CENTRE FOR LIFELONG LEARNING - SCOTTISH ARCHAEOLOGY

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

20 credit points from Archaeology courses in Scottish Archaeology or Scottish Cultural Studies programmes of courses.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the second half-session as KL 155B.

Overview

Introductory sessions will assist students to identify appropriate Scottish archaeological projects which they can join over the summer, and brief them on the requirements for the submission of an Archaeology Fieldwork Portfolio based on their participation in such projects. Subsequent sessions will assist them in developing techniques of archaeological recording and presentation including finds illustration, drawing plans, and photography.

Structure

4 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Practical exercises (100%).

Resit: Resubmission of practical exercises (100%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course will be available in 2009/10 as KL 105E.

Overview

Covering the first essentials of archaeological enquiry, the course includes three modules that will address:

The study of the past. Global history of archaeological enquiry in the context of developing ideas of artistic perspective, scientific reasoning and historical analysis. How the past has been conceptualised and how early antiquarian, poetic interest eventually became a discipline for scholarly research.

Material culture. Basic technologies, the principles of artefactual study, chronology, typology and other tools of an archaeological practice that works to understand the world of past people through the objects they have left behind.

Being human. Hominid evolution, the first humans and their ecology, early subsistence and social life, the origins of cognition and the human mind, development of abstract reasoning, symbolism, early evidence for 'art' and 'religion'.

Structure

This course will be delivered on the web over a period of 12 weeks and via a course tutor. Tutorials will be delivered by audio conference.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and in-course assessment (13%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

Students with no archaeological background are advised to attend KL 1059 / KL 1559.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the second half-session as KL 1558.

Overview

The first part of the course will provide a chronological review of the types of sites to be found in Northern Scotland and their current interpretation. Concepts of chronology will be studied and the importance demonstrated of comparative study with other areas. Finally, there will be a study of how sites may appear and survive in different land-use regimes. The second part of the course consists of practical field training in identifying sites of different types.

Structure

6 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials and a full-day excursion.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 2 assignments (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 2 assignments (60%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

None

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10, in the first half-session as KL 1059.

Overview

This course provides an introduction to the study of Archaeology and is aimed at those with no knowledge of the subject. It will provide an introduction to the scope of archaeology, and will introduce students to the history and organisation of the subject as well as looking at the range of archaeological techniques.

Structure

6 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials and a full-day excursion.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 2 assignments (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 2 assignments (60%).

Credit Points

20

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course will be available in 2009/10 as KL 155E.

Overview

Covering the deeper foundations of archaeological enquiry, the course includes three modules that will address:

Introduction to archaeological practice. First principles of archaeological study, including field survey, excavation, analysis and publication.

Transformations: the global development of human complexity. The global development of human society, including the transition to agriculture, the emergence of social complexity and urban life, the rise of polities and social elites.

Introduction to the Archaeology of the British Isles. A chronological overview of human habitation and settlement in what is now Britain and Ireland, from the Palaeolithic (early Stone Age) to the beginning of the Medieval Period.

Structure

This course will be delivered on the web over a period of 12 weeks and via a course tutor. Tutorials will be delivered by audio conference.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) and in-course assessment (33%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (67%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (33%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

KL 105B / KL 155B Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio 1.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the first half-session as KL 205K.

Overview

The course supports students in preparing for the submission of a portfolio based on attendance at one or more archaeological projects. The portfolio topic and the specific project(s) on which the portfolio is based must be approved in advance by the course tutor, and approval will depend on the portfolio proposed being clearly distinct from any work submitted for any previous fieldwork portfolio course. In the portfolio submitted, students will be expected to demonstrate competence in recording techniques by including illustrations of finds, plans and photographs, as well as a critique of the projects which have been attended. The seminars which support the course are designed to enable students to display in their portfolio work more advanced presentation and editorial skills.

Structure

4 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Fieldwork Portfolio (100%).

Resit: Resubmission of portfolio following review and rewriting (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

Students with no Archaeological background are advised to attend KL 1059 / KL 1559 or KL 1059 / KL 1558.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the first half-session as KL 205R.

Overview

This course covers the period from the late Iron Age up to and including modern industrial archaeology. The first part of the course provides a chronological review of the types of sites to be found in Scotland from the BC/AD transition to the 20th Century and includes a study of how sites may appear and survive in different land use regimes. The second part of the course consists of practical field training in identifying sites of different types.

Structure

6 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials and a full-day excursion.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 1 assignment (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 1 assignment (60%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

80 credit points from Archaeology courses in the Scottish Archaeology or Scottish Cultural Studies programmes of courses.

Notes

This course is available in the first half-session of 2009/10 as KL 3050.

Overview

The course will develop an understanding of Scottish Archaeology as a social science. It will treat the impact upon archaeological scholarship of dominant theories within anthropology, history and philosophy and introduce students to the themes of cultural relativism, evolutionism and neo-evolutionism, environmental determinism, functionalism, structuralism and symbolic analysis. A comparative approach, making reference to World archaeological traditions and ethnographic parallels will broaden the students' appreciation of principles of social inter-action and cultural change as reflected in the archaeological record.

Structure

6 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (60%) and in-course assessment (40%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

KL 205K / KL 255K Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio 2.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the first half-session as KL 3052.

Overview

The course supports students in preparing for the submission of a portfolio based on attendance at one or more archaeological projects – these can be field or museum based. The portfolio topic and the specific project(s) on which the portfolio is based must be approved in advance by the course tutor, and approval will depend on the portfolio proposed being clearly distinct from any work submitted for any previous fieldwork portfolio course. In the Portfolio submitted, students will be expected to demonstrate competence in recording techniques by including illustrations of finds, plans and photographs, as well as a critique of the projects which have been attended. The seminars which support the course are designed to enable students to display in their portfolio work more advanced presentation and editorial skills than was required for Fieldwork Portfolio 2.

Structure

4 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Fieldwork Portfolio (100%).

Resit: Fieldwork Portfolio (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

240 credit points from courses in Scottish Archaeology or Scottish Cultural Studies of which 60 credit points must be at level 2 or above and include KL 3050 / KL 3550 Archaeological Theory.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the second half-session as KL 3553.

Overview

The course will begin with guidance on developing an archaeology dissertation proposal, on keeping a research diary, on using a word processor for organising notes and producing drafts, on referencing, on the preparation and presentation of maps, illustrations and diagrams in dissertations and on writing dissertations. Subsequent group sessions will enable students to share and discuss dissertation proposals and to assist each other in developing draft plans. Individual tutorials are given at the following stages: following the submission of the initial outline dissertation proposal and following the submission of the final detailed plan.

Structure

4 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours and 2 individual supervision tutorials – times may vary.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 3 assignments of which one will be the agreed Dissertation Proposal (100%).

Resit: 3 assignments of which one will be the agreed Dissertation Proposal (100%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

40 credit points in Archaeology courses from the Scottish Archaeology or Scottish Cultural Studies programmes of courses.

Notes

This course is available in the second half-session of 2009/10 as KL 3555.

Overview

This course covers the prehistory of Orkney from roughly 4000 BC to AD 500, from the earliest settlement, through the Neolithic, Bronze and early Iron Ages, up to the advent of written historical sources. Case studies of selected archaeological sites, varied in period, type and purpose, present the characteristics of each period, with an emphasis throughout on the wider themes of continuity and change, internal and external diffusion of ideas and technology, and human impact on the landscape.

Structure

6 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (40%) and in-course assessment (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (40%) and in-course assessment (60%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

KL 305C / KL 355C Scottish Archaeology: Archaeological Resource Management.

Notes

This course is available in the second half-session of 2009/10 as KL 355B.

Overview

The course will begin with aspects of current archaeological theory as a basis for decision-making in the field. It will also consider research strategies and methods. This will lead on to exploring how archaeological projects are designed and managed. The course will include lectures contributed by project managers and academic archaeologists concerning the interface between theory and practice.

Structure

6 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 1 assignment (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 1 assignment (60%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

KL 205J / KL 255J Archaeological Methods & Techniques: Recording & Analysis.

Notes

This course is available in the first half-session of 2009/10 as KL 305C.

Overview

The first part of this course will consider why archaeological features might be conserved and interpreted. The values for society of sites and monuments within the wider heritage, beyond the evidence they may provide for past activities, will be explored. An outline of legal and organisational frameworks will also be provided. In the fieldwork, students will examine how in practice sites, monuments and landscapes can be managed and interpreted.

Structure

6 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary. Private study with learning support materials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 1 assignment (60%).

Resit: 1 two-hour examination paper (40%) and 1 assignment (60%).

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

KL 3052 / KL 3552 Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio 3 and KL 3050 / KL 3550 Archaeological Theory.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the first half-session as KL 4051.

Overview

The course supports students in preparing for the submission of a portfolio based on attendance at one or more archaeological projects – these can be field or museum based. The portfolio topic and the specific project(s) on which the portfolio is based must be approved in advance by the course tutor. Approval will depend on the portfolio proposed being clearly distinct from any work submitted for any previous fieldwork portfolio course. Building on Portfolios 2 and 3, Portfolio 4 will put more emphasis on a critical appreciation of the nature of archaeological fieldwork. Students will be expected to consider a fieldwork project within the broader framework of the history and theory of archaeology, discuss the roles of participants in the project and consider alternative approaches to fieldwork methodologies.

Structure

4 fortnightly classes of one-and-a-half-hours – times may vary.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Fieldwork Portfolio (100%).

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

240 credit points from courses in Scottish Archaeology or Scottish Cultural Studies of which 60 credit points must be at level 2 or above and include KL 3050 / KL 3550 Archaeological Theory and KL 3053 / KL 3553 Archaeology Dissertation: Introduction.

Notes

This course is available in session 2009/10 in the first half-session as KL 4054.

Overview

This course will enable students to apply the guidance they received and skills they developed in Archaeology Dissertation: Introduction. Group sessions will enable students to share and review research work carried out over the summer, to assist each other in developing preliminary drafts of their dissertations, to develop editing skills and to provide training in oral presentation of research work. Individual tutorials are given to review the dissertation plan following research work carried out over the summer, and the review critically the preliminary draft of the dissertation.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Dissertation (100%).

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Mr D Paterson

Pre-requisites

KL 3050 Archaeological Theory and KL 205K Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio 2

Notes

Other field work experience may count in place of KL 205K.
This course is available in session 2009/10.

Overview

The course will involve working as a member of a team to:
Review the literature and consider possible small fieldwork projects in the selected area (which can be carried out in the time available)
Meet as a member of the team and with the course organiser to evaluate potential projects and agree on a final project
Allocate and carry out tasks as appropriate prior to the field work
Obtain permissions for access tot he site/s and obtain permission to work on these sites
During the week, you will carry out individual or small group work as part of the overall project
At the end of the course, you will be required to prepare and present a report (c6000 word plus figures, maps, diagrams as appropriate)

Structure

At least 4 Group meetings prior to the commencement of the course to read and review the published literature, discuss and plan possible projects (these meetings may be conducted via e mail, or in real time by face to face sessions, webct or by audio/video conference), allocate tasks and obtain any materials required.
During the course - a critical review, discussion and "catch up" session at the end of each day and planning session for the following day's work.
6 days field work.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Project report which includes each students roles and responsibilites (4-6000 words).