SUSTAINABILITY, RESILIENCE & COLLAPSE: HOW COMPLEX SOCIETIES TRANSFORM
ARC3SRC
2018
Credit points: 15
Subject outline
Issues of sustainability and resilience are prominent today in light of accelerating climate change, rising populations and declining resources. But these issues aren't new, numerous societies have faced these crises before - sometimes successfully, and sometimes unsuccessfully resulting in societal "collapse".This subject starts by examining the different origins and forms of societal complexity, before focussing upon the ways in which different societies have adapted, or failed to adapt, to risks and crises. This is done through a series of case studies, including (but not limited to) the Maya, the Greenland Norse, the Western Roman Empire, the Khmer Empire, the Indus Civilisation, the Sri Lankan Rajarata kingdoms, and the Andean Empires.
School: School of Humanities & Social Sciences
Credit points: 15
Subject Co-ordinator: Keir Strickland
Available to Study Abroad Students: Yes
Subject year level: Year Level 3 - 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 Collapse of Complex Societies | Recommended | Josepth Tainter (1988) | Cambridge |
| Readings | Collapse: How Societies Choose to Fail or Survive | Recommended | Jared Diamond (2005) | Penguin |
| Readings | Questioning Collapse: Human Resilience, Ecological Vulnerability and the Aftermath of Empire | Recommended | McAnany & Yoffee (2010) | Cambridge |
| Readings | After Collapse: The Regeneration of Complex Societies | Recommended | Schwartz & Nichols (2010) | University of Arizona Press |
Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes
01. Critically synthesise existing models for the development of societal complexity, and how it develop
- Activities:
- Online materials and tutorials, assessed through online quizzes, exam and essay.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
02. Compare and contrast differing models and theories of societal collapse
- Activities:
- Online materials and tutorials, assessed through online quizzes, exam and essay.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
03. Demonstrate an understanding of the difference between sustainability and resilience, using archaeological examples of both.
- Activities:
- Online materials and tutorials, assessed through online quizzes, exam and essay.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
04. Synthesise and analyse existing literature on societal transformation with reference to an archaeological case study of #collapse".
- Activities:
- Essay.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
05. Describe the limitations of archaeological data in the study of changing societal interactions during times of crisis and change.
- Activities:
- Online materials and tutorials, assessed through online quizzes, exam and essay.
- Related graduate capabilities and elements:
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Literacies and Communication Skills(Writing,Cultural Literacy)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Inquiry and Analytical Skills(Critical Thinking,Creative Problem-solving,Inquiry/Research)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Personal and Professional Skills(Adaptability Skills,Study and Learning Skills)
- Discipline -Specific Knowledge and Skills(Discipline-Specific Knowledge and Skills)
Melbourne, 2018, Semester 2, Blended
Overview
Online enrolment: Yes
Maximum enrolment size: N/A
Enrolment information:
Subject Instance Co-ordinator: Keir Strickland
Class requirements
LectureWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.5 hours lecture per week on any day including weekend during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via online.
"Consisting of a series of short online videos adding up to c.1.5 hour per week"
TutorialWeek: 31 - 43
One 1.5 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via face-to-face.
Assessments
| Assessment element | Comments | % | ILO* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 x weekly online quizzes(no quiz in weeks of assessment 2 and 3 deadlines) 900 words equivalent | 20 | 01, 02, 03, 05 | |
| Exam - 2 hours - 1800 words equivalent | 40 | 01, 02, 03, 05 | |
| Essay - 1800 words | 40 | 01, 02, 03, 04, 05 |