AY4014: BIOARCHAEOLOGY: BIOLOGICAL APPROACHES IN ARCHAEOLOGY (2022-2023)

Last modified: 31 Jul 2023 11:19

Course Overview

This course is portioned into three intensive short-courses, each focusing on one core biological approach used in archaeology. Topics offered will vary year to year, but may include isotope analysis; ancient DNA analysis; the study of animal and human remains; plant remains; and invertebrate, etc. Selected topics will be explored through lectures, seminars and practical/workshop sessions, providing an overview of each research area, its relevance to archaeology, scope, potential and limitations.

Course Details

Study Type	Undergraduate	Level	4
Term	First Term	Credit Points	15 credits (7.5 ECTS credits)
Campus	Aberdeen	Sustained Study	No
Co-ordinators	Dr Linus Girdland Flink

Qualification Prerequisites

Either Programme Level 4 or Programme Level 5

What courses & programmes must have been taken before this course?

Any Undergraduate Programme
Programme Level 4

What other courses must be taken with this course?

None.

What courses cannot be taken with this course?

None.

Are there a limited number of places available?

Course Description

The course aims to provide students with an understanding of core biological approaches used in modern archaeology to better understand and reconstruct past lifeways. The course consists of three intensive short-courses on a selection of key bioarchaeological research areas. Topics offered will vary year-on-year, reflecting in-house research specialisms, but may include isotope analysis, DNA, animal and human remains, plant remains, invertebrates, and geometric morphometrics. Through lectures, seminars and practical/workshop sessions students will gain an overview of each method, its relevance to archaeology, scope, potentials and limitations. Case studies will allow students to access key themes in bioarchaeological research, including human-environment interactions; subsistence, diet and health; and human and animal migrations, colonisations, and diasporas.

During this course, students will have the opportunity to:

Acquire an understanding of the role biological sciences have to archaeology, and an appreciation of the development of the field of bioarchaeology and human palaeoecology
Become familiar with the range of bioarchaeological remains recovered from archaeological and Quaternary palaeoecological sites
Gain a broad knowledge of each of the bioarchaeological specialisms studied, and their relevance and applications to archaeological case studies
Gain a critical awareness of the potentials and limitations of selected bioarchaeological specialisms
Become adept at exploring and evaluating scientific/bioarchaeological literature

Contact Teaching Time

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

Teaching Breakdown

More Information about Week Numbers

Details, including assessments, may be subject to change until 30 August 2024 for 1st term courses and 20 December 2024 for 2nd term courses.

Summative Assessments

Practical Portfolio (50%)

Essay (50%)

Resit

Resit of any failed elements

Formative Assessment

There are no assessments for this course.

Course Learning Outcomes

Knowledge Level	Thinking Skill	Outcome
Factual	Remember	ILO’s for this course are available in the course guide.