Module ARCH1061: ARCHAEOLOGY PRACTICALS

Department: Archaeology

ARCH1061: ARCHAEOLOGY PRACTICALS

Tied To

• F400: Archaeology
• F402: Archaeology

Pre-requisites

Corequisites

Excluded Combinations

Aims

• To provide a basic introduction to field and laboratory techniques for the recording and analysis of primary materials, sites and monuments, using group work wherever possible.

Content

• Basic introduction to and hands-on experience of a range of materials used in past societies (pottery and two others), together with lab tests.
• field visits and excursions to sites and monuments in urban and rural contexts, to learn about recording of buildings, sites and monuments and about landscape appreciation.
• field training in basic excavation recording and surveying techniques.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the course, students will have improved their ability to function productively in a team and will have gained a basic understanding of: The properties of, and technologies associated with, pottery and a selection of two other materials.
• IT skills of word processing, spreadsheets, the WWW, computer graphics, the Durham library system and email.
• Some of the techniques of recording sites and monuments in an urban context and in a landscape context.
• A range of recording and surveying techniques to be used during their summer training excavation.

• Direct experience of practical archaeological work, both field related and in the study of artefacts and other materials.

• Gain direct experience and competence in a range of transferable skills.
• Group work (key benchmarking transferable skills taught here).

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• The module is taught through a combination of lectures, practicals, fieldtrips and self-guided learning.
• It is assessed through a series of written practical assignments, which assess the student’s experience of a range of practical archaeological work.
• Lectures will ensure the effective communication of key information and theoretical ideas, supported by reading lists and written summaries of follow-up notes posted on DUO, enabling students to gain up-to-date knowledge, as well as guidance on further reading.
• Practical classes involve demonstrations and hands-on exercises using archaeological materials, undertaken in small to medium sized groups.
• Fieldtrips involving visiting, experiencing and discussing archaeological sites and monuments in the landscape and archaeological collections in museums.
• Self-guided learning comprises personal study, research, revision and evaluation associated with classes and assignments; guided by lecturers, tutors and reading lists of specialist books, articles and web-sites.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment