 4th ed.

Unit Schedule

Week

Lecture

Tutorial

Assessment

1

Introduction. What is Archaeology?

Tutorial 1

No assessment

 

2

History of Archaeology.

From Ancient to Modern Archaeology

Tutorial 2

Online quiz 1

 

3

Archaeological theory.

Methodology and philosophy of Archaeology from 19th century to present

Tutorial 3

Online quiz 2

 

4

Archaeological Fieldwork 1 - Research design and survey

Tutorial 4

Online quiz 3

 

5

Archaeological Fieldwork 2 - Excavation

Tutorial 5

Online quiz 4

 

6

Archaeological data. Culture and context

Tutorial 6

Artefact study due (4 April 2021)

No online quiz

 

MID-SESSION BREAK

7

Dating sites and artefacts: relative vs absolute chronology

Tutorial 7

Online quiz 5

 

8

Material culture: significance of artefacts for Archaeology

Tutorial 8

Online quiz 6

 

9

Art, Rock Art and Archaeology of ritual

Tutorial 9

Online quiz 7

 

10

Archaeology of social complexity

Tutorial 10

Online quiz 8

 

11

Archaeology at Macquarie University

(National Archaeology Week)

Tutorial 11

Online quiz 9

 

12

Funerary Archaeology

Tutorial 12

Online quiz 10

 

13

Archaeology and Cultural Heritage

Tutorial 13

No online quiz

 

Policies and Procedures

Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:

Students seeking more policy resources can visit Student Policies (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/policies). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.

To find other policies relating to Teaching and Learning, visit Policy Central (https://policies.mq.edu.au) and use the search tool.

Student Code of Conduct

Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/admin/other-resources/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

Student Support

Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/

Learning Skills

Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to help you improve your marks and take control of your study.

The Library provides online and face to face support to help you find and use relevant information resources. 

Student Services and Support

Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.

Student Enquiries

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

IT Help

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.


Unit information based on version 2021.02 of the Handbook