Students

AHIS2251 – Ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern Art: Theory and Practice

2023 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Javier Alvarez-Mon
Contact via By appointment
Linda Evans
Contact via By appointment
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
40cp from 1000 level units or above
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
Unit description Unit description

This unit introduces the theory and practice of ancient art with particular reference to ancient Egypt and the Near East. Topics to be explored include understanding the notion of "art" as applied to the archaeological and cultural contexts of ancient non-western cultures, understanding contemporary methodological and ethical issues in the study of art history and developing basic skills necessary for artistic analysis and interpretation. Material studied will include monumental and domestic architecture, sculpture, ceramics, metalwork, glyptic, and literary arts.

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: Outline the status and purpose of ancient art in the context of history, religion, politics and changes in social and cultural dynamics in the societies of ancient Egypt and the Near East;
  • ULO2: Evaluate the main methods of analysing and interpreting ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern art from antiquity to present day
  • ULO3: Outline the methodological and ethical issues associated with the study of ancient art
  • ULO4: Describe, compare and analyse an ancient artefact and apply terminology, a method and methodological approach appropriate to art historical examination
  • ULO5: Find, analyse and critique primary and secondary sources pertaining to the study of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern visual culture, illustrating sound skills in research, and an ability to present the information in a written and oral format

General Assessment Information

PASSING MARK

To pass AHIS2251, you must complete all of the assessments and achieve an overall mark of at least 50%.

MARKING RUBRICS

All written assessment tasks will be graded using a rubric that outlines the criteria and standards for each grade descriptor. Rubrics for each task can be found on the unit's iLearn site under 'Assessments'. 

PENALTIES

1. 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. 

2. Word Limit Penalty

  • Written assessment tasks submitted that are under or over the word length by more than 15% will be penalised with a loss of 10% of the total possible mark. NOTE: Footnotes and bibliographies are not included in word counts.

3. Citation and Referencing techniques Penalty

  • Turnitin is 'text-matching' software that is designed to educate students about appropriate citation and referencing techniques. Turnitin is also used to provide the university with confidence in the academic integrity of students' work. 
  • Written assessment tasks submitted without proper referencing (e.g., no bibliography, omission of page numbers, etc), will be marked accoring to the Macquarie Academic Integrity Policy and the schedule of penalties.

EXTENSION REQUESTS

  • Important: The granting of extensions is subject to the University's Special Consideration Policy and can only be granted by applying for Special Consideration through AskMQ. Please do not ask the convenors for an extension, but you may inform them if you intend to apply for Special Consideration.

RELEASE OF RESULTS

Feedback for written work and the final test will be supplied within 3 weeks of the due date. Results can be viewed via iLearn using the Gradebook tool.

FINAL MARKS

Grading decisions for each assessment task will be moderated against the set criteria and standards before task results are released. Please note that 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 'Results' in the Policies and Procedures section below.

 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Online Quiz 20% No Weeks 2-7 and 9-12
Artistic Description and Analysis 40% No 11:55pm, 30/04/2023 (Week 8)
Final Test 40% No 11:59 pm, 04/06/2023 (Week 13)

Online Quiz

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 49 hours
Due: Weeks 2-7 and 9-12
Weighting: 20%

 

Answer a series of questions on the lectures and required weekly readings. Complete the quiz using the iLearn quiz tool.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Outline the status and purpose of ancient art in the context of history, religion, politics and changes in social and cultural dynamics in the societies of ancient Egypt and the Near East;
  • Evaluate the main methods of analysing and interpreting ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern art from antiquity to present day
  • Outline the methodological and ethical issues associated with the study of ancient art

Artistic Description and Analysis

Assessment Type 1: Case study/analysis
Indicative Time on Task 2: 30 hours
Due: 11:55pm, 30/04/2023 (Week 8)
Weighting: 40%

 

Based on the supplied readings and primary sources, students will undertake an artistic description and analysis according to the relevant art historical conventions. Guidelines and word limit available in iLearn. Submit via Turnitin.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Describe, compare and analyse an ancient artefact and apply terminology, a method and methodological approach appropriate to art historical examination
  • Find, analyse and critique primary and secondary sources pertaining to the study of ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern visual culture, illustrating sound skills in research, and an ability to present the information in a written and oral format

Final Test

Assessment Type 1: Quiz/Test
Indicative Time on Task 2: 35 hours
Due: 11:59 pm, 04/06/2023 (Week 13)
Weighting: 40%

 

An online test of acquired theoretical and methodological knowledge and skills.

 


On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Outline the status and purpose of ancient art in the context of history, religion, politics and changes in social and cultural dynamics in the societies of ancient Egypt and the Near East;
  • Evaluate the main methods of analysing and interpreting ancient Egyptian and Near Eastern art from antiquity to present day
  • Outline the methodological and ethical issues associated with the study of ancient art

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

UNIT REQUIREMENTS AND EXPECTATIONS

This unit will be taught following a flipped classroom model, in which students first gain exposure to new material outside of class via reading and watching recorded lectures, and then the tutorial time is used to do the harder work of assimilating that knowledge.

The unit is comprised of two key elements:

  1. Three hours of instruction: 1-2 hours of pre-recorded lectures and 1 hour tutorial delivered either on campus or asynchronously online for Flexible-Online and OUA students); and
  2. Individual study and preparation.

Note:

  • Students are expected to attend all tutorials (or complete all tutorial activities online each week), unless there are extenuating circumstances.
  • Pre-recorded lectures will be available on the iLearn site before the week they are due. Students are expected to have watched the videos and completed the required lecture and tutorial readings before attending their scheduled tutorial.  

Unit Schedule

WEEKLY TOPICS

Week

Lecture topic

Tutorial topic

Assessment due

1

Seeing and looking

Unit introduction

No assessment

2

Definitions and methodologies

Tools of artistic analysis

Online quiz 1

3

Art history in the 20th century

The dialectic between artifact and context

Online quiz 2

4

Ancient Near Eastern art: Glyptic arts

Panofsky's principles: The seal of the state of California

Online quiz 3

5

Ancient Near Eastern art: Art and sacred spaces

City of Gods: Choga Zanbil

Online quiz 4

6

Ancient Near Eastern art: Secular vernacular architecture

Design your ideal house

Online quiz 5

7

Ancient Near Eastern art: Telling a story

 How writing shaped art

Online quiz 6

BREAK

8

No lecture

No tutorial

Artistic description and analysis

9

Ancient Egyptian art: History

The current state of Egyptian art history

Online quiz 7

10

Ancient Egyptian art: Basics

Decoding Egyptian art

Online quiz 8

11

Ancient Egyptian art: 2D representations

2D methodology

Online quiz 9

12

Ancient Egyptian art: 3D representations

3D methodology

Online quiz 10

13

No lecture

No tutorial

Final test

WEEKLY STEPS

BEFORE TUTORIALS | Preparation

Step 1 | Lecture preparation

  • Watch the pre-recorded lectures and complete the required lecture readings in preparation for the weekly online quiz

Step 2 | Tutorial preparation

  • Complete the tutorial readings before attending class (available via iLearn)

DURING TUTORIALS | Knowledge Building

Step 3 | Engage with your peers

  • Participate in group discussions and class activities, either on campus or via online discussions

AFTER TUTORIALS | Consolidation

Step 4 | Consolidate your knowledge

  • Complete the weekly online quiz based on the required readings and the lecture.

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 from Previous Offering

The lecture order has changed since Session 1, 2022.


Unit information based on version 2023.01R of the Handbook