96291 AUSTRALIAN PRE-EUROPEAN ARCHAEOLOGY

Year	No.	Offer	Mode	Description			Cred. Pts
00	96291 	S1  	D 	AUST PRE-EUROPE ARCHAEOLOG	1.00

Contents

• Staffing
• Pre-requisite(s)
• Rationale
• Synopsis
• Objectives
• Topics
• Texts
• Recommended References
• Student Workload
• Assessment Details

STAFFING:

PRE-REQUISITE(S)

96191+96192

RATIONALE:

General  knowledge  about  the Pre-European  past  of  the  Australian
continent   is   often  ill-conceived  or  based   on   socio-cultural
evolutionary  stereotypes.  This  unit  introduces  students  to   the
complexity  and diversity of the Pre-European past, placing Aboriginal
cultural  adaptations  among  the most successful  in  human  history.
Fundamental to an understanding of Aboriginal culture is an  awareness
of  its  past.  From  an  understanding  of  the  human  past  through
archaeology,  students are in a position to assess  the  extraordinary
achievements  of  Pre-European  hunter-gatherers  on  the   Australian
continent.

SYNOPSIS:

This unit will address the major issues and examine the archaeological
evidence  relating to Australian "prehistoric" archaeology,  including
initial  colonisation  of  the continent, environmental  history,  the
pattern of Pleistocene adaptations and late Holocene Change. The  unit
will also address theoretical approaches as case studies and deal with
the problems associated with the practice of archaeology as it relates
to  "living  cultures". It is felt that this course  will  provide  an
essential  background for those interested in pursuing an  archaeology
career  as  a sub-discipline within anthropology or for those  with  a
general interest in Australia's human past.

OBJECTIVES:

On successful completion of this unit students will be able
to:

1. demonstrate an understanding of current scientific knowledge
   as it relates to the Pre-European past in Australia;
   
2. demonstrate a knowledge of basic archaeological theory and its
   practical application;
   
3. understand the relevance of archaeological knowledge to
   contemporary Australian society.
   

TOPICS:

 Description                                                    Weighting(%)

Who  Owns  the  Past  -  Differing World  Views  and  The
Archaeology of Living Cultures

Theoretical   Frameworks   in   Australian   Pre-European
Archaeology

Australian Hunter-Gatherers- General Perspectives

Pleistocene Occupation  Colonisation Models

Australian Palaeonthropology

Palaeo-Environmental  Reconstructions   and   Pleistocene
Continental Adaptations

Palaeo-Environmental  Reconstructions   and   Pleistocene
Continental Adaptations

Palaeo-Environmental  Reconstructions   and   Pleistocene
Continental Adaptations

The  Human Impact on the Environment: Fire and Megafaunal
Extinctions

The Holocene

The Holocene

The Holocene

Australian Lithic Technologies

Interpretations of Australian Prehistory

TEXT and MATERIALS to be PURCHASED:

RECOMMENDED REFERENCE MATERIALS:

Dodson, J. (ed) 1992, The Native Lands, Longman Cheshire.

Edwards, E.H. (ed) 1988, Traditional Aboriginal Society, MacMillan
Education Australia Pty. Ltd. Melbourne.

Flood, J. 1995, Archaeology of the Dreamtime, 3rd edn, William
Collins, Sydney.

Murray, T. 1998, Australian Archaeology: A Reader, Allen & Unwin,
Australia.

White, P. & O'Connell, J. 1982, A Prehistory of Australia, New Guinea
and Sahul, Academic Press, Sydney.

Relevant Journals Archaelogy in Oceania (available at USQ library)

Australian Rock Art Research

Australian Archaeology (available at USQ library)

Queensland Archaeological research (available at USQ library)

Australian Aboriginal Studies

World Archaeology (available at USQ library)

Antiquity (available at USQ library)

STUDENT WORKLOAD REQUIREMENTS:

	ACTIVITY				HOURS
Lectures                                      	26
Tutorials/Workshops                           	26
Directed Study                                	91
Examinations                                  	2

ASSESSMENT DETAILS:

No  *F/S Marks     Due        Description                              Wtg(%)    LBL WWW
1   S              17/03/00  PROBLEM SOLVING ASSIGNMENT (1000 WORDS)   15.00     N   N
2   S              05/05/00  PROBLEM SOLVING ASSIGNMENT (1000 WORDS)   15.00     N   N
3   S              26/05/00  MAJOR ESSAY (2500-3000 WORDS)             40.00     N   N
4   S              END S1    2 HOUR SHORT ESSAY EXAMINATION            30.00     N   N