Australia has a unique and important human history. During a 50,000 year period geographically varied cultural systems formed across the continent, adjusting in response to social and environmental circumstances. First Australian's faced an Ice Age that lasted ten millennia and flooding events in which present-day Australia and Papua New Guinea separated from a vast super continent. Our Nations history is also unique because it draws upon the practice of archaeology and history, also the expertise of First Australian and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Each method of ‘history building’ produces, narrates and disseminates knowledge that intersects and diverges in ways that are both nuanced and complex. In this course you will learn about the long and continuing history of people on this continent while also being introduced to unique skill sets required should you wish to seek archaeology employment in Australia. In addition we will engage with different ways of understanding Australia’s story, resurrecting 'histories' from the various disciplines and knowledge systems.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- understand and engage with principal themes, issues and debates in Australian archaeology;
- demonstrate skills required to work as an archaeologist in Australia (e.g. consultation with Traditional Custodians, site recording, preparation of grant applications and academic/ consultancy site reports);
- familiarise yourself with the archaeologists role within a wider corpus of history building disciplines and systems
Other Information
Students will have the opportunity to complete an optional/ungraded fieldwork portfolio - Literature review for field research area (Burrill Lakes).Indicative Assessment
- Guided mini tutorial part 1: post discussion questions (x7, total 200 words) and focused readings (x3) on Wattle prior to the tutorial; (5) [LO 1]
- Guided mini tutorial part 2: presentation of 10 minutes and coordinated discussion of 10 minutes (10) [LO 1]
- Aboriginal Site Assessment Report (2500 words) (35) [LO 2,3]
- Essay (3000 words) (50) [LO 1,2,3]
The ANU uses 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. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:a) 57 hours of contact consisting of:
24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of tutorials over 12 weeks, and
21 hours over three days (field-trip); and
b) 73 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.
Inherent Requirements
Not applicable
Requisite and Incompatibility
Prescribed Texts
Hiscock, P. 2007 Archaeology of Ancient Australia. London: Routledge.Preliminary Reading
Cane, S. 2013. First Footprints. Allen and Unwin PressFees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you 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). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found 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 |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $4080 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2024 | $6000 |
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.
