Unit rationale, description and aim
Archaeology reveals essential information about ancient societies, helping us study and safeguard their heritage in informed and ethical ways. This unit covers key areas and themes in the archaeology of Mediterranean and Near Eastern civilizations, including ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt, Israel, and Mesopotamian empires including the Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians. Students will learn how archaeological evidence and methods enhance our understanding of the ancient world, learn skills needed for researching, identifying, and working with resources that present archaeological data, and examine current challenges in managing and presenting cultural heritage.
The unit aims to equip students with the knowledge needed for further study in archaeology and ancient world disciplines. It also aims to prepare students to apply their skills and knowledge to real-world practice in relevant fields, including museums and public archaeology.
Campus offering
No unit offerings are currently available for this unit.Learning outcomes
To successfully complete this unit you will be able to demonstrate you have achieved the learning outcomes (LO) detailed in the below table.
Each outcome is informed by a number of graduate capabilities (GC) to ensure your work in this, and every unit, is part of a larger goal of graduating from ACU with the attributes of insight, empathy, imagination and impact.
Explore the graduate capabilities.
Identify key sources, discoveries, and concepts th...
Learning Outcome 01
Explain the use of methods used to produce scholar...
Learning Outcome 02
Communicate disciplinary knowledge and the ability...
Learning Outcome 03
Evaluate relevant issues in the practice and publi...
Learning Outcome 04
Content
Topics may include:
- Surveys of the archaeology of primary areas of the ancient world of the Near East and the Mediterranean, including Greece, Italy, Egypt, and the areas of the Near East (the Levant and Mesopotamia)
- Discussion of key concepts, theories, and ideas that govern the practice, interpretation, and scholarly presentation of the archaeology of the ancient world and how they are relevant to archaeology in Australia
- Introduction to the core skills and methods in the acquisition of data and its interpretation in the archaeology of the ancient world
- Introduction to the real-world context of archaeological practice and its challenges in a range of settings, including comparisons between Indigenous and colonial Australian and Old World settings
- Overview of the relevant types of resources that present scholarship on the archaeology of the ancient world and instruction in the skills and methods needed for researching, identifying and working with them
- Exploration of contemporary issues in the practice, ethics, and public presentation of the cultural heritage of the ancient world in relevant modern nations
Assessment strategy and rationale
The three assessment tasks in this unit are designed to support student learning necessary to progressively demonstrate the learning outcomes. Students will be guided to develop the academic skills and the ethical and responsible use of AI.
The purpose of the first Knowledge Task is to provide the base of knowledge needed to engage with the study of the archaeology of the ancient world and its cultural heritage. It requires students to identify key sources, discoveries, and concepts with which they need to be familiar.
The purpose of the second Research Task is to develop necessary skills for researching and using scholarly sources. It requires students to communicate disciplinary knowledge and skills to discuss relevant and appropriate information and scholarly sources relating to the archaeological record and cultural heritage of the ancient world.
The purpose of the third Evaluation Task is the application of disciplinary knowledge and skills in researching relevant resources to a practical topic. Students will evaluate how one or more aspects of the archaeology of the ancient world has been presented in scholarship and to demonstrate how it has been impacted by current issues in cultural heritage.
In order to pass this unit, students are required to attempt all assessment tasks and achieve an overall mark of 50% or higher.
Overview of assessments
Assessment Task 1: Knowledge Task The purpose of...
Assessment Task 1: Knowledge Task
The purpose of the first (Knowledge) Task is to provide the base of knowledge needed to engage with the study of the archaeology of the ancient world and its cultural heritage. It requires students to identify key sources, discoveries, and concepts with which they need to be familiar.
30%
Assessment Task 2: Research Task The purpose of ...
Assessment Task 2: Research Task
The purpose of the second (Research) Task is to develop necessary skills for researching and using scholarly sources. It requires students to communicate disciplinary knowledge and skills to discuss relevant and appropriate information and scholarly sources relating to the archaeological record and cultural heritage of the ancient world.
30%
Assessment Task 3: Evaluation Task The purpose o...
Assessment Task 3: Evaluation Task
The purpose of the third (Summative) Task is the application of disciplinary knowledge and skills in researching relevant resources to a practical topic. Students will evaluate how one or more aspects of the archaeology of the ancient world has been presented in scholarship and to evaluate how it has been impacted by current issues in cultural heritage.
40%
Learning and teaching strategy and rationale
This unit engages student learning through a combination of lectures, readings, and tutorial discussion. Learning materials and activities in this unit are designed to inform students’ understanding of primary and secondary sources related to the unit’s content. The two-hour tutorials provide an opportunity for a variety of active learning experiences, allowing students to work through the challenges that archaeologists, historians, and museum curators grapple with and will allow students to develop practical skills and learn how to apply them in archaeology.
Student learning in this unit is conducted through lectures, tutorials and teacher-guided research, well as independent reading, engagement with online materials, and completion of assessment tasks. Students will be recognised as adult learners who engage best when seeing that the learning is relevant and they are given the opportunity to be responsible for their own discovery and learning. Active participation in this unit is essential. Learning is designed to be an engaging and supportive experience, which will help to develop the capacity to synthesis knowledge and communicate it effectively. Students will be guided to develop academic skills and the ethical and responsible use of AI. Inclusive, student-centred teaching practices promote student engagement and provide support for diverse student cohorts.