Students

AHIS2302 – Archaeology and Society: Archaeological Evidence

2022 – Session 1, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor and Lecturer
Kenneth Sheedy
ken.sheedy@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Lecturer
Susan Lupack
susan.lupack@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp at 1000 level or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit is an introduction to archaeological study of ancient Mediterranean societies, with particular reference to Greek culture. It investigates how archaeological fieldwork is conducted and focuses on the artefacts and sites of the ancient societies, all with the aim of better understanding the people who made and used those artefacts and who lived out their lives in those sites. This unit also incorporates practical analytical exercises of artefacts in the University's Museum.

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: Employ appropriate handling techniques when dealing with ancient artefacts.
  • ULO2: Identify the place of manufacture, time period, and original use of artefacts from the time periods covered in this unit.
  • ULO3: Identify and discuss the relative values of different archaeological theories and methods
  • ULO4: Extract historical information from ancient remains in order to understand the society that produced them.
  • ULO5: Identify, analyse, and interpret archaeological artefacts and site plans.

General Assessment Information

GENERAL INFORMATION:

Rubrics and other guidance for the Assessments will be posted on our iLearn site. We will also discuss the artefact and research essays in class, and one of our tutorials will be devoted to the topic of “How to Write a Research Essay.”

EXTENSION REQUESTS AND MISSED TUTORIALS:

Please let us know ahead of time if you are having difficulty completing an assessment or if you will not be able to attend a tutorial. It's always helpful for me to know what is going on with you (to the extent that you feel comfortable letting me know, of course). If you are going to miss a tutorial for a valid reason, I may be able to offer a way to make up the work that you missed.

But – keep in mind that we will have to adhere to the University policy on Special Considerations:

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – 10 marks out of 100 credit will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted seven days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g., quizzes.

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. Because of this, I do not release the final marks until moderation has occurred and the marks have been approved. See also the note on Results in the Policies and Procedures section below.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Artefact Presentation 20% No 23:59 06/05/2022
Research Essay 40% No 23:59 03/06/2022
Online Quizzes 40% No Weeks 2-11

Artefact Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Media presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 23:59 06/05/2022
Weighting: 20%

 

Students will analyse and research an artefact from the Museum’s collection as an archaeologist would, and then prepare a media presentation on it.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Employ appropriate handling techniques when dealing with ancient artefacts.
  • Identify the place of manufacture, time period, and original use of artefacts from the time periods covered in this unit.
  • Extract historical information from ancient remains in order to understand the society that produced them.
  • Identify, analyse, and interpret archaeological artefacts and site plans.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 25 hours
Due: 23:59 03/06/2022
Weighting: 40%

 

The students will research an archaeological site in order to discuss the society of the people who lived there.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Employ appropriate handling techniques when dealing with ancient artefacts.
  • Identify the place of manufacture, time period, and original use of artefacts from the time periods covered in this unit.
  • Identify and discuss the relative values of different archaeological theories and methods
  • Extract historical information from ancient remains in order to understand the society that produced them.
  • Identify, analyse, and interpret archaeological artefacts and site plans.

Online Quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 2 hours
Due: Weeks 2-11
Weighting: 40%

 

There will be 10 online quizzes.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Employ appropriate handling techniques when dealing with ancient artefacts.
  • Identify the place of manufacture, time period, and original use of artefacts from the time periods covered in this unit.
  • Extract historical information from ancient remains in order to understand the society that produced them.

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

Lectures: In person and pre-recorded

There will be a mix of lectures presented on campus and lectures pre-recorded.  You need to consult the unit weekly program in iLearn to determine which lectures will be presented in person on campus.  You will be able to access all lectures through the Echo360 link on our iLearn site after the completion of the set lecture times.  

Tutorials for Internal Students:  All tutorials will be held on campus.

It is important for this class that you do two things before the tutorials: (1) watch and engage with the lecture using the Tutorial Questions (which will be posted each week to the iLearn site) as a guide AND (2) make sure to read all of that week's assigned readings, 

Tutorial Work for External Students:  Online Forums

Each week that an internal-student tutorial is held, there will be a corresponding online forum for external students.  This is an opportunity for external students to ask questions, make comments on the topic, and to generally engaged with your lecturers and other external students. It is a chance to discuss all topics covered by the unit wth your lecturers. Each weekly forum will open on Tuesday

QUIZZES

There will be 10 multiple choice quizzes (Weeks 2-11). Each quiz will be worth 4% of your final mark, for a total of 40% over 10 weeks. The quizzes are then important and you must be certain to take all of them. They will be found in the iLearn section for each week in which there is a quiz. Once commenced, the quizzes must be completed in one 10 minute session.   

The quiz questions cover the content of the lectures and the set readings. They are an important means by which you can determine if you have understood the topic of the particular lecture and readings. 

READINGS

Please consult the MQ library site Leganto for readings in this unit.

The two textbooks are

Biers, W. R. 1996. The Archaeology of Greece: An Introduction, 2nd Edition. Cornell University Press.

Alcock, S. and Osborne, R. 2012. Classical Archaeology. Wiley-Blackwell. EBook available from MQ Library

Set readings and additional required readings are listed on our iLearn site for each week. The material can typically be accessed by Leganto

OTHER RESOURCES

I will post the Powerpoint of the lectures to the relevant Week's section of our iLearn site.

We will also be using the new Macquarie University History Museum and its collection of artefacts, but how much we are able to do with them will depend on the covid regulations in place at the time.

Unit Webpage and Technology Used

This unit will use the iLearn system (https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/login/MQ/) to communicate with the students, so you will need access to a computer and a good internet connection. Basic computer and word-processing skills are also required.

Unit Schedule

Please see our iLearn site for our full schedule of lectures and tutorials.

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

Academic Integrity

At Macquarie, we believe academic integrity – honesty, respect, trust, responsibility, fairness and courage – is at the core of learning, teaching and research. We recognise that meeting the expectations required to complete your assessments can be challenging. So, we offer you a range of resources and services to help you reach your potential, including free online writing and maths support, academic skills development and wellbeing consultations.

Student Support

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

The Writing Centre

The Writing Centre provides resources to develop your English language proficiency, academic writing, and communication skills.

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

Student Services and Support

Macquarie University offers a range of Student Support Services including:

Student Enquiries

Got a question? Ask us via AskMQ, or contact Service Connect.

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.

Changes since First Published

Date Description
17/02/2022 Mistake detected. The essay is due 03/06/2022 (not 03/07/2022 as currently stated)

Unit information based on version 2022.03 of the Handbook