This course will serve as an introduction to the prehistory of Europe from the first farming communities to the Roman era from the Balkans to Britain, and Norway to the Iberian Peninsula. From 8000 BC to the 1st century AD people on the European continent developed new technologies, adopted unique ways of life and built the monuments which fill our TV screens. This course asks who they were and how they did it.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

1. analyse the key concepts, themes and narratives used to explain prehistoric European societies;
2. think, write and argue with these key concepts, themes and theories using supporting evidence from the archaeological record;
3. recognise important sites and material culture and discuss them within larger technological, social and culture-historical contexts; and
4. evaluate and compare key archaeological data and present them in writing, visually and orally.

Research-Led Teaching

The course assessment is structured around an independent research project from proposal to poster.

Staff Feedback

Students will be given feedback in the following forms in this course:

• written comments
• verbal comments
• feedback to whole class, groups, individuals, focus group etc

Student Feedback

ANU is committed to the demonstration of educational excellence and regularly seeks feedback from students. Students are encouraged to offer feedback directly to their Course Convener or through their College and Course representatives (if applicable). The feedback given in these surveys is anonymous and provides the Colleges, University Education Committee and Academic Board with opportunities to recognise excellent teaching, and opportunities for improvement. The Surveys and Evaluation website provides more information on student surveys at ANU and reports on the feedback provided on ANU courses.

Class Schedule

Week/Session	Summary of Activities	Assessment
1	Introduction to European prehistory
2	The hunter-gatherer background
3	The earliest Neolithic in Europe
4	The Linearbandkeramik	Research proposal due
5	Megaliths, monuments & copper
6	The beginning of the Bronze Age
7	Tumuli and Urnfields	Site podcast due
8	The Nordic Bronze Age
9	Iberia in Later prehistory	Annotated bibliography due
10	The rise of Iron Age chiefdoms
11	The La Tene period
12	The long Iron Age of the Atlantic fringes
13		Research poster due

Tutorial Registration

You will have a choice to register for a remote (zoom) or in-person tutorial

Assessment Summary

Assessment task	Value	Learning Outcomes
Key site podcast	30 %	2,3,4
Research proposal	5 %	2,3
Annotated Bibliography	25 %	1,2,4
Research Poster	40 %	1,2,3,4

* If the Due Date and Return of Assessment date are blank, see the Assessment Tab for specific Assessment Task details

Policies

ANU has educational policies, procedures and guidelines, which are designed to ensure that staff and students are aware of the University’s academic standards, and implement them. Students are expected to have read the Academic Misconduct Rule before the commencement of their course. Other key policies and guidelines include:

• Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure
• Special Assessment Consideration Policy and General Information 
• Student Surveys and Evaluations
• Deferred Examinations
• Student Complaint Resolution Policy and Procedure

Assessment Requirements

The ANU is using Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the Academic Integrity . In rare cases where online submission using Turnitin software is not technically possible; or where not using Turnitin software has been justified by the Course Convener and approved by the Associate Dean (Education) on the basis of the teaching model being employed; students shall submit assessment online via ‘Wattle’ outside of Turnitin, or failing that in hard copy, or through a combination of submission methods as approved by the Associate Dean (Education). The submission method is detailed below.

Moderation of Assessment

Marks that are allocated during Semester are to be considered provisional until formalised by the College examiners meeting at the end of each Semester. If appropriate, some moderation of marks might be applied prior to final results being released.

Assessment Task 1

Key site podcast

You will produce a fully researched podcast, 5 minutes in length, introducing a key European prehistoric site (except Stonehenge) to your classmates.

For the podcast, you need to:

-Describe the site: tell us where it is, when it dates to and what kind of site it is

-Establish the archaeological significance of the site within its region, within its time period and with regard to other contemporary and similar types of sites;

-Elaborate the history of archaeological research at the site from antiquarian to modern fieldwork, with special reference to the aims of the various fieldwork campaigns, the results and the proportion of the site and/or wider landscape investigated.

Podcasts will be posted on a shared padlet so the whole class can listen, include the bibliography here. They may be video or audio and no marks will be based on technical aspects (editing, etc). Basic resources for making podcasts will be available on the wattle page.

The Podcasts will be assessed on the following criteria:

Accuracy in describing issues and facts           

Depth of understanding    

Originality   

Relevance of references and examples to your argument     

Use of explicit examples to support your argument

Use of bibliography

Assessment Task 2

Research proposal

You should start thinking early about what you want to focus on for your end of semester research project. You will submit a 4-500 word proposal which presents your developing ideas about your final project. The proposal has two parts:

A Title (descriptive, interesting, and creative) – This does not need to take the form of a question and probably should not

A description of your research topic (see some guidelines under ‘research project’ below), a research question that you will address (only 1!), the significance of the topic to this course, evidence that a sufficient literature exists for your study, why this topic interests you, an outline of your proposed research project, and a list of the sources that you have been able to find thus far.

Since this is a preliminary report, you do not need to have read all the material you submit as relevant literature, but you should have a sense of what is available in the ANU library and how relevant different books or papers might be.

Assessment Task 3

Annotated Bibliography

As you begin to research your final project, you will need to produce an annotated bibliography (examples and helpful resources will be made available on wattle) of key references. This annotated bibliography should be 2-3 pages in length and include at least ten references. Reference types should include key books, chapters and journal articles.

Your annotations should address (briefly! Complete sentences not required!):

The main points/thesis of the work, effectiveness of the arguments

The author’s authority (eg, what other work in the field has he or she done? What do published reviews say about the work?), point of view, etc.

Contextualisation of the work within its larger field

Relevance to your research topic

The bibliographies will be assessed based on the following criteria:

Evidence of critical thinking and reflection     

Knowledge and choice of references

Relevance of materials and annotations to your research      

Structure/presentation (referencing format, spelling)       

Assessment Task 4

Research Poster

Over the course of the semester you will conduct independent research on a topic of your choice that is relevant to the course. This research project will provide you an opportunity to develop your own interests in the wider course area and to gain experience in research methods and outputs. Your project will engage with a coherent body of research about European prehistory in order to argue for a specific way of interpreting the past. You should use clear and explicit case studies of archaeological material to support your argument. Your goal is to do more than just describe this body of research: you should expand on it to argue a point which increases our understanding of a particular site, period, culture, landscape or set of objects. I encourage you to choose a single, clear case study to apply your ideas. This case study may concern materials, landscapes and/or societies. To focus your research, you should pick one period (Neolithic, Bronze Age, Iron Age) or category of material (houses, art, megaliths, etc.) and work within of the following broad themes to develop a suitable topic about which to write:

Technology (specific technologies—eg, wheeled transport—or broader questions about domestication, metallurgy, etc.)

Economics (trade/exchange or subsistence practices)

Politics (social structure, power, authority structures, etc.)

Ideology (broad discussions of cosmology or more specific forms of ritual)

Society (gender, age, status, etc)

The results of the final research project will be presented as a research poster produced to the highest scholarly standards in line with academic conference posters. Your poster must include the research question, context/background, methodology (as relevant) and results and discussion.

Your poster should include both text (about 1,000-1300 words) and figures or tables. The text of your poster must be written to the highest academic standards and be fully and completely referenced.

The posters will be assessed on the following criteria:

Accuracy in describing issues and facts           

Range/comprehensiveness of material covered

Depth of understanding    

Originality   

Relevance of references and examples to your argument     

Use of explicit examples to support your argument

Use of figures and tables to support your work

Critical approach to academic sources

Use of bibliography

Visual impact

Structure and presentation

Academic Integrity

Academic integrity is a core part of the ANU culture as a community of scholars. At its heart, academic integrity is about behaving ethically, committing to honest and responsible scholarly practice and upholding these values with respect and fairness.

The ANU commits to assisting all members of our community to understand how to engage in academic work in ways that are consistent with, and actively support academic integrity. The ANU expects staff and students to be familiar with the academic integrity principle and Academic Misconduct Rule, uphold high standards of academic integrity and act ethically and honestly, to ensure the quality and value of the qualification that you will graduate with.

The Academic Misconduct Rule is in place to promote academic integrity and manage academic misconduct. Very minor breaches of the academic integrity principle may result in a reduction of marks of up to 10% of the total marks available for the assessment. The ANU offers a number of online and in person services to assist students with their assignments, examinations, and other learning activities. Visit the Academic Skills website for more information about academic integrity, your responsibilities and for assistance with your assignments, writing skills and study.

Online Submission

You will be required to electronically sign a declaration as part of the submission of your assignment. Please keep a copy of the assignment for your records. Unless an exemption has been approved by the Associate Dean (Education) submission must be through Turnitin.

Hardcopy Submission

For some forms of assessment (hand written assignments, art works, laboratory notes, etc.) hard copy submission is appropriate when approved by the Associate Dean (Education). Hard copy submissions must utilise the Assignment Cover Sheet. Please keep a copy of tasks completed for your records.

Late Submission

Individual assessment tasks may or may not allow for late submission. Policy regarding late submission is detailed below:

• Late submission permitted. Late submission of assessment tasks without an extension are penalised at the rate of 5% of the possible marks available per working day or part thereof. Late submission of assessment tasks is not accepted after 10 working days after the due date, or on or after the date specified in the course outline for the return of the assessment item. Late submission is not accepted for take-home examinations.

Referencing Requirements

Accepted academic practice for referencing sources that you use in presentations can be found via the links on the Wattle site, under the file named “ANU and College Policies, Program Information, Student Support Services and Assessment”. Alternatively, you can seek help through the Students Learning Development website.

Extensions and Penalties

Extensions and late submission of assessment pieces are covered by the Student Assessment (Coursework) Policy and Procedure. Extensions may be granted for assessment pieces that are not examinations or take-home examinations. If you need an extension, you must request an extension in writing on or before the due date. If you have documented and appropriate medical evidence that demonstrates you were not able to request an extension on or before the due date, you may be able to request it after the due date.

Privacy Notice

The ANU has made a number of third party, online, databases available for students to use. Use of each online database is conditional on student end users first agreeing to the database licensor’s terms of service and/or privacy policy. Students should read these carefully. In some cases student end users will be required to register an account with the database licensor and submit personal information, including their: first name; last name; ANU email address; and other information.
In cases where student end users are asked to submit ‘content’ to a database, such as an assignment or short answers, the database licensor may only use the student’s ‘content’ in accordance with the terms of service – including any (copyright) licence the student grants to the database licensor. Any personal information or content a student submits may be stored by the licensor, potentially offshore, and will be used to process the database service in accordance with the licensors terms of service and/or privacy policy.
If any student chooses not to agree to the database licensor’s terms of service or privacy policy, the student will not be able to access and use the database. In these circumstances students should contact their lecturer to enquire about alternative arrangements that are available.

Distribution of grades policy

Academic Quality Assurance Committee monitors the performance of students, including attrition, further study and employment rates and grade distribution, and College reports on quality assurance processes for assessment activities, including alignment with national and international disciplinary and interdisciplinary standards, as well as qualification type learning outcomes.

Since first semester 1994, ANU uses a grading scale for all courses. This grading scale is used by all academic areas of the University.

Support for students

The University offers students support through several different services. You may contact the services listed below directly or seek advice from your Course Convener, Student Administrators, or your College and Course representatives (if applicable).

• ANU Health, safety & wellbeing for medical services, counselling, mental health and spiritual support
• ANU Diversity and inclusion for students with a disability or ongoing or chronic illness
• ANU Dean of Students for confidential, impartial advice and help to resolve problems between students and the academic or administrative areas of the University
• ANU Academic Skills and Learning Centre supports you make your own decisions about how you learn and manage your workload.
• ANU Counselling Centre promotes, supports and enhances mental health and wellbeing within the University student community.
• ANUSA supports and represents undergraduate and ANU College students
• PARSA supports and represents postgraduate and research students