HIST11037 - Dawn of Humanity: An Introduction to World History

General Information

Unit Synopsis

Dawn of Humanity: An Introduction to World History provides an overview of world history to c.1500 CE. In this unit you will examine early human societies from around the world and the rise of empires in this broad period. Areas of study include ancient Egypt, India, China, Greece, Rome, the Islamic world, Japan, and Meso-America. Students will be introduced to the political, economic, social and cultural aspects of these societies and the historical interactions between them. You will gain a preliminary understanding of historical methods and how to interpret and analyse historical evidence. You will develop both discipline-specific and generic skills. You will require a computer and internet access to complete some assessment for this unit. Together with the optional sequel, The Modern World Emerges: An Historical Overview, Dawn of Humanity: An Introduction to World History provides you with a firm foundation for more specialised history studies offered at CQU.

Details

Level Undergraduate
Unit Level 1
Credit Points 6
Student Contribution Band SCA Band 4
Fraction of Full-Time Student Load 0.125
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites There are no pre-requisites for the unit.

Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).

Class Timetable View Unit Timetable
Residential School No Residential School

Unit Availabilities from Term 3 - 2024

Term 1 - 2025 Profile
Online
Rockhampton

Attendance Requirements

All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes - in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).

Assessment Overview

Recommended Student Time Commitment

Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.

Assessment Tasks

Assessment Task Weighting
1. Essay 35%
2. Essay 40%
3. Online Quiz(zes) 25%

This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%).

Consult the University's Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades

Past Exams

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Previous Feedback

Term 1 - 2024 : The overall satisfaction for students in the last offering of this course was 41.67% (`Agree` and `Strongly Agree` responses), based on a 16.9% response rate.

Feedback, Recommendations and Responses

Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.

Source: Emails and in class discussions.
Feedback
More guidance on using the library for historical research.
Recommendation
Devote time to explain how to use the CQU library to access scholarly material and conduct independent research.
Action Taken
The CQU library site featured in the essay workshops and in the updated supplementary learning resources provided to students.
Source: Student Unit Teacher Evaluations
Feedback
Clarify expectations for assessment tasks
Recommendation
Revise the assessment descriptions, criteria and marking rubrics to clarify expectations for students.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student Unit Teacher Evaluations
Feedback
Revise and streamline learning resources
Recommendation
Revise and update learning resources to reflect the current state of the field in ancient and world history. Furthermore, clarify expectations regarding what are considered essential reading materials for weekly discussions as against supplementary learning resources that are included as aids for assessment tasks.
Action Taken
In Progress
Source: Student Unit Teacher Evaluations, Informal Student Feedback and Teaching Staff Evaluation
Feedback
Co-designed assessment and conference
Recommendation
Refine the co-designed oral presentation assessment task that is delivered as part of a student led conference. The inaugural 'dawn of humanity' conference hosted at the Rockhampton North campus and featuring hybrid modes of delivery was well received by students, staff and community members. This assessment and corresponding conference will be planned with the benefit of experience from 2024. Furthermore, students who formed the organising committee from the 2024 cohort have committed to helping the 2025 organising committee with the conference planning.
Action Taken
In Progress
Unit learning Outcomes

On successful completion of this unit, you will be able to:

  1. demonstrate a broad knowledge of the political, economic, social and cultural history of major world empires and societies and their interactions from pre-history to 1500CE (AD1500).
  2. critically apply an unprejudiced understanding of the differing worldviews of these cultures and an acceptance of others' informed opinions.
  3. recognise key historical problems of the period and be able to present evidence-backed solutions to these problems.
  4. develop essential skills for historians including the ability to locate and analyse historical evidence and the ability to communicate findings in an academic manner.

Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
Assessment Tasks Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Essay • • • •
2 - Essay • • • •
3 - Online Quiz(zes) •
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Graduate Attributes Learning Outcomes
1 2 3 4
1 - Communication • • • •
2 - Problem Solving • • • •
3 - Critical Thinking • • • •
4 - Information Literacy • • • •
6 - Information Technology Competence • •
7 - Cross Cultural Competence • • •
8 - Ethical practice • • • •
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
• Introductory Level
• Intermediate Level
• Graduate Level
Assessment Tasks Graduate Attributes
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
1 - Essay • • • • • • •
2 - Essay • • • • • • •
3 - Online Quiz(zes) • • • • •