Postgraduate Course: Multispecies Archaeology (PGHC11644)
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 | What roles did animals play in the global human past? This course aims to explore this in two keys ways through: 1) conceptually moving away from anthropocentric accounts of human exceptionalism to fuller understanding of shared, multispecies pasts; 2) investigating the evidence for the fundamental roles of animals in major transitions in the human journey. The course will develop students' abilities in critical thinking, evidence-based analysis, and interdisciplinary research methods. |
| Course description |
'Multispecies Archaeology' investigates the integral role of animals in the development of human societies. This course explores the significant yet often overlooked ways in which animals have influenced human cultural practices and trajectories. Throughout this exploration, the course emphasizes a departure from a restricted anthropocentric focus, advocating for a theoretical framework that recognises the deep entanglements between human and animal lives. Students will explore topics such as domestication processes, the development of animal farming, the symbolic uses of animals in various cultures, and the complex dynamics of human-animal relationships in diverse ecological settings.
The course structure is designed to not only impart knowledge on the topic, but also to develop critical thinking and analytical skills. Students will learn to assess archaeological evidence in relation to different disciplinary perspectives and conceptual frameworks, and re-evaluate historical narratives from a multispecies perspective. The curriculum encourages the application of theoretical knowledge through case studies focusing on the socioeconomic, and ecological impacts of animals across different cultures and time periods, investigating issues such as power dynamics, health and wellbeing, and environmental adaptations. This will enhance students' abilities in critical thinking, evidence-based analysis, and interdisciplinary research methods, making them well-equipped to contribute to contemporary debates in archaeology and related fields concerning long-term perspectives on conservation, environmental change, and the future of human-animal relationships.
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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
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| Academic year 2026/27, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: 0 |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 11,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 22,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
163 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Coursework:
1,200 word Case study report (40%)
2,500 Thematic essay (60%) |
| 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. Meetings can take place with the Course Organiser during their published office hours or by appointment. 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:
- demonstrate a detailed and critical command of the body of knowledge relating to the study of Multispecies Archaeology
- demonstrate the ability to analyse and reflect critically upon relevant scholarship concerning the investigation and interpretation of past human-animal relationships
- demonstrate the ability to develop and sustain original scholarly arguments by independently formulating appropriate questions and utilising relevant evidence considered in the course
- communicate in seminar discussions and written assignments originality and independence of mind and initiative; intellectual integrity and maturity; an ability to evaluate the work of others, including peers; and a considerable degree of autonomy
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Reading List
Arbuckle B S and McCarty S A (eds) 2015, Animals and inequality in the ancient world. Boulder; University Press of Colorado.
Armstrong Oma K 2010, Between trust and domination: social contracts between humans and animals. World Archaeology 42(2): 175-187. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438241003672724
Bendrey R and Oakes R 2023, On Humanity and Equids: Ecologies, Trajectories, and Relationships. In, Prins H H T and Gordon I J (eds.) The Equids. Fascinating Life Sciences. Cham; Springer. pp. 379-410. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-27144-1_14
Birch S E P (ed) 2018, Multispecies archaeology. Abingdon; Routledge.
Bogaard A, Allaby R, Arbuckle B S, Bendrey R, Crowley S, Cucchi T, Denham T, Frantz L A F, Fuller
D, Gilbert T, Karlsson E K, Manin A, Marshall F, Muelle N, Peters J, Stépanof C, Weide A and Larson
G 2021, Reconsidering domestication from a process archaeology perspective, World Archaeology 53: 56-77. https://doi.org/10.1080/00438243.2021.1954990
Cassidy R and Mullin M (eds) 2020. Where the wild things are now: domestication reconsidered. Oxford; Berg.
Fijn, N 2011, Living with the Herds: Human-Animal Coexistence in Mongolia. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Honeychurch W and Makarewicz C A 2016, The Archaeology of Pastoral Nomadism. Annual Review of Anthropology 45(1): 341-359. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-anthro-102215-095827
Russell N 2011, Social Zooarchaeology: Humans and Animals in Prehistory. Cambridge; Cambridge University Press.
Hussain S T 2024 Feral ecologies of the human deep past: multispecies archaeology and palaeo-synanthropy. Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute 30(4): 1062-1084. https://doi.org/10.1111/1467-9655.14152
Stépanoff C and Vigne J D 2019, Hybrid Communities. Biosocial approaches to domestication and other trans-species relationships, London and New York; Routledge.
Swanson H A, Lien M E, and Ween G B (eds) 2018, Domestication gone wild: politics and practices of multispecies relations. Durham and London; Duke University Press. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
1. gather and critically assess relevant information
2. extract key elements and meanings from complex data sets
3. develop a reasoned argument, support it with relevant evidence, and communicate it appropriately and persuasively
4. present their ideas and analyses in a coherent fashion to diverse audiences and in a number of different formats |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Robin Bendrey
Tel: (0131 6)50 9110
Email: Robin.Bendrey@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | |
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