Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Unit Convenor
Peter Edwell
Contact via peter.edwell@mq.edu.au
OUA Co-ordinator Ancient History
Kyle Keimer
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Prerequisites |
Prerequisites
One AHIX unit at 100 level and two AHIX units at 200 level
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Corequisites |
Corequisites
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Co-badged status |
Co-badged status
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Unit description |
Unit description
The age of Constantine was a watershed in European and Near Eastern History; this unit traces developments in politics, religion and literature from the fourth to the mid-sixth centuries in the Eastern and Western Empires. Major themes include historiography, church/state relations and the investigation of a variety of source categories for this period. Upon completion, you will have a knowledge of the key events which occurred from the reign of Constantine to the reign of Justinian. You will also have gained an understanding of how imperial patronage of the Church changed the nature of Church and State, the most significant theological debates of this period and how these debates were harnessed by bishops and emperors for the sake of power.
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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:
Criteria and Standards for Grading
Please see the statement of full criteria and standards for grading against which individual assessment tasks will be judged on the unit's iLearn web page.
Submission Method for Assessment Tasks
Students are required to submit essays through turn-it-in on the unit's iLearn web site by the due date.
Referencing requirements for written work
Short and long essays must be referenced in accordance with the full version of the Essay Presentation Guide available on the Department of Ancient History website at the following address:
https://www.mq.edu.au/public/download/?id=292059
A PDF version of this document is also available on the unit Ilearn page.
All essays must include a bibliography. Footnotes/endnotes should only include references to texts, books articles, etc. They should not include discussion. Footnotes/endnotes and bibliographies do not count towards the word limit.
Successful Completion of the Unit
In order to successfully complete the unit, candidates must attempt all items of assessment and achieve an overall mark of 50% or above.
Extensions and Late Submission of Assessment Tasks
For Disruption of Studies Policy see under Policies and Procedures.
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.
Name | Weighting | Hurdle | Due |
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Short Essay | 30% | No | Week 6 |
Participation | 20% | No | Ongoing |
Major Essay | 50% | No | Friday, Week 13 |
Due: Week 6
Weighting: 30%
One short essay of 1,000 words due on Friday of week 6 at 5pm.
The question is as follows:
What is the context in which Constantine could be said to have been converted to Christianity? What differences do you note in the stories told by Lactantius and Eusebius? How might these differences be accounted for? (You will need to consider the time of writing for Lactantius and Eusebius.) In what ways did Constantine deal with the Christian Church following his conversion if we can, indeed, call it conversion? Please note: This question is the same as the discussion questions for week 3.
Due: Ongoing
Weighting: 20%
Contributions to online discussions during the study period on a weekly basis and are based on questions which appear in a separate PDF available on the Ilearn site. The PDF contains the weekly questions and bibliographies for the whole unit. I will open the discussions on Monday mornings and you will have until the following Sunday evening to post responses. I will post summary comments on the discussions on the Monday and open the next week of discussions.
Due: Friday, Week 13
Weighting: 50%
A research essay of 3,000 words. The question is as follows:
What in your view are the most significant elements of the relationship between Church and State from the fourth to the sixth centuries AD? How did the relationship between Church and State develop and change during this period?
Given the word limit of 3,000 words, it would be best to choose a maximum of 3 significant elements. You can choose more but it may be difficult to adequately deal with them given the word limit. The word limit does not include footnotes and the bibliography.
Staff Contact details
The unit convenor for semester 1, 2018 is Dr Peter Edwell. (Rm. 516, W6A, e-mail address: peter.edwell@mq.edu.au).
Recommended Unit Materials
Ammianus Marcellinus, The Later Roman Empire, AD 354-378, Penguin. ISBN: 9780140444063
Averil Cameron, The Mediterranean World in Late Antiquity, 2nd edition, Routledge, 2011. ISBN: 9780415579612
Averil Cameron, The Later Roman Empire, Fontana, 1993. ISBN: 9780674511941
Please note: While these books are only recommended, I strongly encourage you to purchase them. The co-op may only have limited copies but Amazon has them in fairly plentiful supply and you may also be able to find good second-hand copies at http://www.abebooks.com.
Technology Used
Students are required to have regular access to a computer and the internet. Mobile devices alone are unlikely to be sufficient.
The lectures for this unit will be will be available via the Echo 360 system attached to the ilearn website. Some readings for the unit will be available via Multisearch and iLearn; other digital resources may be placed on the iLearn site.
Week 1
Lecture: General introduction to unit and the third century background
Discussion: Introductory discussions only in first week
Week 2
Lecture: The Tetrarchy and the Rise to Power of Constantine.
Discussion: Eusebius and the Great Persecution
Week 3
Lecture: Constantine as Sole Emperor: AD 324-337
Discussion: Eusebius and Lactantius: The Conversion of Constantine
Week 4
Lecture: The Sons of Constantine: Constantius II, Constantine II and Constans
Historiography and Ammianus Marcellinus (Professor Alanna Nobbs)
Discussion: Athanasius, History of the Arians
Week 5
Lecture: The Emperor Julian
Discussion: Themistius
Week 6
Lecture: From Valentinian to Theodosius I
Discussion: Sources on the death of Julian
Week 7
Lecture: "Romanitas" and the Barbarians (Associate Professor Andrew Gillett)
The Late Roman Army
Discussion: Ammianus Marcellinus on the Battle of Adrianople
Week 8
Lecture: Church/State relations in the fifth century
Discussion: Symmachus & Ambrose: The debate on the altar of victory
Week 9
Lecture: Rome and the church outside the Empire
Discussion: Codex Theodosianus
Week 10
Lecture: Monasticism in Late Antiquity
Discussion: Theodoret’s Life of Simeon Stylites
Week 11
Lecture: Anastasius to Justinian
Discussion: Pseudo-Joshua the Stylite
Week 12
Lecture: Empresses, Church and State
Discussion: Procopius & Malalas: The Nika Riots and Theodora
Week 13
Lecture: Unit Summary
Discussion: No discussion scheduled for this week
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.
The University recognises that students may experience events or conditions that adversely affect their academic performance. If you experience serious and unavoidable difficulties at exam time or when assessment tasks are due, you can consider applying for Special Consideration.
You need to show that the circumstances:
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 (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.
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