ATS3543 Australia's ancient Indigenous past: A 65,000 year archaeological odyssey
Faculty of Arts
ATS3543 Australia's ancient Indigenous past: A 65,000 year archaeological odyssey is a level 3, 6-credit-point, undergraduate unit from the Faculty of Arts, offered in 2024 in Semester 2 at Clayton. It has no prerequisites.
- Credit points
- 6
- Offered in 2024
- Semester 2
- Clayton
- Assessment
- No exam
- 4 tasks
- Workload
- 144 hours
- per semester
This is the 2024 handbook entry. See the 2027 entry.
Reviews
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Requisites
Before ATS3543
No prerequisites or corequisites besides the enrolment rules below.
After ATS3543
No unit lists ATS3543 as a prerequisite in the 2024 handbook.
Enrolment rules
Overview
The unit critically examines the range of techniques and theoretical frameworks used by archaeologists to understand Australia's 65,000-year plus Indigenous history. The focus will be archaeological sites and debates associated with the interpretation of excavated cultural materials. Issues covered include the origins of the first Australians, processes of continental colonisation, responses to environmental change and sea level change, human environmental impacts, broad-scale social changes; and responses to Europeans on the colonial frontier. You will also examine long-term changes in the development of trading networks, art, social organisation and burial practices.
Offerings in 2024
| Teaching period | Campus | Mode |
|---|---|---|
| Second semester | Clayton | On campus |
Assessment
- Assignment20%
- Presentation20%
- Participation20%
- Essay40%
Learning outcomes
When you finish this unit, you should be able to:
- 1
Appreciate the broad range of techniques used by archaeologists to infer behaviour from Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultural sites and material culture.
- 2
Develop advanced skills in critically evaluating major debates and contentious theoretical issues in Australian Indigenous archaeology.
- 3
Understand key cultural changes over the past 65,000 years of Australia's Indigenous past.
- 4
Appreciate the diversity of Indigenous Australians who in different parts of the continent developed different cultures and lifeways.
- 5
Appreciate debates concerning the origins of Aboriginal peoples and Torres Strait Islanders from an archaeological perspective.
Workload and teaching
- Tutorials24 hours
- Lectures12 hours
- Teaching approachCase-based teaching
- Teaching approachActive learning
- Teaching approachEnquiry-based learning
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 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.
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.
Where it fits
ATS3543 is part of 4 areas of study in the 2024 handbook.
- ARCHANHI01Level 3 capstone unitArchaeology and ancient historyNo reviews yet
- ARCHANHI02Level 2 and 3 elective unitsArchaeology and ancient historyNo reviews yet
- INDCULHI09Level 3 capstone unitIndigenous cultures and historiesNo reviews yet
- INDCULHI10Level 2 and 3 elective unitsIndigenous cultures and historiesNo reviews yet
Contacts
- Unit Coordinators
- Dr Chris Urwin
- Chief Examiners
- Professor Ian McNiven
Common questions
What are the prerequisites for ATS3543?
ATS3543 has no prerequisites, but enrolment rules apply.
When is ATS3543 offered?
In 2024, ATS3543 runs in Semester 2 at Clayton.
How much work is ATS3543?
The handbook expects about 144 hours of study across the semester. No students have rated its difficulty yet.
Does ATS3543 have an exam?
No. ATS3543 has 4 assessment tasks and no exam.
Which majors and minors include ATS3543?
ATS3543 is part of Archaeology and ancient history; and Indigenous cultures and histories.