Undergraduate - UnitATS2610 - Ancient religions

This unit entry is for students who completed this unit in 2013 only. For students planning to study the unit, please refer to the unit indexes in the the current edition of the Handbook. If you have any queries contact the managing faculty for your course or area of study.

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6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL

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Level	Undergraduate
Faculty	Faculty of Arts
Organisational Unit	Centre for Studies In Religion and Theology
Offered	Clayton Second semester 2013 (Day)
Coordinator(s)	Dr Tamara Prosic

Notes

Previously coded HSY2755

Synopsis

The unit introduces students to key themes for understanding the nature, the forms and the organizational structure of religion in ancient Mediterranean cultures, with particular reference to the ancient near east. It explores topics such as public and personal worship, religious personnel, organizations and bodies, types and functions of ritual practices (festivals, sacrifices, prayers, curses, divination, prophecy, etc.) sacred narratives, deities and demons. It also introduces students to theories on the development of ancient religions, exploring their wider social and cultural context through topics such as religion and law codes, women and religion, and religion and politics.

Outcomes

Upon the completion of the unit students will:

be familiar with a range of ancient Mediterranean religions
have an understanding of the complexity of ancient religions forms and basic principles of their organization and interactions with other social and cultural phenomena
be familiar with major theoretical issues regarding development of religions
be able to use ancient visual and written material as sources for the study
be able to critically evaluate and analyse the similarities and the differences between different ancient religions
have acquired the skills to analyze the ways in which religious symbols, institutions, practices, and beliefs both influence and are influenced by their wider social and cultural context.

In addition, students at 3rd-year level will have enhanced skills in the formulation of an independent research project and development of analytical skills in writing research essays in greater depth with thorough documentation derived from extensive use of primary sources and thorough examination of the research literature, including journal articles.

Assessment

Analytical exercise (500 words): 10%
Essay (2000 words): 50%
Tutorial presentation: 10%
Exam (1.5 hours): 30%

Chief examiner(s)

Dr Tamara Prosic

Contact hours

One 2-hour lecture and one 1-hour tutorial per week

This unit applies to the following area(s) of study

Religion and theology
Jewish civilisation
History

Prohibitions

ATS3610, SHS2010