Students

AHIS3251 – State Formation in the Ancient World

2022 – Session 2, In person-scheduled-weekday, North Ryde

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff Convenor & Lecturer
Karin Sowada
karin.sowada@mq.edu.au
Contact via email
Room 167, Level 1, 25B Wally's Walk, Arts Precinct
by appointment
Senior Lecturer
Peter Edwell
peter.edwell@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Professor
Javier Alvarez-Mon
javier.alvarez-mon@mq.edu.au
By appointment
Eleonora Ferretti
eferretti1992@gmail.com
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
130cp at 1000 level or above or (20cp in AHIS or AHST units at 2000 level)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit examines the origin and development of the "state" in the ancient world, from the earliest states in Egypt and the ancient Near East to the foundation of the medieval world, via investigation of the archaeological, historical, textual, and artistic evidence. Particular attention is paid to the processes involved in the formation of the first states in Egypt and Mesopotamia, with theoretical models for understanding what a state is and does forming the foundation upon which the ancient evidence is overlaid.

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: Interpret theories on the rise and fall of cultural complexity
  • ULO2: Recognise the various factors that led to state formation in the ancient world.
  • ULO3: Relate theory to reality in a discussion of state formation in the Ancient World.
  • ULO4: Articulate the benefits and drawbacks of various theoretical frameworks based on archaeological and textual data.

General Assessment Information

SUCCESSFUL COMPLETION OF THE UNIT

To complete the unit successfully you need a minimum mark of 50% overall. 

N.B. You must attempt every piece of assessment to pass this unit. In accordance with Clause 129 of the University Assessment Policy, non-submission of an Assessment Task will result in a FA grade - Fail Absent.

GRADES: 

F / FA: 0-49% P: 50-64% CR: 65-74% D: 75-84% HD: 85-100%

LATE ASSESSMENT SUBMISSION PENALTY  

Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, a 5% penalty (of the total possible mark) will be applied each day a written assessment is not submitted, up until the 7th day (including weekends). After the 7th day, a mark of ‘0’ (zero) will be awarded even if the assessment is submitted. Submission time for all written assessments is set at 11.55pm. A 1-hour grace period is provided to students who experience a technical issue.    

This late penalty will apply to non-timed sensitive assessment (incl essays, reports, posters, portfolios, journals, recordings etc). Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs etc) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application. Special Consideration outcome may result in a new question or topic. 

IMPORTANT NOTE ON FINAL MARKS 

Please note with respect to the marks you receive for work during the session: grading decisions for each assessment task will be moderated against the set criteria and standards before task results are released. 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.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Group Oral Presentation 20% No 2355 hrs Sunday 16/10/2022 Week 10
Annotated Bibliography 25% No 2355 hrs Sunday 28/08/2022 Week 5
Weekly Research Question 20% No 2355hrs Monday prior (day before) to the lecture Wk 2-7
Written essay 35% No 2355 hrs Sunday 06/11/2022 Week 13

Group Oral Presentation

Assessment Type 1: Presentation
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 2355 hrs Sunday 16/10/2022 Week 10
Weighting: 20%

Short group oral presentation (15 min.) on a topic from a list of topic choices
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret theories on the rise and fall of cultural complexity
  • Recognise the various factors that led to state formation in the ancient world.
  • Relate theory to reality in a discussion of state formation in the Ancient World.

Annotated Bibliography

Assessment Type 1: Annotated bibliography
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 2355 hrs Sunday 28/08/2022 Week 5
Weighting: 25%

Produce an annotated bibliography (min. 15 references) from a list of topic choices.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret theories on the rise and fall of cultural complexity
  • Recognise the various factors that led to state formation in the ancient world.
  • Relate theory to reality in a discussion of state formation in the Ancient World.
  • Articulate the benefits and drawbacks of various theoretical frameworks based on archaeological and textual data.

Weekly Research Question

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 2355hrs Monday prior (day before) to the lecture Wk 2-7
Weighting: 20%

From Weeks 2 to 7 inclusive, students must answer the weekly research question each week with a minimum 150 word written discussion posted on iLearn.


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret theories on the rise and fall of cultural complexity
  • Recognise the various factors that led to state formation in the ancient world.
  • Relate theory to reality in a discussion of state formation in the Ancient World.
  • Articulate the benefits and drawbacks of various theoretical frameworks based on archaeological and textual data.

Written essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 2355 hrs Sunday 06/11/2022 Week 13
Weighting: 35%

Written essay of 2500 words on a topic from a list of topic choices.
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret theories on the rise and fall of cultural complexity
  • Recognise the various factors that led to state formation in the ancient world.
  • Relate theory to reality in a discussion of state formation in the Ancient World.
  • Articulate the benefits and drawbacks of various theoretical frameworks based on archaeological and textual 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

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 via the unit's Leganto page or on our iLearn page.

External / on-line students will have access to lecture recordings and other content via iLearn.

Unit Schedule

Consult the Unit's iLearn site for the Unit Schedule and weekly updates.  

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.

Unit information based on version 2022.06 of the Handbook