arc3fff foraging to farming

FORAGING TO FARMING

ARC3FFF

2019

Credit points: 15

Subject outline

The shift from foraging to farming has remained an area of intense interest in archaeology for over a century. Beginning some 15,000 years ago, this fundamental transition laid the foundations for our familiar world of city life. A historical treatment is accorded the growth of ideas on the subject. Particular attention is paid to problems of differentiating the material residues of farmers from those of hunters and gatherers. Initial developments in the Middle East are placed in global perspective by considering the advent of food production in Europe, north and sub-Saharan Africa, East Asia, Melanesia, Mesoamerica and South America.

SchoolSchool of Humanities & Social Sciences

Credit points15

Subject Co-ordinatorPhillip Edwards

Available to Study Abroad StudentsYes

Subject year levelYear Level 3 - UG

Exchange StudentsYes

Subject particulars

Subject rules

Prerequisites Students must have completed at least 60 credit points or obtain the subject coordinators permission

Co-requisitesN/A

Incompatible subjects ARC2FFF

Equivalent subjectsN/A

Special conditionsN/A

Learning resources

Readings

Resource TypeTitleResource RequirementAuthor and YearPublisher
ReadingsThe Human Past (3rd edition)RecommendedScarre, C. (3rd ed.)THAMES & HUDSON, 2013

Graduate capabilities & intended learning outcomes

01. Develop competence in creative problem-solving

Activities:
Cases studies will be employed to explain research methods in lectures and tutorials. Assignment 1 will test this capability by asking students to assess how well theories about the origins of food production explain the evidence we have recovered from archaeological sites. Students are assessed at a higher level than second-year students
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Creative Problem-solving(Creative Problem-solving)

02. Develop facility in critical thinking

Activities:
Critically evaluate archaeological research methods. Assignment 2 will test these competencies by asking students to develop a research plan to investigate an early agrarian archaeological site. Students are assessed at a higher level than second-year students
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

04. Draw on theoretical and methodological literature from the Middle East to answer research questions about archaeological case studies

Activities:
Write a medium-length essay to address a substantive research question. Students are assessed at a higher level than second-year students
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Writing(Writing)
Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)

06. Embed life-long learning by providing a broad perspective on major developments in the human career over the past 10,000 years

Activities:
A long sweep of human history is considered in lectures and tutorials, from the end of the Ice Age to the urban economies of the modern world. Such foundaitonal knowledge is assessed in the exam. Students are assessed at a higher level than second-year students
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Life-Long Learning(Life-Long Learning)

07. Use theoretical frameworks and archaeological evidence of different kinds to construct global narratives of regional historical trajectories and social systems

Activities:
Specific regional case studies are covered in lectures and workshops. Write a medium-length essay to test skills at constructing summaries of the development of agrarian societies in different regions of the world. Students are assessed at a higher level than second-year students
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Ethical & Cultural Awareness(Ethical & Cultural Awareness)

08. Construct a sustained argument based on the application of adequate research to current academic issues

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. Students are assessed at a higher level than second-year students
Related graduate capabilities and elements:
Critical Thinking(Critical Thinking)
Ethical & Cultural Awareness(Ethical & Cultural Awareness)
Inquiry/ Research(Inquiry/ Research)
Creative Problem-solving(Creative Problem-solving)
Writing(Writing)

Subject options

Select to view your study options…

Start date between: and    Key dates

Melbourne, 2019, Semester 2, Blended

Overview

Online enrolmentYes

Maximum enrolment sizeN/A

Enrolment information

Subject Instance Co-ordinatorPhillip Edwards

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
Two 1.0 hours tutorial per week on weekdays during the day from week 31 to week 43 and delivered via blended.

Assessments

Assessment elementComments%ILO*
one 1-hour examination (1,000-word equivalent)2006
one 2,000-word essay5001, 04, 07, 08
two 500-word short assignments3002