ARCHAEOLOGY OF ANCIENT CIVILISATIONS
ARC2AAC
2015
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
This subject reviews what archaeology has discovered about the world's great civilisations. We investigate how they came about, and the implications of this knowledge for the survival of our own civilisation. We embark on a survey of the elaborate variety of complex human societies that have arisen in the last 6,000 years: in Egypt and the Middle East, the Mediterranean and Western Europe, China, Southeast Asia and the Indian sub-continent, Mesoamerica, Peru, and sub-Saharan Africa.
School: School of Humanities & Social Sciences
Credit points: 15
Subject Co-ordinator: Susan Lawrence
Available to Study Abroad Students: Yes
Subject year level: Year Level 2 - UG
Exchange Students: Yes
Subject particulars
Subject rules
Prerequisites: 15 credit points of Archaeology subjects or coordinator's approval
Co-requisites: N/A
Incompatible subjects: N/A
Equivalent subjects: N/A
Special conditions: N/A
Learning resources
Readings
| Resource Type | Title | Resource Requirement | Author and Year | Publisher |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Readings | The Human Past | Prescribed | Scarre, C. (ed.) | THAMES & HUDSON, LONDON, 2013. |
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Develop appropriate questions for archaeological case studies
- Activities:
- Identify research questions appropriate to a particular ancient civilisation. Write an essay answer to address those questions; demonstrate integration of themed knowledge in examination
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
- Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)
- Writing(Writing)
02. Draw on literature on ancient civilisations to answer research questions about archaeological case studies
- Activities:
- Write a medium-length essay to address a substantive research question
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
- Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)
- Writing(Writing)
03. In lectures and tutorials, discuss the cultural diversity of world civilisations and varying attitudes to individual human rights
- Activities:
- In tutorials, develop self-conscious critiques of the human rights records of ancient civilisations and compare them to modern Western concepts
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Ethical & Cultural Awareness(Ethical & Cultural Awareness)
04. Integration of key methodological and theoretical skills
- Activities:
- Tutorial sessions on transferable academic methods and theoretical skills
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)
- Life-Long Learning(Life-Long Learning)
- Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
05. Write a medium length essay using the Harvard referencing system, and tutorial assignments
- Activities:
- Discussion of case studies in lectures and training on essay -writing techniques in tutorials; write a medium-length essay to address a substantive research question
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Writing(Writing)
- Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)
- Ethical & Cultural Awareness(Ethical & Cultural Awareness)
- Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
Melbourne, 2015, Semester 2, Day
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Enrolment information:
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Susan Lawrence
Class requirements
Lecture/FilmWeek: 31 - 43
One 2.0 hours lecture/film per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via blended.
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays at night from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via blended.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| eight on-line quizzes (1,000-word equivalent) | Eight on-line quizzes will be assessed with multiple submissions for each one possible until the deadline | 25 | 01, 02, 04, 05 |
| one 1,500-word essay | The essay will be evaluated as summative assessment. | 40 | 03, 02, 01, 05 |
| one 1.5-hour examination (1,500-word equivalent) | The examination will be evaluated as summative assessment. The final examination promotes review of key knowledge and interpretations. | 35 | 01, 02 |