Course specification for ANT3000

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ANT3000 Archaeology of Indigenous Australia

Semester 1, 2020 On-campus Toowoomba
Short Description: Archaeology of Indigenous Aust
Units : 1
Faculty or Section : Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts
School or Department : School of Humanities & Communication
Student contribution band : Band 1
ASCED code : 090303 - Anthropology
Grading basis : Graded

Staffing

Examiner:

Requisites

Pre-requisite: ANT1000

Other requisites

Students will require access to e-mail and have internet access to UConnect for this course.
This course should be completed during the student's last year in the program.

It is strongly recommended that students have completed a second-year course.

Rationale

General knowledge about the Pre-European past of the Australian continent is often ill-conceived or based on socio-cultural evolutionary stereotypes. This course introduces students to the complexity and diversity of the Pre-European past, placing Aboriginal cultural adaptations among the most successful in human history. Fundamental to an understanding of Aboriginal culture is an awareness of its past. From an understanding of the human past through archaeology, students are in a position to assess the extraordinary achievements of Pre-European hunter-gatherers on the Australian continent.

Synopsis

This course will address the major issues and examine the archaeological evidence relating to Australian "prehistoric" archaeology, including initial colonisation of the continent, environmental history, the pattern of Pleistocene adaptations and late Holocene Change. The course will also address theoretical approaches as case studies and deal with the problems associated with the practice of archaeology as it relates to "living cultures". It is felt that this course will provide an essential background for those interested in pursuing an archaeology career as a sub-discipline within anthropology or for those with a general interest in Australia's human past.

Objectives

On successful completion of this course students will be able to:

  1. demonstrate an understanding of current scientific knowledge as it related to the Pre-European past in Australia;
  2. demonstrate a knowledge of basic archaeological theory and its practical application;
  3. understand the relevance of archaeological knowledge to contemporary Australian society.

Topics

Description Weighting(%)
1. Who owns the past - differing world views and the archaeology of living cultures 10.00
2. Theoretical frameworks in Australian Pre-European archaeology 10.00
3. Australian hunter-gatherers - general perspectives 5.00
4. Pleistocene occupation colonisation models 10.00
5. Who were the first Australians? 5.00
6. Life in Pleistocene Australia 5.00
7. Tasmania isolated 5.00
8. The human impact on the environment: fire and megafaunal extinctions 5.00
9. The holocene: coastal economies 10.00
10. The holocene: inland and arid zone economies 10.00
11. The holocene: population growth, social identity and interaction 5.00
12. Australian lithic technologies 10.00
13. Interpretations of Australian prehistory 10.00

Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed

ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2020&sem=01&subject1=ANT3000)

Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)

Hiscock, P 2007, Archaeology of ancient Australia, Routledge, London.

Reference materials

Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Antiquity - Journal.
Archaeology in Oceania - Journal.
Australian Aboriginal Studies - Journal.
Australian Archaeology - Journal.
Australian Rock Art Research - Journal.

Student workload expectations

Activity Hours
Directed ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 40.00
Independent ¾«¶«´«Ã½app 125.00

Assessment details

Description Marks out of Wtg (%) Due Date Notes
ASSIGNMENT 1 100 15 27 Mar 2020
ASSIGNMENT 2 100 15 22 May 2020
MAJOR ESSAY (2500-3000 WORDS) 100 40 05 Jun 2020
ONLINE EXAM 30 30 End S1 (see note 1)

Notes
  1. This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via ¾«¶«´«Ã½appDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.

Important assessment information

  1. Attendance requirements:
    It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them, to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration.

    Students must attend and complete the requirements of the Workplace Health and Safety training program for this course where required.

  2. Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.

    Requirements after S1, 2020:
    To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks.

  3. Penalties for late submission of required work:
    Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4)

  4. Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

    Requirements after S1, 2020:

    To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.

  5. Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
    The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative assessment items in the course.

  6. Examination information:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination.

    Requirements after S1, 2020:
    Candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into the Closed examination.

  7. Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
    Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2020 are: The details regarding deferred/supplementary examinations will be communicated at a later date

    Requirements after S1, 2020:
    Any Deferred or Supplementary examinations for this course will be held during the next examination period.

  8. ¾«¶«´«Ã½app Student Policies:
    Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene ¾«¶«´«Ã½app policies and practices. These policies can be found at .

Other requirements

  1. Students can expect that questions in assessment items in this course may draw upon knowledge and skills that they can reasonably be expected to have acquired before enrolling in the course. This includes knowledge contained in pre-requisite courses and appropriate communication, information literacy, analytical, critical thinking, problem solving or numeracy skills. Students who do not possess such knowledge and skills should not expect to achieve the same grades as those students who do possess them.

Date printed 19 June 2020