Last modified: 31 Jul 2023 11:19
Archaeologists are accused of not engaging with the significance of skeletal remains, osteologists are accused of not engaging with the mortuary context. This course aims to draw both worlds together and understand the complex and intertwined relationships between the two. Incorporating archaeological studies of skeletons and mortuary sites, as well as ethical, anthropological and forensic perspectives, you will explore and work to understand how people in the past reacted to, and dealt with, the realities of the inevitable.
| Study Type | Postgraduate | Level | 5 |
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| Term | Second Term | Credit Points | 30 credits (15 ECTS credits) |
| Campus | Aberdeen | Sustained Study | No |
| Co-ordinators |
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Birth and death are universal human experiences. However, there are as many ways that human societies experience death, as there are ways to die. Archaeology has long focused on the discovery and interpretation of human remains and burials as a means of understanding and reconstructing past societies, and is the discipline best situated to guide students through the long-term history of the diverse processes and human experiences of death, its study, and its impact on the living. This course offers a global perspective made up of different temporal and regional situations. Through student-led seminars and a field trip focusing on mortuary monuments, students will learn to interrogate the data within current theoretical frameworks, and develop the skills and knowledge to generate their own, more nuanced understanding of the significance of death and burial in past societies. From ancestor worship to the liminality of decay, we will critically assess how we interrogate the archaeological record, and gain insight into that universal human experience, ultimately asking; how did the living react to death and the dead?
| Description | Value |
|---|---|
| Field trip | 255.0000 |
Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.
| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 40 | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Assessment Weeks | 39 | Feedback Weeks | 41 | |
| Feedback |
Individual project Students will be given a set of mortuary data to work with and are expected to develop their own research question and write a report based on their findings (5,000 words). Written feedback will be provided |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 30 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | 36 | Feedback Weeks | 36 | |
| Feedback |
We will conduct a mortuary archaeology fieldtrip in Orkney Students will choose and research an archaeological site. They will lead the exploration of these sites in the field. They will summarise their findings as a poster format for evening discussion |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 20 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | 27,29,31,33,35 | Feedback Weeks | 28,30,32,34,36 | |
| Feedback |
Students will choose from a range of topics provided Will follow a 2 week pattern for each topic Week 1: Research and develop a reading list for the peer group Week 2: The peer group will engage with the readings End of the second week, the students responsible for the reading list will run the seminar. |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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| Assessment Type | Summative | Weighting | 10 | |
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| Assessment Weeks | 25,27,29,31,33,35,36 | Feedback Weeks | 25,27,29,31,33,35,36 | |
| Feedback |
Feedback as part of each student led session via rubric – students are expected to attend all sessions and participate constructively in discussion. There will be opportunities to post via online discussion boards in advance of the formal meeting |
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| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
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There are no assessments for this course.
| Knowledge Level | Thinking Skill | Outcome |
|---|---|---|
| Reflection | Create | Develop the knowledge to create advanced reading lists for a group of your graduate peers |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop a deeper understanding of the complexities and nuances involved in death studies and the archaeological record |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Develop skills in researching, synthesizing and presenting data on specific archaeological sites and demonstrate a critical awareness of the complex debates they inform |
| Conceptual | Analyse | Learn how to use mortuary data sets within an analytical framework |
| Reflection | Evaluate | Learn to critically evaluate the key themes in mortuary archaeology literature |
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