Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convenor
Linda Evans
Contact via email or telephone (9850-8802)
Hearing Hub, Level 2
by appointment
|
---|---|
Credit points |
Credit points
3
|
Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
39cp at 100 level or above including (21cp in AHIS or AHST units including (6cps in AHIS or AHST units at 300 level))
|
Corequisites |
Corequisites
|
Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
|
Unit description |
Unit description
This unit is offered in the form of a research project where students develop a topic of their own choice relevant to the ancient history of Egypt and the Near East. Students independently collect, assess, analyze and interpret relevant evidence in the light of current historical thinking. In addition to regular participation in a seminar, the unit culminates in a research paper by which students will demonstrate the skills they have acquired and their intellectual development over the course of their degree program.
|
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:
Students must receive a minimum of 50% overall to complete AHIS399 satisfactorily.
Requirements
All the assessment tasks are compulsory components of this unit and must be submitted on time.
Guidelines for the assessment tasks, assessment criteria (rubrics), and standards for grading each of the tasks are available on the unit iLearn site. All written assignments (Ancient History Matters report, Work-in-Progress report, CV, and the Research Project) must be submitted electronically via Turnitin on the iLearn site. Students in AHIS399 must also post and contribute each week to the online Research Project Forum (assessed in Weeks 2-11).
Note: A compulsory staff-student interview will take place in Week 7 to assist students in preparing their Work-in-Progress Report.
Late Submissions - Guidelines
Late submission penalty: Written assignments
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.
Important note on final marks
Please note with respect to the marks you receive for work during the session: that the marks given are indicative only. Final marks will be determined after moderation. See further the note on Results in the Policies and Procedures section below.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
---|---|---|---|
Research Project Forum | 5% | No | midnight Friday, Weeks 1-13 |
Ancient History Matters report | 15% | No | midnight Friday, Week 4 |
Work-in-Progress Report | 25% | No | midnight Friday, Week 8 |
Skills Assessment | 5% | No | midnight Friday, Week 11 |
Research Project | 50% | No | midnight Friday, Week 13 |
Due: midnight Friday, Weeks 1-13
Weighting: 5%
To help you stay on track with your Research Project, you will participate in the 12 Steps online forum between Weeks 1-12. A different part of the research process will be introduced each week and a related task described. You are asked to post your response to these simple tasks each week. Posts made in Weeks 2-11 (inclusive) will be assessed at 0.5% each (for a total of 5% for the 10 weeks). Posts made in Week 1 and Week 12 are not assessed. Failure to submit a post by the end of a given week (midnight Friday) will receive a mark of 0 (zero).
The 12 Steps Research Process consists of the following:
Due: midnight Friday, Week 4
Weighting: 15%
You love Ancient History, but how is it relevant in the modern world? What do you say when someone asks you what use is a degree or a Major in Ancient History? This assignment will give you a chance to prepare a response for future employers. It consists of two parts, one in which you will reflect on the skills you have acquired as an Ancient History student and how these might be applied in the future, and a second part in which you will show how the past can shed light on modern problems.
Part 1: Ancient History skills (500 words)
Outline three skills that you have acquired or developed during your study of Ancient History. These can be quite specific (e.g., 3D scanning; artefact analysis; an ancient language, etc) or generic (presentation skills; time management, etc). In each case, describe the skill and how you acquired or developed it during your studies, and then reflect on how you might use this skill in your future employment (for what types of jobs might this skill be an advantage and why?).
Part 2: Ancient History relevance (500 words)
The list below includes some of the most pressing problems facing the world today. Based on your studies in the past three years and/or your reading for your Capstone Research Project, choose 1 issue from the list and describe how ancient evidence (art, artefacts, and/or texts, etc) gives us insights into or a different perspective on a modern problem:
You can be as creative as you wish with Part 2 – try to think outside the box! Perhaps the ancient evidence shows that nothing has changed? Or that the people of the past tackled a particular problem more effectively than us? Or maybe a similar problem existed but simply wasn’t viewed as an issue?
Begin by describing your chosen problem briefly (what is it? why is it a problem?), before presenting your argument for how Ancient History (or specifically Egyptian, Ancient Near Eastern or other ancient evidence) makes a contribution to our understanding of this aspect of modern life.
Total length (Part 1 + Part 2): 1000 words (excluding footnotes and Bibliography)
Your Ancient History Matters report must be submitted via Turnitin at the end of Week 4.
Due: midnight Friday, Week 8
Weighting: 25%
Your Work-in-Progress (WIP) assessment will consist of two parts: an interview and a written report:
Part 1: Work-in-Progress interview: Week 7 (10%)
In Week 7, you will attend an interview (c. 20 mins) during which you will describe and discuss your Research Project plan with a member of staff (details of the schedule will be provided on iLearn). Please bring draft notes for your WIP report (see below) so that these can be discussed during your interview.
Your interview is a compulsory part of the Work-in-Progress assessment. Non-completion of this component will result in a Fail for the assessment.
Part 2: Work-in-Progress written report (15%)
Your WIP written report (c. 1500 words) will consist of:
Please lay out your WIP report with the following labelled sections
Use insights gained through your WIP interview to finalise your WIP report. Your WIP report must be submitted via Turnitin at the end of Week 8.
Due: midnight Friday, Week 11
Weighting: 5%
Following Tania Currie’s workshop in Week 1, you are asked to prepare a CV according to the guidelines that she will provide. Take the time to compile, edit, and polish your CV over the course of the session. Please submit a copy of your CV at the end of Week 11. There is no word limit for this assessment.
Due: midnight Friday, Week 13
Weighting: 50%
Your Research Project is defined by the Department of Ancient History as "the history, art and archaeology of ancient Europe and the Mediterranean world, including Egypt and the Ancient Near East, from prehistoric to late antique times". You are welcome to submit a paper on any subject within that definition.
The topic and content of your paper must conform in all respects to the abstract submitted as part of your Work-in-Progress Report.
Your manuscript will be a minimum of 3,000 words and a maximum of 5,000 words in length (excluding footnotes and Bibliography).
Your Research Project must be submitted via Turnitin at the end of Week 13.
Important: If your chosen topic lends itself to the consideration of a broad range of evidence, the length of your paper must reflect this. In other words, shorter papers that fail to consider relevant information will be penalised for lack of depth.
This unit is available on iLearn. Login is via: https://ilearn.mq.edu.au/. Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are not sufficient.
Delivery of AHIS399:
Students enrolled in "internal" mode: the two on-campus sessions are compulsory.
Students enrolled in "external" mode: the two on-campus sessions are optional, but you may attend them if you wish (recommended if you are in the Sydney metropolitan area). The meetings will be recorded and made available on the unit iLearn site.
In preparation for the Work-in-Progress Report (due in Week 8), students will discuss their research project during an interview with a member of staff, which will be conducted on campus in Week 7 (as per schedule - details available on iLearn). This applies to both internal students and external students in the Sydney metropolitan area. For external students outside of Sydney, special arrangements will be made.
Required and recommended sources
Week 1 |
|
Week 2 |
|
Week 3 |
|
Week 4 |
|
Week 5 |
|
Week 6 |
|
Week 7 |
|
Week 8 |
|
Week 9 |
|
Week 10 |
|
Week 11 |
|
Week 12 |
|
Week 13 |
|
Macquarie University policies and procedures are accessible from Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central). Students should be aware of the following policies in particular with regard to Learning and Teaching:
Undergraduate students seeking more policy resources can visit the Student Policy Gateway (https://students.mq.edu.au/support/study/student-policy-gateway). It is your one-stop-shop for the key policies you need to know about throughout your undergraduate student journey.
If you would like to see all the policies relevant to Learning and Teaching visit Policy Central (https://staff.mq.edu.au/work/strategy-planning-and-governance/university-policies-and-procedures/policy-central).
Macquarie University students have a responsibility to be familiar with the Student Code of Conduct: https://students.mq.edu.au/study/getting-started/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://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.
Our graduates will also be capable of creative thinking and of creating knowledge. They will be imaginative and open to experience and capable of innovation at work and in the community. We want them to be engaged in applying their critical, creative thinking.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to have emotional intelligence and sound interpersonal skills and to demonstrate discernment and common sense in their professional and personal judgement. They will exercise initiative as needed. They will be capable of risk assessment, and be able to handle ambiguity and complexity, enabling them to be adaptable in diverse and changing environments.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will have enquiring minds and a literate curiosity which will lead them to pursue knowledge for its own sake. They will continue to pursue learning in their careers and as they participate in the world. They will be capable of reflecting on their experiences and relationships with others and the environment, learning from them, and growing - personally, professionally and socially.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates will take with them the intellectual development, depth and breadth of knowledge, scholarly understanding, and specific subject content in their chosen fields to make them competent and confident in their subject or profession. They will be able to demonstrate, where relevant, professional technical competence and meet professional standards. They will be able to articulate the structure of knowledge of their discipline, be able to adapt discipline-specific knowledge to novel situations, and be able to contribute from their discipline to inter-disciplinary solutions to problems.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be capable of reasoning, questioning and analysing, and to integrate and synthesise learning and knowledge from a range of sources and environments; to be able to critique constraints, assumptions and limitations; to be able to think independently and systemically in relation to scholarly activity, in the workplace, and in the world. We want them to have a level of scientific and information technology literacy.
This graduate capability is supported by:
Our graduates should be capable of researching; of analysing, and interpreting and assessing data and information in various forms; of drawing connections across fields of knowledge; and they should be able to relate their knowledge to complex situations at work or in the world, in order to diagnose and solve problems. We want them to have the confidence to take the initiative in doing so, within an awareness of their own limitations.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want to develop in our students the ability to communicate and convey their views in forms effective with different audiences. We want our graduates to take with them the capability to read, listen, question, gather and evaluate information resources in a variety of formats, assess, write clearly, speak effectively, and to use visual communication and communication technologies as appropriate.
This graduate capability is supported by:
As local citizens our graduates will be aware of indigenous perspectives and of the nation's historical context. They will be engaged with the challenges of contemporary society and with knowledge and ideas. We want our graduates to have respect for diversity, to be open-minded, sensitive to others and inclusive, and to be open to other cultures and perspectives: they should have a level of cultural literacy. Our graduates should be aware of disadvantage and social justice, and be willing to participate to help create a wiser and better society.
This graduate capability is supported by:
We want our graduates to be aware of and have respect for self and others; to be able to work with others as a leader and a team player; to have a sense of connectedness with others and country; and to have a sense of mutual obligation. Our graduates should be informed and active participants in moving society towards sustainability.
This graduate capability is supported by:
The assessment requirements for AHIS399 have changed since S2, 2017. Two new assessments have been introduced (Ancient History Matters report and Skills Assessment: CV), while a weekly Seminar Forum has been omitted. The 12 step online forum is now assessed. The Work-in-Progress interview and report, and Research Project assessments are unchanged from previous offerings.