HCA1008 : Global Ancient Histories
- Offered for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Dr Joseph Skinner
- Lecturer: Dr Marta Garcia Morcillo, Dr Simon Corcoran, Dr Louise Rayne, Dr Christina Mobley
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 1 Credit Value: | 20 |
| ECTS Credits: | 10.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module ranges far beyond the worlds of ancient Greece and Rome in order to investigate a range of global ancient histories (up to c. 500 CE - although this will be a flexible boundary). This global focus is a reflection of our School-wide commitment to supplementing traditional focuses with new, inclusive ways of thinking about the historical past. Drawing upon the wide range of expertise available across the School, this module aims to explore significant historical issues in global antiquity and their recurrent or connected place in a diversity of regions and cultures. Methodologically, this module is committed to exploring the evidence from the widest possible range of viewpoints and sources, and to contextualising and interpreting that evidence through exposure to interdisciplinary approaches (including various theoretical models). Overall, this module aims to promote the development of a broader and enhanced perspective on ancient history and to provoke a reassessment of traditional boundaries in our knowledge and understanding of the world’s past.
Outline Of Syllabus
The module’s syllabus will vary depending upon the staff expertise available and the degree to which these can be combined to create a coherent programme of learning. Typically, the syllabus will be divided along the lines of important issues, themes, or questions in world history. Emphasis will also be placed upon comparison, and on drawing patterns of connection, throughout.
Central issues that may be covered include:
- religion and beliefs
- urbanism and cities
- oral and written cultures
- empires and royal states
- inequality and status
- historiography and conceptions of the past
Regions of the ancient world that may be covered include:
- Anatolia
- China
- Central Asia
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- India
- Japan
- Mesoamerica
- Mesopotamia
- North America
- Persia
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 23 | 1:00 | 23:00 | N/A |
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 65 | 1:00 | 65:00 | For 3 assessment components (2 summative, 1 formative) |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 33 | 1:00 | 33:00 | 3 hrs reading p/w from module reading list |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 16 | 1:00 | 16:00 | 2 hrs prep tasks per seminar |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 8 | 1:00 | 8:00 | 8 weeks with seminars, 3 without |
| Guided Independent Study | Independent study | 53 | 1:00 | 53:00 | General consolidation activities (e.g. reviewing notes, recordings, readings) |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Module talk | 2 | 1:00 | 2:00 | Introduction/conclusion to the module (first/last weeks) |
| Total | 200:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
Lectures will introduce topics and provide expert orientation and exposition on a broad range of themes and issues, supplemented by the module reading list. In-person lectures will provide opportunities for dialogue. The use of RECAP will mean that lecture recordings can be reviewed at any time subsequently and revisited numerous times afterwards. In the event that on-campus sessions need to be reduced, there is the capacity to present recorded materials asynchronously and retain timetabled slots for live discussion of these materials.
Seminars will also consolidate the learning progress from lectures and any weekly readings by enabling students to focus on connected issues and material in greater depth. Seminars will be student-led and facilitated by teaching staff, and will hinge upon group discussion and debate about materials circulated in advance (for example, sets of evidence, scholarship, and questions). In the event that on-campus sessions need to be reduced, there is the capacity to hold live seminar discussions online and retain timetabled slots.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Portfolio | 1 | M | 40 | 1,500-word log for critical reflection on first 6 wks content, with in-class prompts and guidance |
| Essay | 1 | A | 60 | 2000-word essay answering one of a pre-set list of questions. |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
Both of the assessment components are intended to assess progress against the module’s intended learning outcomes. The portfolio (1,500 words, reflecting on course content during the initial 6 weeks of teaching) gives students the opportunity to reflect upon a series of historically significant themes from an expressly global/comparative perspective. The critical and creative aspects of this exercise will help prepare students for their second summative assignment. The 2000-word essay responding to a question chosen by the student from a pre-circulated set of options which will enable the student to demonstrate the entire range of the knowledge and skills outcomes including the ability to reflect critically and creatively on new ideas and perspectives.
Study-abroad, non-Erasmus exchange and Loyola students spending semester 1 only are required to finish their assessment while in Newcastle. Where an exam is present, an alternative form of assessment will be set and where coursework is present, an alternative deadline will be set. Details of the alternative assessment will be provided by the module leader.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- HCA1008's Timetable