6 points, SCA Band 1, 0.125 EFTSL
Undergraduate - Unit
Refer to the specific census and withdrawal dates for the semester(s) in which this unit is offered.
Faculty
Organisational Unit
Coordinator(s)
Dr Andrew Connor (Clayton)
Dr Ashten Warfe (Caulfield)
Unit guides
Synopsis
An overview of the ancient cultures focusing upon the issues of territorial and cultural expansion and the rise of imperialism, and associated cultural complexity, internationalism and multiculturalism. Case studies are drawn from Australasia and the Mediterranean world, beginning with the original settlement of Australia and the study of rock art, and then moving to the emergence of empires of Assyria-Babylon, Persia, Athens, Alexander the Great and Rome.
Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this unit students will have:
- acquired a basic knowledge of issues relating to cultural complexity in a wide range of forms and in different regions.
- developed an awareness of the different political, social, economic and religious systems which each of these cultures developed.
- an awareness of the cultural exchange which operated.
- an awareness of the range of material - monuments, artifacts, texts - available for use in the reconstruction of ancient societies.
- an understanding of the basic methods used in reconstructing past societies.
- acquired basic training in the development of a critical appraisal of source material of all kinds.
Assessment
Within semester assessment: 70% + Exam: 30%
Workload requirements
Minimum total expected workload to achieve the learning outcomes for this unit is 144 hours per semester typically comprising a mixture of scheduled learning activities and independent study. A unit requires on average three/four hours of scheduled activities per week. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
See also Unit timetable information