Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Linda Evans
Contact via linda.evans@mq.edu.au
W6A, 521
Fridays, 9:30-11:30 am
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Credit points |
Credit points
4
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
Admission to MAncHist or GradCertAncHist or MA in (Ancient History or Coptic Studies or ECJS or Egyptology or History or Late Antiquity or Ancient Art and Architecture) or PGDipArts in (Ancient History or ECJS) or PGCertArts in (Ancient History or Coptic Studies) or MMusStud or PGDipMusStud
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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 online unit will provide an introduction to the theoretical background for studying the art and architecture of the ancient Eastern Mediterranean region and will explore both the practical skills required and resources available for researching ancient objects. The topics covered include the nature of art, the development of art history, the practice of connoisseurship, the process of engaging with ancient art, the role of museums and conservation, and the effect of ancient art on modern design. The study program focuses particularly on the visual record of the ancient Egyptians, Copts, early Christians, Greeks, Romans, and Byzantine cultures.
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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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Is it “art”? | 10% | Friday, Week 2 |
Exhibition catalogue | 35% | Friday, Week 7 |
Research essay | 35% | Friday, Week 12 |
Online discussion | 20% | Weekly |
Due: Friday, Week 2
Weighting: 10%
In Week 1, you will be asked to choose an object from a set of slides (available on the unit website) and then argue in no more than 300 words why you think that it is, or is not, "art". There are no correct answers. What you write will be entirely your own opinion and so you do not need to consult or cite other sources. However, you will need to express clearly what criteria you have used to make your decision. This assignment is intended to get you thinking about art in general and to question what you are looking at.
Length: 300 words
Grading criteria for Assignment 1: A clearly expressed argument; Evidence of wider thought and creativity
Due: Friday, Week 7
Weighting: 35%
In this assignment, you will focus on one topic within a single artistic tradition. It is intended to give you an opportunity to use the methodological skills that you have acquired during the unit.
The Collection
Choose a tradition/style of art from the following: Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Early Christian, Coptic, or Byzantine. Next, choose an artefact type: for example, textiles (dress, tapestries), jewellery, mosaics, figurines, statuary, wall paintings, amulets, coins, etc.
Find 10 examples of your chosen artefact type in museum collections (these can include books, web collections, and real museums).
Presentation
Your catalogue must consist of the following sections:
1) A Title for your exhibition (e.g., "Paws beside the Nile: Animals in Egyptian Wall Paintings").
2) A detailed Introduction to the topic of your exhibition (e.g., Egyptian jewellery, Greek figurines, Byzantine mosaics etc.). This should include the following:
Length of Introduction: 1,000 words
3) The Catalogue itself. Please supply a photograph of the 10 objects. Beside or below each one, provide the following brief general details:
Then, provide a brief commentary for each item. That is, in no more than 200 words, describe the object's original purpose or function (social, religious context, etc), its iconographic and/or symbolic features (if pertinent), point out any unusual details, and indicate how or why is it significant (i.e., why it has been included in your collection). Citations should be provided where relevant. Note that the general details above are not included in the word count.
Length of Catalogue: 2,000 words
4) A Bibliography of sources that you have consulted for all parts of the project. Length of bibliography: unlimited. Note: Only cite references that you have actually consulted please!
Total length (Introduction + Catalogue): 3,000 words
Grading criteria for Assignment 2: Knowledge of the subject matter; Attention to detail; Breadth; Clarity of expression; Creativity; Originality
Due: Friday, Week 12
Weighting: 35%
Should stolen antiquities be returned to their country of origin?
This is a major issue for museums worldwide. For example, both Greece and Egypt are now demanding the return of the Parthenon marbles and the Rosetta Stone, as well as many other culturally significant objects. Should this be allowed? If not, why not? Discuss the practical, legal, and ethical issues associated with the repatriation of cultural property.
Length: 3,000 words
Grading criteria for Assignment 3: Knowledge of the subject matter; Attention to detail; Breadth; Clarity of expression; Evidence of thought
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%
You are expected to post at least one response to the Learning Forum each week. Please do the Required Reading first and then post your response(s) to the discussion question(s), which will be available on the website each week.
Note: you will have until the end of following week to post your response (i.e., you will have until the end of Week 2 to post an answer to the Week 1 discussion questions, and so on). Your responses to the Learning Forum will be monitored. 20% of your final grade will reflect both the quality and quantity of your responses on the forum, so it is essential that you take part.
Required textbook
Sparkes, B.A., The Red and the Black: Studies in Greek Pottery (London, 1996). It is available from the Co-Op bookshop.
Weekly required readings
A list of the Required Readings will be provided on the unit website each week. Some of the Required Readings will be from the textbook, while most will be available to download directly from the unit website (additionally, some papers may also be available under Unit Readings on the Library website). Note that Recommended Readings will not be available on the website but must be obtained in person from the Macquarie Library or elsewhere.
Unit requirements and expectations
Students need to submit all assessment items and achieve an overall mark of at least 50/100 in order to pass AHPG886.
AHPG886 is a postgraduate unit. Subjects taught at this level require a high standard of application and scholarship. This means that you will be expected to do a substantial amount of reading each week and also produce a number of assignments for which you will need to carry out independent research.
Penalties
Late submission of assignments
Assignments that are submitted after the deadline and for which an extension has not been granted will lose 2% for each full day that the work is late. For example, for an assignment worth 30%: If the assignment is submitted the day after the deadline, it will only receive a maximum grade of 28%. If submitted two days after the deadline, a maximum grade of 26% will be received, and so on.
Word length
Assignments that are longer or shorter than 10% of the maximum word length will receive a loss of 5% from the total value of the assignment.
Note: Word limits do not include the references/bibliography.
Online forum (participation)
Late postings to the weekly online Learning Forum will receive a 1% late penalty.
Resources
Bibliography: A selected bibliography will be available on the iLearn website.
Journals: The following journals contain papers and commentaries relevant to the study of ancient art and architecture.
Interlibrary Loan: Postgraduate students may obtain books and journal articles that are not held in the Macquarie Library by ordering them through the Document Supply (inter-library loan) service. Please check the Library website for more information.
Online collections of ancient art
Databases
General search engines A search through Google Scholar can yield a surprising number of relevant citations and articles. Google Books also offers titles pertaining to ancient art and architecture.
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Date |
Topic |
Assessments |
1 |
February 23, 2015 |
What is ancient art? Learning Forum questions:
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2 |
March 2 2015 |
The discovery of ancient art and architecture Learning Forum questions:
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Assignment 1 Due Friday, March 6, 2015 |
3 |
March 9, 2015 |
The object in isolation Learning Forum questions:
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4 |
March 16, 2015 |
Objects and the viewer Learning Forum questions:
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5 |
March 23, 2015 |
The object in context Learning Forum questions:
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6 |
March 30, 2015 |
Museums and conservation Learning Forum questions:
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Mid-semester break: April 6-17, 2015 |
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7 |
April 20, 2015 |
The impact of ancient art on modern design Learning Forum questions:
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Assignment 2 Due Friday, April 24, 2015 |
8 |
April 27, 2015 |
Issues in the study of Egyptian art and architecture Learning Forum questions:
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9 |
May 4, 2015 |
Issues in the study of Greek art and architecture Learning Forum questions:
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10 |
May 11, 2015 |
Issues in the study of Roman art and architecture Learning Forum questions:
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11 |
May 18, 2015 |
Issues in the study of Early Christian art and architecture Learning Forum questions:
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12 |
May 25, 2015 |
Issues in the study of Coptic art and architecture Learning Forum questions:
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Assignment 3 Due Friday, May 29, 2015 |
13 |
June 1, 2015 |
Issues in the study of Byzantine art and architecture Learning Forum questions:
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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.
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