Unit Code:	ARC2RFC
Alternative Unit Code:	ARC3RFC
Unit Short Title:	RISE AND FALL OF CIVILISATIONS
Credit Points:	20
Unit Description:	Ancient societies have gone through many cycles of development and decline in terms of the level of social complexity. In this subject students are introduced to theoretical and practical approaches in archaeology relating to understanding of social-political change. Discussion topics include the emergence of social inequality, acquisition and maintenance of power by elites, function of ritual and ideology in relation to social transformation, and variability of political economy associated with the development of social complexity. Special attention is placed on the current debate about cultural evolution - how and why civilisations emerged, progressed, and collapsed in different parts of the world.
Prerequisites:	at least 15 credit points of archaeology subjects, or co-ordinator's approval
Incompatibles:	ARC21TMA, ARC31TMA
Class Requirements:	one 1-hour lecture and one 2-hour tutorial per week. For a pass in this subject students must normally attend at least 80% of the tutorials
Work Experience Indicator:	Not undertaking work experience in industry
Available to 'Study Abroad' students:	Y

Assessment:

Assessment Type	%	Comments
one class presentation (1,000-words equivalent)	20
one 2,000-word essay	40
ten weekly reading journals (2,000-words equivalent)	40	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
Recommended	Understanding early civilisations,	Trigger, B.	Cambridge UP 2003
Recommended	Myths of the archaic state: evolution of the earliest cities, states and civilizations,	Yoffee, N.	Cambridge UP 2005

Unit Streams:

Teaching Period	Unit Class	Location
2   26-JUL-10   29-OCT-10	Day	BUNDOORA

Unit Coordinators:

Title	First Name	Last Name	Location	Primary Coordinator
Professor	Li	Liu	BUNDOORA	Y