Students

AHIX8221 – Caravan Cities

2023 – Session 1, Online-flexible

General Information

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Unit convenor and teaching staff Unit convenor and teaching staff
Peter Edwell
peter.edwell@mq.edu.au
Credit points Credit points
10
Prerequisites Prerequisites
Admission to MAncHist (OUA) or GradCertAncHist (OUA)
Corequisites Corequisites
Co-badged status Co-badged status
AHIS8221 - Caravan Cities
Unit description Unit description

The unit aims to combine archaeology with history in the study of a number of key cities of the Roman Near East. The Silk Road and the Frankincense Road brought great prosperity to a number of cities of the Roman East, especially Petra, Palmyra and Dura Europos. Much of the history of these cities is written from a combination of archaeological reports and literary sources. Students will be given the opportunity to learn how to evaluate archaeological evidence against extant literary sources and also to study the architectural history of the Roman Near East.and how their histories aligned with the growth of long-distance trade through the area. The Silk Roads and the Frankincense Road brought great prosperity to a number of cities of the Roman East, especially Petra, Palmyra and Dura Europos. Much of the history of these cities is written from a combination of archaeological reports and literary sources. Students will be given the opportunity to learn how to evaluate archaeological evidence against extant literary sources and also to study the architectural history of the Roman Near East.

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: Analyse and express judgement about the development of trade in the Roman Near East and specific features of the main cities involved in this trade in oral and written form.
  • ULO2: Interpret written and archaeological evidence and express appreciation and understanding of their context and modern interpretations of them.
  • ULO3: Work with and respond to the views of staff and other students in the unit in both oral and written form
  • ULO4: Demonstrate the ability to draw together and judge pre-selected and self-located evidence to provide an analysis of trade in the Roman Near East and an important element of the cities involved in this trade.

General Assessment Information

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. 

Assessment Tasks

Name Weighting Hurdle Due
Discussion paper 20% No 5PM, Friday 31 March
Blog 10% No 5pm, Friday 28 April
Research Essay 50% No 5pm, Friday 2 June
Weekly written contributions to online discussions. 20% No Weekly

Discussion paper

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: 5PM, Friday 31 March
Weighting: 20%

 

1,500 word essay from a selection of questions.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse and express judgement about the development of trade in the Roman Near East and specific features of the main cities involved in this trade in oral and written form.
  • Interpret written and archaeological evidence and express appreciation and understanding of their context and modern interpretations of them.
  • Work with and respond to the views of staff and other students in the unit in both oral and written form
  • Demonstrate the ability to draw together and judge pre-selected and self-located evidence to provide an analysis of trade in the Roman Near East and an important element of the cities involved in this trade.

Blog

Assessment Type 1: Non-academic writing
Indicative Time on Task 2: 15 hours
Due: 5pm, Friday 28 April
Weighting: 10%

 

A blog focusing on the impact of modern human activity on ancient archaeological sites.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Interpret written and archaeological evidence and express appreciation and understanding of their context and modern interpretations of them.

Research Essay

Assessment Type 1: Essay
Indicative Time on Task 2: 50 hours
Due: 5pm, Friday 2 June
Weighting: 50%

 

3,000 word research essay focussing a broad question related to the material covered across the entire unit.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse and express judgement about the development of trade in the Roman Near East and specific features of the main cities involved in this trade in oral and written form.
  • Interpret written and archaeological evidence and express appreciation and understanding of their context and modern interpretations of them.
  • Work with and respond to the views of staff and other students in the unit in both oral and written form
  • Demonstrate the ability to draw together and judge pre-selected and self-located evidence to provide an analysis of trade in the Roman Near East and an important element of the cities involved in this trade.

Weekly written contributions to online discussions.

Assessment Type 1: Participatory task
Indicative Time on Task 2: 20 hours
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%

 

Weekly written contributions to online discussions.

 
On successful completion you will be able to:
  • Analyse and express judgement about the development of trade in the Roman Near East and specific features of the main cities involved in this trade in oral and written form.

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

Recorded lectures are available via Echo 360 on the unit i-learn page.

Unit Schedule

See schedule in Bibliography and unit resources file on i-learn page.

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 2023.02 of the Handbook