The course presents an overview of archaeological research undertaken in Mainland and Island Southeast Asia from 1.5 million years ago to the Indianized civilizations of the first and early second millennia AD. Particular emphasis will be placed on the Pleistocene colonisation of SE Asia; on the archaeology of early agricultural and Bronze/Iron Age societies; on the archaeology of the Indianized civilizations of Burma, Cambodia, Thailand, Vietnam and Indonesia; and on the cultural and linguistic ancestries of the present inhabitants of Southeast Asia.
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:- Demonstrate a comprehension of the broad trajectory of socio-political development in prehistoric/historic SE Asia evolution;
- Evaluate archaeological journal articles; and
- Demonstrate the skills and knowledge needed to have a basic concept of regional archaeology.
Indicative Assessment
Oral and written assessment (for a total of 15%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 3]- Presentation, 10 minutes (9%)
- Presentation summary, 500 words (6%)
Critical reading exercise, 100 words each (2.5% each for a total of 5%) [Learning Outcome 2]
Essay, 2000 words (40%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3]
Exam, 2 hours (40%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 3]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact: 24 hours of lectures and 12 hours of workshop and workshop-like activities; and
b) 94 hours of independent student research, reading and writing
Requisite and Incompatibility
Preliminary Reading
Higham, C. Early Cultures of Mainland South Asia,Thames and Hudson, 2002.Glover, I. and Bellwood, P. eds Southeast Asia from Prehistory to History Routledge Curzon 2004.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Course fees
- Domestic fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $4320 |
- International fee paying students
| Year | Fee |
|---|---|
| 2025 | $5580 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Second Semester
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 8569 | 27 Jul 2026 | 03 Aug 2026 | 31 Aug 2026 | 30 Oct 2026 | In Person | N/A |