Unit convenor and teaching staff |
Unit convenor and teaching staff
Convener / Tutor
Alex Macdonald
Kyle Keimer
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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
When Tertullian posed the famous question 'What has Athens to do with Jerusalem?', he was highlighting the tensions in the early to mid-Roman empire over the Roman state's reaction to the advent of Christianity. This unit will explore two areas relevant to this controversy: What did Greeks and Romans make of Judaism and why did Jews and Christians come into conflict with Roman society. On completion, you should have a sound knowledge of the nature and causes of conflict between Christians, Jews and the Roman government during the first three centuries AD. You will gain an awareness of the various ancient source traditions on this topic.
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:
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 |
---|---|---|---|
Short Essay | 15% | No | Friday Week 3 |
Major essay | 35% | No | Friday Week 10 |
Take-Home Task | 30% | No | Friday Week 13 |
Forum/Lecture Engagement | 20% | No | Weekly |
Due: Friday Week 3
Weighting: 15%
Students must write an essay responding to the discussion questions from the week 2 OR week 3 forum discussions. Students may choose which week/topic to address. Essays should be approximately 1000 words (+/- 10%).
Essays should be based on a student's own reading of the primary (i.e. ancient) sources provided for discussion in the chosen week, but their own reasoning may be aided by engaging with modern scholarship.
Students will be marked on:
Students should follow a recognised academic referencing style, preferably using footnotes (e.g. Chicago).
Due: Friday Week 10
Weighting: 35%
The second assessment task is an essay of 2000 words (+/- 10%, references not included). It is due by midnight AEST on Friday of week 10. Students have several options regarding the topic of their essay:
Essays should engage substantially and critically with a wide range of relevant ancient sources and modern scholarship.
Students will be marked on:
Students should follow a recognised academic referencing style, preferably using footnotes (e.g. Chicago).
Due: Friday Week 13
Weighting: 30%
The final assessment is a take-home task. Detailed instructions and the questions to be assessed will be posted in iLearn on Friday of week 12 (see discussion forum and iLearn sections under week 12 and assessment). It is due for submission via turnitin one week later; by midnight on Friday, Week 13.
Students will be required to answer three questions:
Responses should be approximately 1800 words (+/- 10%) in total, comprised of three responses of approximately 600 words each.
You will be marked on:
Students are expected to engage with ancient sources and modern scholarship, and to cite their evidence. Since this is a take-home task rather than a normal exam, students are not required to provide a full bibliography or references. Nonetheless, students are still expected to acknowledge their sources.
Due: Weekly
Weighting: 20%
Every week students are expected to listen to a one-hour lecture, do the required readings, and participate in the weekly discussion forums hosted under the weekly modules on the iLearn site. You are required to make at least one post of approximately 200 words on each of the tutorial topics.
Marks will be awarded for both basic participation and for quality of engagement.
There will be penalties for late submissions to forum discussion and for failure to listen to lectures. Lecture attendance and forum discussions will be graded at the end of the first week of the exam period. This assessment tests your engagement with the topic (readings and lectures), and your ability to interact critically and respectfully with perspectives put forward by others.
There is no compulsory textbook, as all readings will be supplied through i-Learn and Leganto. Students who wish to obtain a personal copy of a text that will facilitate further knowledge and understanding of the topic might consider any of the following works:
For a different kind of approach, students might also be interested to read K. Hopkins, A World Full of Gods: Pagans, Jews, and Christians in the Roman Empire (London : Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 1999).
Students will require regular access to a computer and an internet connection in order to access lectures, tutorial discussion, readings, and assignments. Basic computer skills including internet browsing and word processing will be necessary.
Please contact teaching staff if there are any questions or concerns about teaching requirements. Consult the OUA website for more detailed information on technology requirements:
http://www.open.edu.au/public/future-students/getting-started/computer-requirements (http://www.open.edu.au/public/future-students/getting-started/computer- requirements)
Week 1 |
Welcome and Introduction |
Week 2 |
Rome and the Jews in the First Century |
Week 3 |
Jewish and Greek Culture and the spread of Christianity in the first two centuries |
Week 4 |
The Roman world to the Third Century and the Imperial Cult |
Week 5 |
The Roman state’s reaction to Jews and Christians in the Third Century |
Week 6 |
Evidence for Third Century Christianity |
Week 7 |
Decius, Valerian and the Christians |
Week 8 |
The Great Persecution |
Week 9 |
Pagans, Jews and Christians in the Papyri (II-III) |
Week 10 |
Pagans, Jews and Christians in the Papyri (III-IV) |
Week 11 |
Philosophical Debates |
Week 12 |
Philosophical Debates |
Week 13 |
Examination 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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