ATS3338 Environmental archaeology: Understanding cultural landscapes
Faculty of Arts
ATS3338 Environmental archaeology: Understanding cultural landscapes is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2026 in Semester 1 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2026
- Semester 1
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 5 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2026 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
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Requisites
Before ATS3338
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS3338
No unit lists ATS3338 as a prerequisite in the 2026 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Overview
In this unit, you will be introduced to methods used by archaeologists and ancient historians to study cultural landscapes, reconstruct past environments and investigate the ways that landscapes were inhabited, perceived and changed by societies over time. You will explore case studies from the deep histories of Indigenous Australia, ancient Greece, Rome, Egypt and the Middle East. Experts in archaeology, Indigenous cultures and ancient history lead classes in their discipline, providing you with the skills to investigate past and present environments, histories of settlement and land use, patterns of mobility, and cultural perceptions of the world. You will acquire skills in the interpretation of archaeological and historical evidence, and awareness of the contributions of archaeology, ancient history and Indigenous cultures to understanding today’s environmental challenges.
Offerings in 2026
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| First semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Online QuizQuiz / Test5%
- Reading ExercisesExercise10%
- Collaborative ExercisesExercise30%
- ReportWritten25%
- EssayWritten30%
Assessment details may change. Please refer to the assessment information in Moodle closer to the start of the teaching period.
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
recognise the historical development of relevant interpretive approaches applied to the record of the past;
- 2
apply different methodologies to problem solving;
- 3
engage with a variety of theoretical approaches to interpreting the record of the past;
- 4
evaluate different methodological approaches depending on the nature of the discipline involved;
- 5
appreciate and appraise key debates in the contemporary study of the past.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials24 hours
- Lectures12 hours
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
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. Scheduled activities may include a combination of teacher directed learning, peer directed learning and online engagement.
This unit engages students in actively applying their knowledge, skills and attributes in interactive, collaborative and reflective activities.
This unit engages students in enquiry-based learning, where they will be encouraged to use their own knowledge to develop and engage in a process of enquiry, study and research to identify areas to be investigated and an approach to doing so.
This unit includes case-based teaching, where students apply their knowledge and engage in analytical and reflective thinking to solve complex contextual scenarios. Activities are often designed so that there is not one clear answer, but students need to work together to examine, analyse and make decisions to resolve the situation.
Learning resources
Required resources
This unit requires access to a laptop that meets minimum specifications (https://www.monash.edu/esolutions/students/bring-your-own-device-byod). Free specialist software is available via MoVE (https://www.monash.edu/learning-teaching/innovation/learning-technologies/move).
Where it fits
ATS3338 is part of 2 areas of study in the 2026 handbook.
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Jessie Birkett-Rees
- Chief Examiners
- Dr Jessie Birkett-Rees
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS3338?
ATS3338 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS3338 offered?
In 2026, ATS3338 runs in Semester 1 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS3338?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS3338 have an exam?
No. ATS3338 has 5 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS3338?
ATS3338 is part of Archaeology and ancient history.