Quizzes

Assessment Type ¹: Quiz/Test Indicative Time on Task ²: 25 hours Due:  (Week 7), and (Exam Period) Weighting: 40%

Two online multichoice quizzes covering lecture and tutorial content from throughout the unit.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Analyse and critique primary sources about magic from ancient to early modern periods with a view to understanding how different perspectives impact cultural phenomena.
• Understand key theoretical concepts and definitions used to describe magical practice over time, how these shape methods of analysis and what the advantages of such approaches might be.
• Consider critically the impact of later academic and popular discourses on the scholarly study and general understanding of ancient and medieval magic.
• Classify and interpret textual, documentary, and artifactual material in terms of technical or genre-based aspects, types of discourses, and their aims and functions.
• Navigate specialised databases and integrate search results into research reporting.

Papyrological Report

Assessment Type ¹: Essay Indicative Time on Task ²: 35 hours Due: (Week 11) Weighting: 45%

A research report involving data collection, management, and representation using information management systems of 1500 words (+/- 10%) with graph.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Analyse and critique primary sources about magic from ancient to early modern periods with a view to understanding how different perspectives impact cultural phenomena.
• Understand key theoretical concepts and definitions used to describe magical practice over time, how these shape methods of analysis and what the advantages of such approaches might be.
• Consider critically the impact of later academic and popular discourses on the scholarly study and general understanding of ancient and medieval magic.
• Classify and interpret textual, documentary, and artifactual material in terms of technical or genre-based aspects, types of discourses, and their aims and functions.
• Effectively and with academic integrity use written and oral communication skills appropriate to professional research and in accordance with publications standards using professional guidelines.
• Navigate specialised databases and integrate search results into research reporting.

Word Limit Penalty

A penalty of 5% will be applied to written assessment submissions that are under or over the stated length by more than 10%.

Magical Scenario

Assessment Type ¹: Performance Indicative Time on Task ²: 10 hours Due: (Week 13) Weighting: 15%

Students in assigned groups develop a response to a scenario prompt for presentation in a video for the online forum (external). Students will answer questions about their response after the presentation.

On successful completion you will be able to:

• Analyse and critique primary sources about magic from ancient to early modern periods with a view to understanding how different perspectives impact cultural phenomena.
• Consider critically the impact of later academic and popular discourses on the scholarly study and general understanding of ancient and medieval magic.
• Effectively and with academic integrity use written and oral communication skills appropriate to professional research and in accordance with publications standards using professional guidelines.
• Work effectively as a team to apply knowledge of ancient practices and their socio-cultural settings to modern contexts.

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

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 written reports and recordings only. Late submission of time sensitive tasks (such as tests/exams, performance assessments/presentations, scheduled practical assessments/labs will be addressed by the unit convenor in a Special consideration application.

Unit Requirements and Expectations

Classes

1. Lectures: There are two hours (2 hrs) per week of recorded lectures for thirteen (13) weeks of the session. These will be made available by Monday morning of the relevant week at the latest. It is expected that all students will audit all of the lectures over the session. Study guide questions on the lectures are provided to help students prepare for assessment questions on lecture content in the quizzes. These are not marked.

2. Tutorials and Online Learning Discussions: There is an Online Learning Discussion Forum (for external students) for twelve (12) weeks of the session. Active participation is expected. The final two weeks of tutorials are critical to the Magical Scenario Assessment.

Each student should have undertaken reading for each tutorial / discussion forum. A tutorial worksheet is provided for each week to support student engagment with these readings and to introduce students to online databases and resources critical to the assessments. These worksheets allow students to understand what the tutorial discussions will focus on and to identify what content will be assessable in the quizzes. These are not marked. 

Required and Recommended Texts

Students will be making use of translations of ancient magical texts and associated secondary scholarship through resources available online through the ilearn page (under each week) or in Leganto. For example, we will be using Christopher Faraone and Sofía Torallas Tovar's edited work, Greek and Egyptian Magical Formularies: Text and Translation, vol. 1 (2022) available as an open source book (follow the link here).

Students will be learning how to engage with editions of papyrus texts and with online papyrological databases over the course of their tutorials. Because of the nature of the material and the emphasis on data analysis, students will be engaging directly with ancient sources in translation and via digital images. It will not be sufficient or possible to rely on reading modern studies on the topics in this unit. The lectures and tutorials are designed to help students understand how to engage with ancient primary evidence even if they have never encountered this type of evidence before.

Technology Used and Required

The unit has an iLearn page which can be accessed via your iLearn login. PC and internet access are therefore required. Basic computer skills (e.g. internet browsing) and skills in word processing and spreadsheet use are also required. You will be provided with support in referencing and footnoting in Word as well as entering data into spreadsheets and generating graphs. Access to Microsoft Office (Word and Excel) is free for MQ students for the duration of their studies (follow the link here).

Academic integrity and referencing assessment has been folded into learning exercises. The final magical scenario assessment replaces the magical ritual assessment.