HSTY1002: Semester 1, 2021

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Units HSTY1002 Semester 1 2021 [Normal day]

Unit outline_

HSTY1002: Age of Empires

Semester 1, 2021 [Normal day] - Remote

Overview

In this unit you will develop the analytical skills to understand historical change. We will examine political, economic, social and cultural trends in a range of regions across a large span of time, c. 1000-1750 AD. Topics covered include Christianity and Islam, varieties of states and empires, and political transformations. We will examine the significance of the Middle Ages, Renaissance, the Reformation, and the Enlightenment, and consider what these episodes look like in a global context.

Unit details and rules

Academic unit	History
Credit points	6
Prerequisites ?	None
Corequisites ?	None
Prohibitions ?	None
Assumed knowledge ?	None
Available to study abroad and exchange students	Yes

Teaching staff

Coordinator	John Gagne, john.gagne@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	Helene Sirantoine, helene.sirantoine@sydney.edu.au
Lecturer(s)	John Gagne, john.gagne@sydney.edu.au

Type	Description	Weight	Due	Length
Assignment	Online exam Assessment instructions will be made available on Canvas in due time.	30%	Formal exam period	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Participation	Tutorial participation n/a	10%	Ongoing	n/a
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Primary source analysis: iconographic document Assessment instructions can be found on Canvas.	30%	Week 06 Due date: 12 Apr 2021 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:
Assignment	Primary source analysis: short text Assessment instructions can be found on Canvas.	30%	Week 11 Due date: 17 May 2021 at 23:59	1500 words
Outcomes assessed:

Assessment summary

Detailed information for each assessment can be found on Canvas.

Assessment criteria

The University awards common result grades, set out in the Coursework Policy 2014 (Schedule 1).

As a general guide, a High distinction indicates work of an exceptional standard, a Distinction a very high standard, a credit a good standard, and a pass an acceptable standard.

Result name	Mark range	Description
High distinction	85 - 100
Distinction	75 - 84
Credit	65 - 74
Pass	50 - 64
Fail	0 - 49	When you don’t meet the learning outcomes of the unit to a satisfactory standard.

For more information see guide to grades.

Late submission

In accordance with University policy, these penalties apply when written work is submitted after 11:59pm on the due date:

Deduction of 5% of the maximum mark for each calendar day after the due date.
After ten calendar days late, a mark of zero will be awarded.

Academic integrity

The Current Student website provides information on academic integrity and the resources available to all students. The University expects students and staff to act ethically and honestly and will treat all allegations of academic integrity breaches seriously.

We use similarity detection software to detect potential instances of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breach. If such matches indicate evidence of plagiarism or other forms of academic integrity breaches, your teacher is required to report your work for further investigation.

Use of generative artificial intelligence (AI) and automated writing tools

You may only use generative AI and automated writing tools in assessment tasks if you are permitted to by your unit coordinator. If you do use these tools, you must acknowledge this in your work, either in a footnote or an acknowledgement section. The assessment instructions or unit outline will give guidance of the types of tools that are permitted and how the tools should be used.

Your final submitted work must be your own, original work. You must acknowledge any use of generative AI tools that have been used in the assessment, and any material that forms part of your submission must be appropriately referenced. For guidance on how to acknowledge the use of AI, please refer to the AI in Education Canvas site.

The unapproved use of these tools or unacknowledged use will be considered a breach of the Academic Integrity Policy and penalties may apply.

Studiosity is permitted unless otherwise indicated by the unit coordinator. The use of this service must be acknowledged in your submission as detailed on the Learning Hub’s Canvas page.

Outside assessment tasks, generative AI tools may be used to support your learning. The AI in Education Canvas site contains a number of productive ways that students are using AI to improve their learning.

Learning support

Simple extensions

If you encounter a problem submitting your work on time, you may be able to apply for an extension of five calendar days through a simple extension.  The application process will be different depending on the type of assessment and extensions cannot be granted for some assessment types like exams.

Special consideration

If exceptional circumstances mean you can’t complete an assessment, you need consideration for a longer period of time, or if you have essential commitments which impact your performance in an assessment, you may be eligible for special consideration or special arrangements.

Special consideration applications will not be affected by a simple extension application.

Using AI responsibly

Co-created with students, AI in Education includes lots of helpful examples of how students use generative AI tools to support their learning. It explains how generative AI works, the different tools available and how to use them responsibly and productively.

Weekly schedule

WK	Topic	Learning activity
Week 01	Introduction to 'Age of Empires'	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 01	No tutorials in Week 1	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 02	At the dawn of the Middle Ages: the Carolingian Empire (mid-8th to 10th c.)	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 02	How to govern an early medieval empire? Carolingian capitularies (779-802)	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 03	Byzantium: a history of imperial decline?	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 03	Portraying the Byzantine emperor at Hagia Sophia	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 04	The early Islamic world: from Caliphate to Caliphates (1st to mid-7th c AH / 7th to mid-13th c. CE)	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 04	Muhammad, Prophet of God and Statesman	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 05	Who’s the most imperial of them all? Popes vs Emperors up to the Investiture Controversy	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 05	Fight in writing: the letters of Pope Gregory VII and Emperor Henry IV during the investiture controversy	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 06	Forgotten empires of Africa: Mali in the 13th –14th centuries	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 06	An African town in the Empire of Mali: Timbuktu	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 07	Imperium Redivivus: Renaissance of Empire	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 07	Italians revisit Roman antiquity	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 08	Golden Kingdoms: South & Central Americas	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 08	Clash of Empires between Inca, Aztec, and Habsburg	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 09	Osman’s Children: The Ottomans	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 09	Ottoman Conquest & Magnificence	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 10	Reading week (no lecture, no tutorials)	Individual study (3 hr)
Week 11	Alexander’s Heirs: The Safavids & Mughals	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 11	Global Diplomacy in the Seventeenth Century	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 12	Nature’s Dominion: Environment, Oceans, and Empire	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 12	Indigenous Laws, Lands, and Waters	Tutorial (1 hr)
Week 13	(1) Ending Empires; (2) A guide to the exam.	Lecture (2 hr)
Week 13	TBD	Tutorial (1 hr)

Attendance and class requirements

Lecture recordings: Lectures will be recorded and made available to students on Canvas. Students are responsible for making sure that they access lectures recordings prior to attending their weekly tutorials.
Tutorials: Students are responsible for coming prepared to their weekly tutorial. Details of required readings and preparation are available on Canvas.
Preparation: Students should commit to spend approximately three hours’ preparation time (reading, studying, homework, essays, etc.) for every hour of scheduled instruction.

Study commitment

Typically, there is a minimum expectation of 1.5-2 hours of student effort per week per credit point for units of study offered over a full semester. For a 6 credit point unit, this equates to roughly 120-150 hours of student effort in total.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes are what students know, understand and are able to do on completion of a unit of study. They are aligned with the University's graduate qualities and are assessed as part of the curriculum.

Outcomes
Graduate qualities

At the completion of this unit, you should be able to:

LO1. demonstrate an understanding of more than one period, place, or culture of the pre-modern era
LO2. demonstrate an understanding of the variety of approaches to interpreting the past, particularly political, cultural, social and intellectual
LO3. identify and be familiar with written, visual and digital primary sources belonging to the pre-modern era
LO4. examine historical issues by undertaking research that begins with a problem and establishes its historical context
LO5. analyse historical evidence, scholarship and changing representations of the past using the skills of sifting through information to weigh its significance and close reading of various texts
LO6. construct an evidence-based argument or narrative in oral and written form.

Graduate qualities

The graduate qualities are the qualities and skills that all University of Sydney graduates must demonstrate on successful completion of an award course. As a future Sydney graduate, the set of qualities have been designed to equip you for the contemporary world.

GQ1	Depth of disciplinary expertise Deep disciplinary expertise is the ability to integrate and rigorously apply knowledge, understanding and skills of a recognised discipline defined by scholarly activity, as well as familiarity with evolving practice of the discipline.
GQ2	Critical thinking and problem solving Critical thinking and problem solving are the questioning of ideas, evidence and assumptions in order to propose and evaluate hypotheses or alternative arguments before formulating a conclusion or a solution to an identified problem.
GQ3	Oral and written communication Effective communication, in both oral and written form, is the clear exchange of meaning in a manner that is appropriate to audience and context.
GQ4	Information and digital literacy Information and digital literacy is the ability to locate, interpret, evaluate, manage, adapt, integrate, create and convey information using appropriate resources, tools and strategies.
GQ5	Inventiveness Generating novel ideas and solutions.
GQ6	Cultural competence Cultural Competence is the ability to actively, ethically, respectfully, and successfully engage across and between cultures. In the Australian context, this includes and celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures, knowledge systems, and a mature understanding of contemporary issues.
GQ7	Interdisciplinary effectiveness Interdisciplinary effectiveness is the integration and synthesis of multiple viewpoints and practices, working effectively across disciplinary boundaries.
GQ8	Integrated professional, ethical, and personal identity An integrated professional, ethical and personal identity is understanding the interaction between one’s personal and professional selves in an ethical context.
GQ9	Influence Engaging others in a process, idea or vision.

Outcome map

Learning outcomes	Graduate qualities
Learning outcomes

Responding to student feedback

This section outlines changes made to this unit following staff and student reviews.

Since this unit was last offered, the lectures and tutorials schedule, as well as the assessment structure, have been updated.

Disclaimer

The University reserves the right to amend units of study or no longer offer certain units, including where there are low enrolment numbers.

To help you understand common terms that we use at the University, we offer an online glossary.

Current students

Overview

Overview

Unit details and rules

Teaching staff

Assessment

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment criteria

Late submission

Academic integrity

Learning support

Learning support

Simple extensions

Special consideration

Using AI responsibly

Weekly schedule

Weekly schedule

Attendance and class requirements

Study commitment

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

Graduate qualities

Outcome map

Responding to student feedback

Responding to student feedback

Disclaimer

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