Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Associate Professor Andrew Gillett
Dr Kyle Keimer
Tutor
Dr Mark Hebblewhite
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
Learn about a key period of western history, the late fourth to the late sixth centuries AD known as the Fall of Rome. This period represents the transition from the ancient to the medieval period and provides a basis for many European historical conceptions. You will focus on the dynamics of imperial rule, the collapse of the Roman frontier system, the so-called barbarian invasions and religious disputes associated with the consolidation of Christianity. You will explore these issues through documents written at the time that include political speeches and holy biographies.
All enrolment queries should be directed to Open Universities Australia (OUA): see www.open.edu.au
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Information about important academic dates including deadlines for withdrawing from units are available at https://www.open.edu.au/student-admin-and-support/key-dates/
On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:
Submission of Written Assignments:
Submission of Historical Genre Study, Research Essay, and Exam: These written assignments are to be submitted through TurnItIn via the iLearn unit website.
Policies on Written Assessment: Extensions, Late/Early Submission, Length:
Extensions can only be granted in exceptional cases and may only be sought by consulting your tutor and before the assignment is due.
Late assignment policy (Department of Ancient History)
Barring genuine emergencies, extensions will not be granted without a valid and documented reason (e.g. medical certificate), and must be arranged in advance with your tutor. Late submissions will be penalised by 2% for each day (including weekends) the assignment task is late. No assignments will be accepted after assignments have been corrected and feedback has been provided.
Assignment tasks handed in early will be marked and returned with other papers (i.e. not before the due date).
Length policy: Essays exceeding or falling short of the specified word lengths will attract a penalty: divergences of more than 10% will attract a penalty of 10%.
Disruption of Studies Policy: see under Policies and Procedures.
Passing the unit: To pass this unit, students must achieve a mark of 50 or above.
Name | Weighting | Due |
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Historical Genre Study: 2,000 | 30% | Week 7 Friday |
Research Essay | 40% | Week 12 Friday |
Examination | 20% | Week 13 Sunday |
Discussion participation | 10% | Throughout Weeks 1-13 |
Due: Week 7 Friday
Weighting: 30%
For full description, see iLearn site for the unit under “Assessment: Assessment 1: Historical Genre Study”
Due: Week 12 Friday
Weighting: 40%
For full description, see iLearn site for the unit under “Assessment: Assessment 2: Research Essay”
Due: Week 13 Sunday
Weighting: 20%
Examination: The at-home exam is two hours in duration and based on the content of the lectures, Research Activities and readings. Wider reading is also expected in preparation for the exam.
Due: Throughout Weeks 1-13
Weighting: 10%
In weekly online discussions, students should engage with each other to discuss aspects of the weekly readings. The Tutor will moderate and guide discussions, but students should seek primarily to explore the texts together.
All students are expected to contribute to discussion in class every week, and to have prepared in advance by reading the texts for that week.
Lectures
Weekly lectures are available through the iLearn site for students to access.
Online Discussions
The unit will be conducted by online discussions each week of the Study Period. Your Tutor will outline the pattern of discussion but in general, note that it will be a rolling discussion: the Tutor will open a discussion topic to which students can post and respond throughout the week.
Textbook
The textbook for this unit is:
- Stephen Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire, 2nd edition (Wiley Blackwell, Oxford, 2015) (a second-hand copy of the first edition will be perfectly serviceable.
Using Mitchell, A History of the Later Roman Empire:
This text-book is set as a supplement to the lectures. One chapter (Chapter 2, “The Nature of the Evidence”) is also required reading for Assignment 1: the Historical Genre Study. The examination questions will be based on information from the text-book as well as from lectures and tutorials.
The unit iLearn site lists chapters to be read in association with each of the three modules on the unit. These chapters are listed in Weeks 2, 5, and 10. Students are expected to read the chapters as self-guided reading throughout the course of each module.
The book covers the eastern as well as western half of the Roman empire, from the late third to mid-seventh centuries, and so not all of the book is directly relevant to this unit. Most of Chapter 3 (one of the two main narrative chapters) covers material prior to the time-period examined in this unit; information from this chapter will not be included in the examination, but it is useful background to the period of this unit.
Additional Resources: Students who would like to have a more detailed narrative description of the period may wish to access the following book. It was previously set as the text-book for this unit but is now out of print. Despite its age, it remains the fullest narrative account of events. As well as being available in the Library, the full text is available on a public site on the Web:
J.B. Bury, History of the Later Roman Empire, 2 vols. (1923) Available at: Lacus Curtius (Prof. Bill Thayer, University of Chicago) http://penelope.uchicago.edu/Thayer/E/Roman/Texts/secondary/BURLAT/home.html
Submission of Assessments
All written assignments (Historical Genre Study, Research Essay, Examination) are to submitted via Turnitin on the unit iLearn site.
Weekly schedule
Week 1 |
Lecture: Introduction: Did Rome Fall or Was She Pushed? Discussion: Introductions |
Week 2 |
Module I: The Emperor in the Later Roman Empire Lecture: The Later Roman Empire: How It Worked Tutorial I: Historia: Ammianus Marcellinus |
Week 3 |
Lecture: Bishops and Emperors Tutorial II: Letters and Letter Collections: Ambrose of Milan |
Week 4 |
Lecture: The Nature of Our Sources Tutorial III: Panegyric: Claudian |
Week 5 |
Module II: Romans and Barbarians Lecture: Romans and Barbarians to 376 Tutorial IV: Hagiography: Constantius, The Life of St Germanus of Auxerre |
Week 6 |
Lecture: Theodosius I and the Generalissimos Tutorial V: Chronicles: Hydatius, Chronicle |
Week 7 |
Lecture: Alaric and the Sack of Rome (No tutorial this week) Historical Genre Study due: Friday, Week 7 |
Week 8 |
Lecture: The Barbarian Settlements (No tutorial this week) |
Week 9 |
Lecture: The Last Generation of the Western Roman Empire Tutorial VI: Confessio: Augustine, Confessions
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Week 10 |
Module III: The Barbarian Kingdoms Lecture: The Barbarian Kingdoms: How They Worked Tutorial VII: Confessio: Paulinus of Pella, Thanksgiving |
Week 11 |
Lecture: Theoderic of Italy, Justinian, Cassiodorus, Procopius, Jordanes Tutorial VIII: Historia: The History of Theoderic |
Week 12 |
Lecture: After Empire: Identity and Culture Tutorial IX: Consolatio: Boethius, The Consolation of Philosophy Research Essay due: Friday, Week 12 |
Week 13 |
Lecture: Wrap-up: 210 Causes of Rome’s Fall (No tutorial this week) Examination: Due Friday Week 13 |
Unless a Special Consideration request has been submitted and approved, (a) a penalty for lateness will apply – two (2) marks out of 100 will be deducted per day for assignments submitted after the due date – and (b) no assignment will be accepted more than seven (7) days (incl. weekends) after the original submission deadline. No late submissions will be accepted for timed assessments – e.g. quizzes, online tests.
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If you feel that your studies have been impacted submit an application as follows:
Outcome
Once your submission is assessed, an appropriate outcome will be organised.
You can withdraw from your subjects prior to the census date (last day to withdraw). If you successfully withdraw before the census date, you won’t need to apply for Special Circumstances. If you find yourself unable to withdraw from your subjects before the census date - you might be able to apply for Special Circumstances. If you’re eligible, we can refund your fees and overturn your fail grade.
If you’re studying Single Subjects using FEE-HELP or paying up front, you can apply online.
If you’re studying a degree using HECS-HELP, you’ll need to apply directly to Macquarie University.
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
New Assessment Policy in effect from Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy_2016.html. For more information visit http://students.mq.edu.au/events/2016/07/19/new_assessment_policy_in_place_from_session_2/
Assessment Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/assessment/policy.html
Grading Policy prior to Session 2 2016 http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/grading/policy.html
Grade Appeal Policy http://mq.edu.au/policy/docs/gradeappeal/policy.html
Complaint Management Procedure for Students and Members of the Public http://www.mq.edu.au/policy/docs/complaint_management/procedure.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.
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Date | Description |
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22/08/2016 | Error in due date of Examination corrected. |