The course investigates how and why people have, throughout most of human history, buried their dead. We will examine the origins of burial more than 20,000 years ago and discuss the social and ideological reasons for different treatments of the dead prior to, and during burial. We will explore topics such as gender, ancestor worship and sacrifice, and investigate how modern scientific techniques are also enabling archaeologists to identify patterns of human migration and interaction.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- explain the significant changes that occurred in human social and ideological behaviour implied by the emergence of human burial in the Late Pleistocene;
- critically assess the relevance of body placement and orientation in burials;
- explain the importance of various beliefs in the afterlife in defining treatment of the dead; and
- critically investigate and interpret the roles that certain aspects of society and culture such as status, rank, power, gender and kinship are ascribed in burial traditions and interpreted by archaeologists.
Indicative Assessment
- Tutorial tasks - presentations and discussion (1000 words maximum or equivalent) (20) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Mortuary Analysis Task, 3000 words (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Argumentative Essay, 3000 words (40) [LO 1,2,3,4]
In response to COVID-19: Please note that Semester 2 Class Summary information (available under the classes tab) is as up to date as possible. Changes to Class Summaries not captured by this publication will be available to enrolled students via Wattle.
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Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of seminars; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
No prescribed text required
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 1
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees. Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $3570 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2020 | $5460 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
