Ancient History Honours
BA (Hons) and BAncHist (Hons)
History Honours Convenor:
Dr David Phillips
Building W6A Room 524
Phone: (02) 9850 8874
Email: [email protected]
BA (Hons)
Students with the appropriate qualifications (normally coherent study in history (i.e. 12 credit points at
300 level in AHIS, AHST or HIST units, a grade point average of 2.5 or above overall and a grade point
average at 300 level of 3.00 or above) are cordially invited to consider undertaking Ancient History
Honours. Full-time students are required to complete their studies in one year. Students in full-time
employment or its equivalent may be admitted to part-time candidature of two years’ duration. The
information given below should afford a general view of the Honours program and the options available
for thesis and coursework. Please approach the members of staff most concerned in respect of further
information about courses and these topics.
BAncHist (Hons)
Students in their third year and prior to 30 October of that year are requested to complete the form on
the Ancient History website: www.anchist.mq.edu.au in order to proceed to the honours year provided
they fulfil all the specific requirements for this degree: including core units and a grade point average of
2.5 or above overall as well as grade point average at 300 level of 3.00 or above.
Students who do not meet the GPA requirements for the fourth year of the BAncHist (Hons) may be asked
to take out the Bachelor of Arts. They may then apply for entry in the BA (Hons) degree if they are eligible
for it.
General Ancient History enquiries may be directed to the Departmental Administrator (Building W6A
Room 540 Ph: (02) 9850 8833 email: [email protected]).
If Combined Honours, associating History with some other discipline, is proposed, you should discuss the
matter with staff in the discipline concerned and indicate the desired program in your application to the
Registrar for admission.
Applications to the Honours Program should be made via the University’s Student Centre before October
30 or May 29, depending on the starting date.
OBJECTIVES OF THE PROGRAM
These fall into two broad and interrelated categories. Ancient History Honours is intended, in the first
place, to help equip you for a variety of careers and qualify you as a creative person developing your
capacity independent and critical thought. The program seeks far less to impart information – that is easy
to come by – than to train you to think intelligently about it. While the study of Ancient History is by no
means the only way to cultivate such a capacity, a developed sense of history is in our view an
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indispensable social condition for create thought to flourish. Ancient History Honours is, in the second
place, an initiation into the profession. If you do well enough it can be a really important step along a
road that qualifies you to practise as a historian via the completion of a MPhil and/or a PhD and the
publication of research. It is intended that work on your thesis, in particular, will provide your first
experience of a relatively extensive piece of research that takes you to the frontiers of existing knowledge
in a particular area, and perhaps a little beyond, and provides a solid foundation for postgraduate study.
Of course, not all candidates do sufficiently well to pursue this path, though the very determined can still
sometimes find a way – and we are far from expecting that all will wish to pursue it.
REQUIREMENTS
Requirements
%
1. Two theme seminars
2. One Historiography Seminar
50
3. A thesis of 15,000 to 20,000 words (upper limit absolute)
50
100
These are sole components of the program. Full-time candidates enrol in AHIS490; part-time candidates
enrol in AHIS495. Neither the Committee nor any member of staff may properly require or advise you to
add components (e.g. coursework to acquire ancillary skills), though you may of course choose to do so
yourself. In that case, please advise the Convenor of your intention.
Part-time candidates must spread their coursework over two years and they are strongly advised to take
historiography first. They should begin work on their theses in their first year.
Full-time candidates should submit a synopsis of their theses within four months of commencing the
Honours program, i.e. during the first week of July or the first week of December, depending on whether
they enrol at the beginning of the year or mid-year.
Part-time candidates should submit their synopsis within eight months of their commencing, i.e. the first
week in November or first week in March.
THESIS
Candidates have two semesters (full-time) or four semesters (part-time) to complete their thesis. The
thesis must be submitted on the Friday of the academic week NINE of the semester in which it falls due,
and should be submitted to the Ancient History Office (W6A540).
Dates for Submission of Honours Theses (Friday of Week 9)
Full-time or Part-time
Full-time
Part-time
Full-time
Part-time
Full-time
Part-time
Full-time
Part-time
Full-time
Part-time
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Starting Date
February 2010
February 2010
Mid 2010
Mid 2010
February 2011
February 2011
Mid 2011
Mid 2011
February 2012
February 2012
Submission Date
15 October 2010
14 October 2011
6 October 2011
Friday Week 9, May 2012
14 October 2011
Friday Week 9, October 2012
Friday Week 9, May 2012
Friday Week 9, May 2013
15 October 2012
Friday Week 9, May 2013
SEMINARS
Where there is a viable number of students for a seminar the members of each unit meeting once a week
for about two hours. The written component of each unit consists of one 3,000 – 4,000-word paper (or
tasks of equivalent length) and usually an examination. This ensures comparability of workload while
providing students and staff with an element of choice. There must be no direct overlap with your thesis.
Each unit or seminar may set its own deadline, but otherwise the final deadline for submission of
coursework is the date of the second examination (for historiography or seminar course, whichever is
later). This examination is normally held towards the beginning of the examination period. In some
circumstances students may substitute an MA unit for one of the seminars other than historiography.
LATE WORK
Except where the Honours Committee or the Undergraduate Studies Committee has granted an extension
on grounds of illness or misadventure, no coursework will be accepted after that date i.e. the mark for any
work not submitted on or before that date will be entered as zero.
In respect of theses, except where illness or misadventure can be demonstrated for a period equal to or
exceeding additional time taken, and the Convenor on behalf of the Ancient History Department and staff
has granted an extension on these grounds, a penalty of 2% per week or part thereof will automatically
apply after the deadline for a period of three weeks, after which date theses will not be accepted i.e. the
mark for the thesis component of the program will be entered as zero.
Notification of illness or misadventure should be made in writing to the Registrar and be supported by
medical certificate or other proper evidence. Requests for extensions should be made to the member of
staff in charge of the relevant unit in the case of essays and (in writing) to the Convenor via your
supervisor in the case of theses. If you are unfortunate enough to experience prolonged illness or
misadventure and cannot envisage completing all your work by the date of the second examination, you
should consider applying to the Registrar for an extension into the new year. Discuss the matter with your
supervisor and the Convenor first.
The provisions concerning deadlines, extensions and automatic penalties are extended to help ensure that
the time available to all candidates to complete their work is comparable and that staff have sufficient
time to make a thorough assessment of the work.
CHOOSING YOUR THESES TOPIC AND SUPERVISOR
If at all possible, you should start trying to settle on a thesis topic and do some reading for it over the long
vacation. By February or March at the latest (perhaps a little later if you are part-time) you should have
decided on the general area in which you wish to write. Discuss the matter with such members of staff as
seem appropriate.
In the first semester you will be asked to nominate two prospective supervisors in order of preference and
to define a topic (by the dates indicated above). At this stage the topic need indicate the general area of
the thesis only, and may be amended or made more precise at a later date. The Committee will then
approve the topic (or suggest amendments to it) and appoint a supervisor. Because theses are usually
examined internally, the topic will normally be acceptable only if there are two or more members of staff
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who have professional competence in its general area. Other matters taken into account by the
Committee in deciding whether to approve a topic include its general viability (scope, availability of source
materials etc) and how closely it is related to the field of a seminar course (see below). The Committee is
concerned to ensure that no candidate enjoys a significant advantage over others in these or other
respects. It is not necessary for a thesis to be based predominantly on primary rather than secondary
sources, though this will normally be the case.
Synopses need be no longer than 500 words and should likewise be regarded as provisional and
programmatic. They are intended to ensure that you are thinking about what you want to do overall, that
you have a fair notion of this, and that the topic is viable, rather than to provide some kind of summary of
the final product. They should be submitted to your supervisor for forwarding to the Convenor.
GUIDELINES FOR THESIS SUPERVISION
As indicated above, it is the responsibility of students to seek out members of staff as prospective
supervisors and to nominate two for approval. This section details the more important of the supervisor’s
own responsibilities and duties. Students may of course consult with other members of staff and, indeed,
whomsoever is willing. Of supervisors, however, they may expect certain things.
Prospective supervisors should:
Assist in the choice of research project by suggesting topics and advising on the availability of source
materials, on the student’s aptitude for the project, etc. They should refrain from being overly
directive. In particular, they should scrupulously avoid any imputation that they directed a somewhat
reluctant candidate into their own pet research area. They should, on the contrary, seek to give the
student his/her head, offering guidance and advice only. On the other hand, because supervisors
must satisfy the Committee that the topic is viable, they should make every effort to establish that
this is so before consenting to supervise.
Assist in the planning of the research by offering advice on such matters as methodology and
theoretical framework, the order in which the various areas of the research should be tackled, and
when to start producing a rough draft.
Discuss the overall structure and argument of the thesis with the candidate and offer general advice
on that basis.
Consult with the members of staff conducting the seminar if it is in the area of the thesis to ensure
that there is no direct overlap between written work produced for the seminar and the thesis.
Exert themselves to develop and maintain an effective working relationship with the candidate.
Where such a relationship does not exist, or breaks down, they should discuss the matter with the
Convenor. Students for their part should do likewise, via the student representative if they wish. If
the problem cannot be resolved students should feel free to suggest a change of supervisor without
any kind of penalty, and supervisors should ensure that this is understood by their candidates.
Bring any difficulty that may develop with respect to the viability of the thesis to the attention of the
Convenor at the earliest opportunity, together with recommendations concerning how the difficulty
may be resolved.
Make themselves available for consultation by the candidate at regular intervals.
Ensure that some other suitable member of staff will act as supervisor where they plan to go on leave
during the student’s candidature.
A supervisor may read up to 75% of the candidate’s thesis and make detailed comment on 50%.
Students should make a declaration certifying which part of their thesis has not been read.
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WRITING A THESIS/WORK-IN-PROGRESS SEMINARS
These are organised by the Convenor on a regular basis (when required) as a means of monitoring
candidates’ progress on their theses, overcoming the loneliness of the isolated researcher, exchanging
ideas, developing research morale, pooling resources, and assisting with problems. As supervisors and
staff in charge of courses are encouraged to attend, as well as candidates, they afford an opportunity for
most people involved in the Honours program to come together in a common forum. They are based on
the view that Honours research requires special skills from the supervisor and other staff because of
candidates’ relative inexperience. They do not, as such, count for credit, and their atmosphere is
informal. Honours students are strongly encouraged to attend the Friday research seminars (4:00pm –
5:30pm, Museum of Ancient Cultures during term).
STYLE FOR THESES
Theses should be from 15,000 to 20,000 words in length (note: upper limit absolute). Appendices and
bibliography are not normally included in the word count. They should be typed in double spacing on one
side of A4 paper. All footnotes should be typed in single spacing at the bottom of the page to which they
refer, or in an appendix, and should be numbered by chapter. A margin of one inch should be left at the
sides. The thesis should be spiral bound or secured in springback folder with hard covers. Theses can be
spiral bound in the Library (photocopying room). Two copies of the thesis must be submitted and one
copy submitted on a CD in pdf format to the Convenor or the Ancient History Office. The Department will
retain one of these copies and the other will be returned to the author.
The thesis should begin with a title page, which should contain the full title of the thesis, the name of the
author, and the year and the degree for which the thesis is being submitted as part requirement. After
this you should add a preface setting out any acknowledgements you wish to make and declaring that the
thesis is all your own work and has not previously been submitted for assessment at a tertiary institution.
This should be followed, on a separate page, by a table of contents giving the title of each chapter, the
title of each subdivision in each chapter (if these are used), and any appendices included, together with
the relevant page numbers. The text itself should begin with an introduction or introductory chapter
setting out aims, plan of procedure, etc. And be rounded off with an overall conclusion. A bibliography at
the end of the thesis should contain a list of all sources referred to and used in the writing of the thesis.
Entries should be classified into primary and secondary sources, or manuscript and printed sources.
In the footnotes and bibliography the titles of books, pamphlets, periodicals, journals, newspapers and
classical works (except books of the Bible) should be underlined or italicised. The titles of articles, essays,
chapters and sections of books, and unpublished work such as theses, should be enclosed in quotation
marks. After the first full reference in a footnote to a title used in the text, further reference in footnotes
should consistently use an abbreviation of the title (short title), thus avoiding the use of op.cit., except
when the work is very recently noted. The use of other abbreviations in footnotes is desirable when
guided by consistency and common sense. Abbreviations should not be used in the text itself. A list of
abbreviations used in the thesis should be given.
Footnotes should be as brief and concise as complete accuracy will allow. Long explanatory footnotes
should be avoided or, if indispensable, should be converted into appendices. Appendices do not need to
be included in the word-length of the thesis, but should be kept to reasonable lengths.
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Plagiarism will not be tolerated, and could fail your thesis. All sources should be carefully referred to in
the footnotes, and where any source is being extensively followed, whether verbatim, in translation, or by
way of paraphrase, it should be acknowledged as for a direct quotation. Quotations of up to 100 words
should be incorporated in the text; longer quotations should be set apart from the text, without quotation
marks, and single spaced.
GRADING PROCEDURES
Theses. As mentioned earlier, your thesis is examined in the first instance by the supervisor and a second
member of staff appointed by the Committee, each of whom writes a report and recommends a grade.
Their separate reports and the thesis itself are then read, together with a range of other theses, by a third
member of staff, the moderator, who is not necessarily a specialist in the field and who recommends a
final grade. Examiners will not read beyond the 20,000-word limit.
Coursework. All pieces of work are examined independently by at least two members of staff. On the
basis of their reports an overall grade for the course is recommended by staff in charge. Comparability of
marking across courses is ensured by selective exchange of graded pieces of work among staff in charge.
Final overall result. Thesis examiners and moderators and staff in charge of courses recommend grades to
the Committee which recommends a final overall grade to the Ancient History Committee which in turn
makes a recommendation to the Faculty. Extensive discussion both of marks for theses and courses and
of overall results takes place in the Committee and the History Committee, in particular with regard to
grades that are “borderline” between the various Honours divisions.
GUIDELINES FOR GRADING
The following guidelines are used in assessing theses, and indeed give a fair indication of the kind of
qualities examiners are looking for in all Honours work.
Honours I (85-89%) must be tightly controlled, consistently argued and well written; consider a range of
sources and evidence and handle them well; engage in analysis rather than mere description (this does
not preclude narrative); relate issues to their wider historical context; be ambitious and enterprising with
respect to the problems tackled (this does not mean that the topic must be large with respect to e.g. the
period covered: “big” issues can be raised no matter how narrow the scope of the thesis in this sense); be
familiar with, and demonstrate critical appraisal of, important historical scholarship specifically related to
the topic in hand, and attempt to go beyond it; be methodologically aware and demonstrate an
awareness of basic assumptions; be intellectually alive and demonstrate a capacity for independent
thinking.
A mid First (90-94%) must in addition be judged to have met with some success in seeking to go beyond
the relevant scholarship.
A high First (95-100%) must be judged to have made an independent and valuable contribution to
historical knowledge.
High II.1 (82-84%) must demonstrate the same qualities as a First, but may be less well done in several
respects (e.g. some inconsistencies in the argument, less sophisticated methodologically).
Mid 11.1 (79-81%) Two kinds of work fall into this category:
(a) makes little or no attempt to satisfy the range of criteria specified for a First, but does not achieve
some of the objectives as well as a high II.1.
(b) does attempt to satisfy a range of criteria specified for a First, but does not achieve some of the
objectives as well as a high II.1.
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Low II.1 (75-78%) ditto for categories (a) and (b), but less satisfactory.
II.2 (65-74%) As for a low II.1, but less satisfactory still. Has not brought it all together.
III (50-64%) Has worked hard and show potential but has not got far at all.
Success or failure in terms of these categories bears no necessary relation to later achievement. Many
brilliantly successful people have launched their careers by failing Honours. Many brilliant people as
Honours students have gone downhill thereafter.
OTHER INFORMATION
Under certain circumstances BA Honours students are allowed to use the Postgraduate Reading Room in
the Library. Those wishing to use the room should enquire at the Reader Services Office (Level 2 of the
Library) about access and cost.
THESIS AREA
The following is intended to give you some idea of possible areas in which you might write your thesis.
In general students attempting topics in these areas should have demonstrated sufficient ancient
language competence to deal with the topic chosen.
Egyptian
The Museum of Ancient Cultures (X5B 311) has holdings of archaeological materials, especially connected
with the University’s work in Egypt. For possible topics related to the collection, and other topics on the
history, art, archaeology, literature or religion of ancient Egypt see Professor N. Kanawati or Dr B Ockinga,
Dr Y Tristant or Dr A Woods. Dr Ockinga is also available to supervise topics on the relations between
Egypt and Israel, and Egyptian influences on the Old Testament.
Coptic Studies
For topics in Coptic Studies, including the history, religion, language, papyri, art and archaeology of Late
Roman Egypt see Dr Victor Ghica or Dr Malcolm Choat.
Greek History
The Museum of Ancient Cultures has holdings in Greek and Cypriot pottery and of Greek coins. Dr K A
Sheedy (Director, Australian Centre for Ancient Numismatic Studies) is willing to supervise topics in
ancient Greek coinage.
Dr D J Phillips and Dr I Plant are willing to supervise topics in Greek history and society. Dr Phillips has a
special interest in Athenian political and social history of the archaic and classical periods c.700-322 BC.
Dr Plant has a special interest in Greek historiography (in particular the rhetoric of Thucydides), in Greek
history of the 5th and 4th centuries BC, and in women writers of Greece and Rome.
For topics on Alexander the Great or Hellenistic culture and thought through to Roman times, see Dr C
Forbes. His areas of special interest cover Hellenistic history e.g. the study of the Ptolemies, the News in
the Hellenistic period, Greek cities in the Hellenistic period, and the development of early Christianity.
A/Prof Paul McKechnie can supervise theses dealing with the 4th century BCE Greek world, and Ptolemaic
Egypt. He is also willing to supervise topics on Achaemenid (6th – 4th century BCE) Persia.
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Dr Trevor Evans can supervise theses that focus on the Greek language, and social, historical and linguistic
topics on Ptolemaic Egypt.
Dr Malcolm Choat can supervise theses on Ptolemaic Egypt, especially on the papyri, and on papyrology in
general.
Roman History
Possible areas of topics for study are:
1. Topics in the Roman imperial and late Roman field: historical, historiographical, and numismatic
(Professor S N C Lieu, and Dr C E V Nixon [now Honorary Senior Research Fellow]).
2. Topics in Late Roman Republican politics and Roman social history (Dr T Hillard); Dr Lea Beness has
interests in the Late Roman Republic and Early Imperial period.
3. Topics in early Byzantine history and historiography; Later Roman history and historiography;
papyrology in the imperial and late antique period; Barbarians (Professor S N C Lieu, Professor A
Nobbs, Dr Ken Parry, Dr Peter Edwell and Dr A Gillett).
4. Topics in the Eastern Roman Empire; Late Roman religion esp. Manichaeism; Roman-Persian relations
(Professor S N C Lieu, Dr Ken Parry, Dr Peter Edwell and Dr A Gillett.
Dr Trevor Evans can supervise theses that focus on the Latin language.
The Museum of Ancient Cultures and the Australian Centre for Numismatic Studies holds a collection of
around 3000 coins, mainly Roman, which might be studied (Dr Ken Sheedy). Greek papyrus documents of
the Roman period in the Museum’s collection offer a number of possible topics (Professor A Nobbs and Dr
Malcolm Choat).
Early Christian and Jewish Studies
For matters to do with Judaism, the New Testament and their cultural environment, see Dr C Forbes and
Dr S Llewelyn.
For Graeco-Roman social and culture context of the New Testament see Professor A Nobbs, Dr C Forbes or
Dr S Llewelyn. Dr B Nongbri or Dr C Concannon. For historical topics on Christianity down to Constantine
see A/Prof. Paul McKechie.
For Christianity in Egypt see Professor A Nobbs or Dr M Choat. For Christianity in the Byzantine world, and
topics in the history of the Art, see Dr K Parry.
For further information about the Ancient History Honours program please contact:
Department Administrator
Building W6A Room 540
Telephone: (02 9850 8833
Email: [email protected]
For application forms:
http://www.reg.mq.edu.au/undergrad/current/honours/#apply.
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