Unit Code:	ARC2WRS
Alternative Unit Code:	ARC3WRS
Unit Short Title:	WORLD WRITING SYSTEMS: SURVEY AND ANALYSIS
Credit Points:	20
Unit Description:	A survey of the world's writing systems that have been developed over the past 5,000 years. In this subject students will look at a variety of ancient scripts, from Sumerian cuneiform to Japanese, and from Cretan Linear B to Mexican picture-writing. We will examine features of the scripts and of writing in general, and also the decipherment process of several scripts. Included in the survey are cuneiform writing and Egyptian hieroglyphs, deciphered almost 200 years ago by the French scholar Jean-Francois Champollion.
Prerequisites:	at least 15 credit points of archaeology or co-ordinator's approval
Class Requirements:	two 1-hour lectures and one-1 hour workshop 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 2,500-word research paper	50
five 500-word assignments	50	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	The story of decipherment	Pope, M.	revised edn., Thames and Hudson 1999
Prescribed	The story of writing	Robinson, A.	Thames and Hudson 1995

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	Peter	Mathews	BUNDOORA	Y