Students

AHIS1301 – World Archaeology

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
Danijel Dzino
danijel.dzino@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit explores the human past from prehistoric times up to the present. Students will examine a range of archaeological material from different parts of the world from prehistory to the early medieval period. By exploring a variety of ancient cultures, students will observe the interdisciplinary approach that contemporary archaeology utilises when facing broader questions such as the origin of the human species, its evolution and its interaction with the natural environment until the emergence of complex societies and then the blooming and diversity of historical societies. The unit will provide a broad knowledge and understanding of past societies, introducing methodology and theoretical issues when necessary.

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 a range of archaeological cultures, sites and material in their geographic and chronological contexts.
  • ULO2: Understand how past societies developed and interacted worldwide and some of the principles, concepts and techniques used in the study of the archaeology of the world
  • ULO3: Read literature from different archaeological disciplines and interpret written and material evidence with appreciation and understanding.
  • ULO4: Plan and present written arguments about archaeological cultures and material in coherent and documented form
  • ULO5: Apply and adapt knowledge of a range of issues, questions and problems relating to the contemporary understanding of the past.

General Assessment Information

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 23:55. 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 quizzes) will only be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

Grading decisions for each assessment task will be moderated against the set criteria and standards before task results are released.

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Comments on tutorial readings 20% No Week 2-5 and 9-11
Online quizzes 20% No Week 7 & Week 13
Short paper 20% No 9/9/2022
Research essay 40% No 28/10/2022

Comments on tutorial readings

Assessment Type 1: Reflective Writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 14 hours
Due: Week 2-5 and 9-11
Weighting: 20%

 

Two online posts on tutorial readings.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire knowledge of a range of archaeological cultures, sites and material in their geographic and chronological contexts.
  • Understand how past societies developed and interacted worldwide and some of the principles, concepts and techniques used in the study of the archaeology of the world
  • Read literature from different archaeological disciplines and interpret written and material evidence with appreciation and understanding.
  • Plan and present written arguments about archaeological cultures and material in coherent and documented form
  • Apply and adapt knowledge of a range of issues, questions and problems relating to the contemporary understanding of the past.

Online quizzes

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 14 hours
Due: Week 7 & Week 13
Weighting: 20%

 

Two online quizzes

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire knowledge of a range of archaeological cultures, sites and material in their geographic and chronological contexts.
  • Understand how past societies developed and interacted worldwide and some of the principles, concepts and techniques used in the study of the archaeology of the world
  • Read literature from different archaeological disciplines and interpret written and material evidence with appreciation and understanding.
  • Plan and present written arguments about archaeological cultures and material in coherent and documented form
  • Apply and adapt knowledge of a range of issues, questions and problems relating to the contemporary understanding of the past.

Short paper

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 18 hours
Due: 9/9/2022
Weighting: 20%

 

1000 words short paper

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire knowledge of a range of archaeological cultures, sites and material in their geographic and chronological contexts.
  • Understand how past societies developed and interacted worldwide and some of the principles, concepts and techniques used in the study of the archaeology of the world
  • Read literature from different archaeological disciplines and interpret written and material evidence with appreciation and understanding.
  • Plan and present written arguments about archaeological cultures and material in coherent and documented form
  • Apply and adapt knowledge of a range of issues, questions and problems relating to the contemporary understanding of the past.

Research essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 26 hours
Due: 28/10/2022
Weighting: 40%

 

2,000 words research essay

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Acquire knowledge of a range of archaeological cultures, sites and material in their geographic and chronological contexts.
  • Understand how past societies developed and interacted worldwide and some of the principles, concepts and techniques used in the study of the archaeology of the world
  • Read literature from different archaeological disciplines and interpret written and material evidence with appreciation and understanding.
  • Plan and present written arguments about archaeological cultures and material in coherent and documented form
  • Apply and adapt knowledge of a range of issues, questions and problems relating to the contemporary understanding of the past.

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 a library and/or article database such as JSTOR will be necessary to complete the assignments. If individual access to such databases is not possible, access is possible via the Macquarie Library website, although a proxy server may be necessary (for more see the "IT Help" link under the "Policies and Procedures" tab).
  • All lectures, assignments, and readings will be posted on the course's iLearn site. Additional resources, including web-links and additional directions will also appear there.

 

Optional textbooks:

M. Diaz-Andreu, S. Lucy, S. Babić, & D. N. Edwards, The Archaeology of Identity: Approaches to gender, age, status, ethnicity and religion (London & New York, 2005) - available as e-book in the library if you do not wish to have it.

C. Scarre & B. Fagan, Ancient Civilizations (4th ed.) (London & New York, 2016) – useful for broad historical overview.

Unit Schedule

Lecture timetable

 

Week 1: Introduction to the unit and some basic archaeological concepts

Week 2: The Palaeolithic and Neolithic

Week 3: Egypt

Week 4: Introduction to Ancient Near East

Week 5: Ancient Middle East: Empires

Week 6: The Minoans

Week 7: The Mycenaeans

Mid-semester break

Week 8: European Bronze and Iron Age

Week 9: Roman archaeology

Week 10: Early Christian and archaeology of Late antiquity

Week 11: Early medieval archaeology

Week 12: Archaeology of Mesoamerican cultures

Week 13: Australian Archaeology

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 2022.03 of the Handbook