Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Rachel Yuen-Collingridge
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MRes
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
This unit considers the contexts within which Ancient History is studied, in order to encourage critical awareness of how and why these studies are pursued in a 21st century context, as a conceptual basis for undertaking research. It addresses ways of representing the past in ancient societies, the development of the disciplines of ancient studies in the modern period, and contemporary issues shaping the study of the ancient past. The interaction between modern concerns and the study of antiquity will be considered through questions such as: how do we understand the representation of the past in art and artefacts? How have modern religious and nationalist ideologies shape the development of ancient studies? Do ancient artefacts represent 'cultural property' or 'loot'?
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.mq.edu.au/study/calendar-of-dates
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Panel Presentation | 20% | At relevant seminar |
Handout | 10% | At relevant seminar |
Essay | 40% | 14 days after presentation |
Examination | 30% | University Exam Period |
Due: At relevant seminar
Weighting: 20%
Each student must present a 15 minute paper in weeks 2-13 addressing one of the Focus Questions listed in each week’s Guide. Unless otherwise instructed by the convenors, students must address all the questions set for that week, not choose one of them. Questions in smaller font in brackets should inform students’ answers to the main question, and be addressed inter alia. Specific guidance is provided in the Weekly Guides on the nature of each week’s task.
Students must email a copy of their text in word doc format to the convenors before the begining of the seminar at which they are presenting. This is not for formal assessment, and does not have to include footnotes or bibliography. However, it must be submitted before the seminar, or the task cannot be passed.
The presentation of a paper and production of an accompanying handout is a key part of academic life (e.g. conferences, seminars, etc) and many other careers (e.g. a presentation to the board, etc.). This assessment will provide students with an opportunity to develop and practice these skills. Particular attention will be given to both the presentation itself (its content and delivery) and the way the handout is used to assist the presentation. The presentation must be delivered clearly, and must not exceed the allotted time. This is known in advance, so there can be no excuse for not getting through all one’s material (such problems may be averted by reading your paper aloud and timing it beforehand).
The Handout is separately assessed, and is discussed below.
Powerpoint presentations may not be used, except by those students speaking on Art History in Week 4 (‘Capturing the Past in Images’). Powerpoint presentations are frequently a crutch, and are often used by speakers to divert attention away from themselves. Furthermore there is little to be gained by filling the screen with the text as read, as many speakers do. Such information as you wish the audience to read can and should be placed in your handout; nor is there any reason to show images of e.g. scholars you are dealing with, much less random and irrelevant images included only for “humour” value. If you feel an image is important to show, incorporate it into your handout. Spend the time you would have spent animating text blocks or searching for images to accompany your text to research and writing your presentation.
We recognise that in the academic world you will be able to use powerpoint presentations, and that it is a useful skill to be able to prepare them; however, we feel that most students have already developed this skill, and have plenty of other opportunity to practice this. In this seminar, we are focussing on the delivery of the paper (from which powerpoints often distract) and on teaching you to construct a useful handout and use it effectively as part of your presentation. If you feel that your presentation vitally depends on showing an image that cannot for whatever reason be included on your handout, you may contact the conveners no later than one week before your presentation to discuss the possibility of showing it: however, it is by no means certain that we will agree, and if we do, and you subsequently take the opportunity to display irrelevant images or the text from your presentation, you will certainly lose marks.
The Focus question(s) listed in each Weekly Guide should form a guide rather than a limit for the scope of the discussion: students who extend them by raising other relevant points will benefit in terms of their mark (though students who extend them by raising irrelevant points to use up time will not). Students are expected to go beyond the bibliography provided.
Following their presentation, students will be expected to take questions and comments from the convenors and other students, and lead or take an active part in the discussion. Students not giving the presentation are expected to direct questions and comments to the presenter in the discussion the end of the presentation. All students are expected to participate in the discussion.
The mark for the presentation (20%) will be based on:
· Knowledge and Content (15%)
· the level of preparation as evidenced in the presentation;
· the degree to which students have analysed the relevant sources;
· the relevance of the presentation to the question;
· the manner in which the presenter responds to questions in the discussion following the presentation.
· Presentation skills (5%)
· the clarity and structure of the presentation;
· delivery and communication skills;
· the ability to keep to the allotted time.
Due: At relevant seminar
Weighting: 10%
Students must prepare a handout to accompany their presentation, setting out the main issues they are addressing and giving the bibliography they have consulted. The handout must provide the title of the presentation, the name of student, and the date of the presentation. Any specific texts you are discussing (or extracts from them) can also be included. Students must make sufficient copies of their handout for the whole class, including the lecturer, and must distribute them before the presentation. Handouts must not be longer than 4 A4 sides (two pages printed back to back), and must not use a font size smaller that 12-point except in small sections. Any student who has not prepared a handout will be deemed not to have fulfilled the task and will not receive a mark for it. There are example handouts on the unit iLearn page, which will provide you with a sample of the general requirements and possible layout. These are examples only, and should not be followed slavishly.
The handout ought to be something that both serves to illustrate the presentation (with references and quotations) and provides the other students with a record of the main ideas and bibliography on the question. In the academic and professional worlds it is crucial that any material you give to an audience be thoroughly edited (i.e. checked through for accuracy and any spelling mistakes). Marks will be deducted for orthographic and typographic errors, so check carefully.
The mark for the Handout (10%) will be based on:
· The clarity of the information on the handout: are the extracts relevant? Are they well presented?
· The usability of the handout: does the handout help the audience follow the presentation?
· Formatting and presentation (spelling, correct and standardised referencing).
Due: 14 days after presentation
Weighting: 40%
The Major Essay is due on the Wednesday two weeks after the date of the presentation, except for the student(s) doing the question for week 2, for whom the essay is due four weeks after the date of the presentation, and for the student(s) doing the question for week 3, for whom the essay is due three weeks after the date of the presentation. It must be 2500 words in length. The Major essay should address the same Focus Question(s) addressed in the presentation and, where relevant, improve upon problems of argumentation, style, and content as identified in the presentation feedback and the class discussion.
It is important to base your essay on the major sources (whether ancient or modern), which have been set, and to compile a list of up to date secondary reading. This should extend beyond what you are given in the unit outline.
Essays must be accompanied by a bibliography of the ancient sources and modern works used. They must be referenced according to one of the accepted conventions, that is, footnotes, endnotes, or ‘in-text’ referencing. In general, footnotes are the preferred and usual method for such work. Material downloaded or cited from the Web (other than the Website of this unit) should always be cited with reference to its full Web address and date of consultation. NB: Be very careful when using material from the web. Only use material from reputable websites set up by universities, museums/galleries, reputable scholars/associations etc. The use of material from unscholarly and uncritical websites will result in the deduction of marks.
Word limits:
Tables, figures, and bibliography are not included in the word limit. Footnotes which provide references are not included in the word limit; discursive footnotes giving further discussion will be counted, especially when it is clear that material has been placed in a footnote in an attempt to circumvent the word limit.
Presentation:
The presentation of the essay should follow accepted scholarly practice. A general guide to ‘Essay Presentation & Conventions: Style Guide’ can be downloaded from the Ancient History Website: http://www.anchist.mq.edu.au/ (click on ‘Teaching materials’ in the left hand menu, then select the long or short ‘Essay Presentation Guides’) and this should be followed.
Due: University Exam Period
Weighting: 30%
A two hour exam will be held during the University Examination period. Students will have to answer one question which addresses the themes of the unit in general, and two questions on specific topics drawn from the weekly seminars. It will be worth 30% of the final mark. Further details will be provided closer to the exam period.
To complete the unit successfully, the student will need to achieve an overall mark of 50% or above.
This unit will be challenging, and students should be under no illusions that it will be a step up from the standard of units they have previously undertaken. It is intended to force students to examine their understanding of their area of study, their place in it, and its relationship to other fields of study, the history of scholarship, and the world at large. Students should expect to be challenged on their opinions, and be prepared to justify them.
Extensions for assignments can only be granted for medical reasons or on compassionate grounds. Requests for an extension must be made in writing to the unit convener before the due date of the assessment. Without documentation (medical or counselling certificates) or prior staff approval, a penalty of 2% a day, including weekends, will be applied.
There is no textbook: readings will be provided to students electronically.
There will be one 1-hour lecture per week, on Tuesdays 2-3 pm, and one 2-hour seminar, on Wednesdays 2-4 pm. Students are expected to attend all classes (lectures and seminars), unless there are extenuating circumstances such as illness etc. A log will be taken to record attendance. Medical certificates are required for medical absences and should be given to your convenor.
There will be a unit iLearn site, on which readings and resources will be placed. The lectures will not be recorded on the Echo360 system, and attendance at them is compulsory.
PC and Internet access, basic computer skills (e.g. internet browsing) and skills in word processing are required to complete the unit.
Oral presentations will be presented in the seminars. The script or notes used for the oral presentation is to be submitted through the turnitin link after the relevant seminar. All written work must be submitted through the turnitin links for each assessment item on iLearn.
Since the last offering of the unit, assessment and some weekly tasks have been revised.
Week | Lecture | Seminar |
Week 1 | Introduction and Overview | Introductory Discussion |
Theme 1 (Weeks 2–4) — Ancient Historiography: Modes of Storytelling in Antiquity
Week 2 | Writing Lives | Autobiography and Biography |
Week 3 | Counting Time, or Le Défilement de L'Histiore | Annals and Chronicles |
Week 4 | Capturing the Past in Images | Art History |
Theme 2 (Weeks 5–8) — Modern scholars of Ancient History: The Origin of the Discipline
Week 5 | Belief in History | The Study of Ancient ‘Religions’ |
Week 6 | Language and Manuscripts | Textual Criticism and Philology |
Week 7 | Authenticity and Forgery | Text, Language, and Object |
Week 8 | From Antiquarianism to Archaeology | Institutions and Artifacts |
Week 9 | Reading Week | No Lecture or Seminar |
Theme 3 (Weeks 9–13) — Ancient History and Modern Theory
Week 10 | The Postcolonial Historian | Cultural Preservation or Imperial Paternalism |
Week 11 | History on the Couch | Psychohistory and the History of Emotions |
Week 12 | Writing History | Art, Science, and History |
Week 13 | Microhistory | Archives and the Individual |
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central. Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Academic Honesty Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/academic_honesty/policy.html
Assessment Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Grievance Management Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grievance_management/policy.html
Disruption to Studies Policy http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/disruption_studies/policy.html The Disruption to Studies Policy is effective from March 3 2014 and replaces the Special Consideration Policy.
In addition, a number of other policies can be found in the Learning and Teaching Category of Policy Central.
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/support/student_conduct/
Results shown in iLearn, 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.
Macquarie University provides a range of support services for students. For details, visit http://students.mq.edu.au/support/
Learning Skills (mq.edu.au/learningskills) provides academic writing resources and study strategies to improve your marks and take control of your study.
Students with a disability are encouraged to contact the Disability Service who can provide appropriate help with any issues that arise during their studies.
For all student enquiries, visit Student Connect at ask.mq.edu.au
For help with University computer systems and technology, visit http://informatics.mq.edu.au/help/.
When using the University's IT, you must adhere to the Acceptable Use Policy. The policy applies to all who connect to the MQ network including students.
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