Faculty Of Humanities & Social Sciences
ARC2ASA / ARC3ASA, 2010
| Unit Code: | ARC2ASA |
| Alternative Unit Code: | ARC3ASA |
| Unit Short Title: | ART AND SYMBOLISM OF THE ANCIENTS |
| Credit Points: | 20 |
| Unit Description: | The appearance of art in the archaeological record has often been said to herald the appearance of our species, behaviourally modern human. In this subject, students explore the art and symbolic behaviour of past human societies. We investigate the earliest expressions of art; its chronology and the various interpretations of why art appeared at the time it did in the archaeological record and it covers the time from over 100,000 years ago up until the Neolithic period. Art is examined in its variety, form and iconic content and we seek to determine common themes of humanity. Theoretical aspects of the interpretation of ancient art by various practitioners are discussed and we examine the links between the changing environment and humans through the images preserved in the archaeological record. A global approach is taken using examples from Australia, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Americas. |
| Prerequisites: | 30 credit points of first year archeology or co-ordinator's approval. |
| Class Requirements: | One 1-hour lecture and one 2-hour workshop per week |
| Work Experience Indicator: | Not undertaking work experience in industry |
| Available to 'Study Abroad' students: | Y |
Assessment:
| Assessment Type | % | Comments |
|---|
| One 2500-word essay | 50 | |
| One oral presentation (1000-words equivalent) | 20 | |
| One 1.5-hour examination | 30 | Third year students will be expected to show a greater achievement of discipline specific skills in their written work than second year students. |
Readings:
| Reading Type | Title | Author | Publisher |
|---|
| Prescribed | Visions from the past: the archaeology of Australian Aboriginal art, | Morwood, M. | Allen and Unwin 2002 |
| Recommended | Prehistoric art: the symbolic jorney of humankind, | White, R. | Harry N. Abrams Inc Publishers 2003 |
| Recommended | An archaeology of natural places, | Bradley, R. | Routledge 2000 |
| Recommended | The Cambridge illustrated history of prehistoric art, | Bahn, P. | Cambridge University Press 1998 |
| Recommended | The archaeology of rock art, | Chippendale, C. & Tacon, S. (eds) | Cambridge University Press 1998 |
Unit Streams:
| Teaching Period | Unit Class | Location |
|---|
| 1 01-MAR-10 04-JUN-10 | Day | BUNDOORA |
Unit Coordinators:
| Title | First Name | Last Name | Location | Primary Coordinator |
|---|
| Dr | Richard | Cosgrove | BUNDOORA | Y |
|
