Postgraduate Course: Frontiers in Archaeology: Research Seminars (PGHC11001)
Course Outline
| School | School of History, Classics and Archaeology |
College | College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | A series of 11 seminars, with presentations and group discussions, based on set reading items, dealing mainly with aspects of archaeological practice, methodology and interpretation. The course also involves some practical hands-on sessions (teaching collection, lab and museum visit). There is an emphasis on the analysis of archaeological data (e.g. excavations, surveys, artefacts, ecofacts) and on conceptual building blocks in archaeology (e.g. chronology, time, formation processes, field survey, trade and interaction, artefact analysis), supplemented in some weeks by selected theoretical perspectives (aspects of social archaeology, identity). |
| Course description |
There is an emphasis on the analysis of archaeological data (e.g. excavations, surveys, artefacts, ecofacts) and on conceptual building blocks in archaeology (e.g. chronology, time, formation processes, field survey, trade and interaction, artefact analysis), supplemented in some weeks by selected theoretical perspectives (aspects of social archaeology, identity). The course complements the more explicitly theoretical basis of the MSc/Diploma course, Theoretical Archaeology, and is also intended to ensure that all candidates, regardless of prior knowledge and experience, are well acquainted with the 'nuts and bolts' of archaeological practice and methods. Coverage is fairly broad and so it is important that students read as widely and intensively as possible as the course progresses. At the same time, discussion of the prescribed themes is expected to extend well beyond the introductory level and to explore a range of applications and theoretical implications. You are also encouraged to consider and discuss the potential relevance of these themes to specific case studies or potential research topics in which you have a particular interest.
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | None |
| High Demand Course? |
Yes |
Course Delivery Information
| Not being delivered |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Demonstrate by way of coursework a detailed and critical command of the body of knowledge concerning the subject matter of the course;
- Demonstrate by way of coursework an ability to analyse and reflect critically upon relevant methods and practices in contemporary Archaeology and their place in the wider context of Archaeological research;
- Demonstrate by way of coursework and seminar participation, an ability to understand and apply research skills to the investigation of the material covered in the course;
- Demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain original scholarly arguments in oral and written form in seminar discussions, presentations, and coursework by independently formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence;
- Demonstrate, by way of seminar discussions, presentations, and written coursework, originality and independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers.
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Reading List
Carver, M. 2009. Archaeological Investigation. Routledge.
Gamble, C. 2001. Archaeology: The Basics. Routledge, London.
Greene, K. & Moore, T. 2010. Archaeology. An Introduction. Routledge.
Johnson, M. 2010. Archaeological Theory: an Introduction. Blackwell, Oxford (2nd ed).
Preucel, R. W. & Mrozowski, S.A. 2010. Contemporary Archaeology in Theory: the new pragmatism. Wiley-Blackwell.
Preucel, R.W. & Hodder, I. (eds) 1996. Contemporary Theory in Archaeology: a Reader. Blackwell, Oxford.
Renfrew, C. & Bahn, P. 2012. Archaeology: Theory, Method and Practice. Thames and Hudson, London. (= 6th edition).
Renfrew, C. and Bahn, P. (eds.) 2004. Archaeology; the key concepts. Routledge.
Scarre, C. (ed) 2005. The Human Past. World Prehistory and the Development of Human Societies. Thames and Hudson.
Trigger, B. 2006. A History of Archaeological Thought. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. (1st 1989 ed is also good). |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | FrontiersinArch |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Robert Leighton
Tel: (0131 6)50 8197
Email: Robert.Leighton@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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