Postgraduate Course: Homo migrans: The archaeology of migrations from prehistory to the present (online) (PGHC11611)
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) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | People move. Whether in small or large groups, mobility has always been a critical aspect of human history. This course will provide an overview on migratory processes from prehistory to the present, focusing on archaeological sources but also incorporating written evidence whenever available. |
| Course description |
Migrations represent one of the most defining features of human history since its beginnings to the present. In recent years, archaeological research has witnessed the so-called 'third science revolution', triggered by the development of bioarchaeological methods -- especially archaeogenetics and isotopic analyses. These approaches have forced us to radically rethink mobility in the past and develop new pathways of integrating all available evidence to move beyond simple narratives of human migration. Due to its long-term perspective, archaeology is in an advantageous position to contribute to a deeper reflection on the topic, by not only counteracting isolationist narratives, but also showing the complexity of human mobility in the past and present and the challenges and opportunities it poses.
This course will provide an overview on migratory processes from early prehistory ('out of Africa' in the Palaeolithic) to the 21st century. It will combine an introduction to the key definitions and theoretical perspectives on migration with the presentation of specific case studies from different periods and geographical regions. While the main emphasis will be on the material evidence of migrations, other sources, including texts, will also be incorporated whenever available. Thus, the course has a marked interdisciplinary design, and it aims to address one of the most crucial topics of our current world from a deep time perspective.
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Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2024/25, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Online Activities 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
174 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
750 word review of a key article (20%)
3,500 word essay (80%) |
| Feedback |
Students are expected to discuss their coursework with the Course Organiser at least once prior to submission, and are encouraged to do so more often. Students will also receive feedback on their coursework, and will have the opportunity to discuss that feedback further with the Course Organiser. |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- understand the main body of knowledge concerning the archaeological study of migrations, based on a combination of theory, methods, and specific case studies.
- read, analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship.
- understand, evaluate and utilise a variety of source material.
- develop and sustain scholarly arguments in oral and written form, by formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence.
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Reading List
Anthony, D.W. 1990. Migration in archeology: The baby and the bathwater. American Anthropologist 92(4), 895-914.
Burmeister, S. 2000. Archaeology and migration. Approaches to an archaeological proof of migration. Current Anthropology 41(4), 539-567 (with comments).
Fernandez-Gotz, M., Nimura, C., Stockhammer and Cartwright, R. (eds.) 2023. Rethinking Migrations in Late Prehistoric Eurasia. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Fisher, M.H. 2013. Migration: A World History. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Frieman, C.J. and Hofmann, D. 2019. Present pasts in the archaeology of genetics, identity, and migration in Europe: a critical essay. World Archaeology 51(4), 528-545.
Hakenbeck, S. 2008. Migration in archaeology: are we nearly there yet? Archaeological Review from Cambridge 23(2), 9-26.
Hamilakis, Y. (ed.) 2018. The New Nomadic Age: Archaeologies of Forced and Undocumented Migration. Bristol: Equinox Publishing.
Manning, P. 2005. Migration in World History. London/New York: Routledge.
Reich, D. 2018. Who We Are and How We Got Here: Ancient DNA and the New Science of the Human Past. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Van Dommelen, P. 2014. Moving on: Archaeological perspectives on mobility and migration. World Archaeology 46(4): 477-483. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
- Initiative; in particular, the capacity for independent study/research.
- Proficiency in finding and using appropriate research sources (library, internet, museum).
- Skills of literacy and communication in written work, oral discussion, and using visual imagery.
- The ability to evaluate critically and creatively empirical evidence, methods and theories, and to construct well-supported hypotheses.
- Ability to identify research themes and trends. |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Manuel Fernandez-Gotz
Tel: (0131 6)51 5223
Email: M.Fernandez-Gotz@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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