ARCHAEOLOGY

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr S Foster

Pre-requisites

None.

Notes

This course includes a one-day field trip, which will involve some off-road walking over gentle terrain. The School is committed to making reasonable adjustments for students with mobility issues, and any student with concerns should contact the course coordinator at the beginning of the course.  Students will be asked to make a nominal contribution towards the cost of the field trip.

Overview

This course introduces the discipline of archaeology, human origins, and world prehistory. It is structured around three themes:

• Being and becoming human. Hominid evolution, early subsistence strategies, tools and social life, the origins of cognition and the human mind, early evidence for ‘art’ and ‘religion’.


• Transformations in human society. The global development of human complexity, including the transition to agriculture, the emergence of social complexity, urban life, the first polities.


• Perceptions of the past. Interpretation and dissemination of archaeological knowledge in museums, sites, and visual media, and how these reflect and influence how the past has been perceived.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, excluding reading weeks, 5 one to two-hour tutorials, which will be held at biweekly intervals throughout the half-session, and a compulsory one-day field trip for which a small sum will be charged to cover the cost of the coach.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%) and in-course assessment (50%) in the form of a 1,500-word essay, and participation in tutorials and online quizzes.

Resit: 1 two-hour written exam (50%) PLUS original in-course assessment carried forward (50%).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment provided in tutorials.

Feedback

Written feedback on essays. Students also take part in online quizzes that are linked to the main course text book. They have unlimited attempts and only when they score over 50% do they gain a mark that feeds into their overall course score.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr S Foster

Pre-requisites

None.

Overview

Covering the first essentials of archaeological enquiry, the course is structured around three central themes:

• The study of the past. A historical overview of the practice of archaeology.


• Understanding material culture. An introduction to the principles of artefact study, chronology, and typology.


• Archaeological methods. An introduction to the wide range of techniques used by archaeologists in their research, and an overview of the many scientific disciplines that contribute to the study of the past.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, and 5 two-hour practical workshops, which will be held at biweekly intervals throughout the half-session.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%) and in-course assessment (50%) in the form of a 1,500-word essay, practical worksheets, and participation in online quizzes.

Resit: 1 two-hour written exam (50%) PLUS original in-course assessment carried forward (50%).

Formative Assessment

Students take part in online quizzes that are linked to the main course text book. They have unlimited attempts and only when they score over 50% do they gain a mark that feeds into their overall course score.

Feedback

Written feedback on essays and oral feedback during practical workshops.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1002 or AY 1502.

Overview

Lectures examine the first colonisations of the North and trace how these earlier populations established the cultural, ethnic and religious diversity that defined later periods. Attention is also directed towards understanding the changing nature of contacts between indigenous peoples and European settlers. In particular, the course draws on a series of case-studies to examine:

• The earliest human colonisations of northern Eurasia and North America


• Later migrations and more recent inter-cultural contacts across the northern world


• The arrival of Vikings and other European settlers into the North


• The changing interactions between colonists and indigenous peoples

Structure

2 one-hour lectures a week with 2 reading weeks (16 lectures in total) and 3 two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment in form of an analytical poster (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (50%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (50%).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Detailed poster feedback forms; in-class tutorial feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1002 or AY 1502

Overview

As an advanced introduction to theoretical and ethical aspects of archaeological enquiry, the course includes two themes:

• Archaeological theory since 1950. World history of archaeological theory, starting with culture-historical approaches, adaptive and ecological perspectives, and moving on to recent post-processual and gender critiques. Concludes with an exploration of how archaeological theory might develop in the future.


• Archaeological ethics. Explores the political and moral implications of how archaeologists study and represent past societies. Considers issues of cultural heritage, artefact ownership and land-rights, and examines the politics of excavation, interpretation and repatriation.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures a week with two reading weeks (18 lectures in total) and 3 two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment in the form of a 2500-word essay (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (50%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (50%).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Detailed essay feed back forms; in-class tutorial feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1002 or AY 1502

Overview

As an advanced introduction to archaeological enquiry, the course focuses on the archaeology of social life and examines several inter-locking themes:

• Innovation, production and consumption


• Social identity and material culture


• Ritual and religion


• Personhood, death and the body


• Economic and environmental archaeology


• Settlement archaeology and landscape research

Structure

2 one-hour lectures a week with 2 reading weeks (18 lectures in total) and 3 two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment in the form of an analytical poster (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (50%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (50%).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Detailed poster feedback forms; in-class tutorial feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr R Knecht

Pre-requisites

Either AY 1002 or AY 1502

Overview

This course provides students with a detailed introduction to the ecological, economic and spiritual dimensions to the Archaeology of the North (defined here as Scotland, Northern Europe, Siberia, the North Pacific, North America and the North Atlantic). We will examine the diverse ways in which communities have made the northern world their home. The course draws on a series of case-studies to examine three interlocking themes:

• Human ecology of northern landscapes. Examines the opportunities and constraints that characterise high-latitude environments.


• Living in the North. Investigates some of the creative ways in which northern people have adapted to and transformed these ecological settings, including how societies have responded to frequent periods of severe climate change, and the role of technology in mobility and adaptation.


• The Northern Mind. Critically explores the abundant archaeological evidence for ritual, worship and spirituality, focusing on rock art, burial practices, sacred places and other forms of evidence. Ethnographic parallels are widely employed in the interpretation of these datasets.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures a week with 2 reading weeks (16 lectures in total) and 4 two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment in the form of a 2500-word essay (50%).

Resit: 1 two-hour written examination (50%) plus original in-course assessment carried forward (50%).

Formative Assessment

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms; in-class tutorial feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

This course will provide an introduction to the archaeology of Scotland with a chronological focus on the period from the earliest settlers to the major social and political changes of the Medieval period.

The course covers:

• Prehistoric archaeology with a particular emphasis on the social archaeologies of these periods.


• The emergence of complex societies in Scotland in the Early Historic and Medieval periods.


• Current research, debate and fieldwork projects in Scotland; the formation of the archaeological record in Scotland and the way it is recorded and managed.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture a week, plus four 1.5-hour tutorials plus one day-long fieldtrip (c.6 hours teaching).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed written feedback for essays will be given.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K Britton

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme year 3 or above or by permission of Head of School.

Co-requisites

None.

Overview

This course provides an overview of the key scientific methods that allow field archaeologists to maximize the quantity and quality of the material they can recover from sites, and which enhance the understanding and interpretation of archaeological sites and materials. Using a combination of lectures and practical workshops, the course will cover scientific methods of dating, artefact provenancing and ancient technologies, methods used for the study of diet, health, and movements of humans and animals in the past, and the identification of ancient pollution and other environmental impacts of human activities.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture or 1 two-hour practical/demonstration each week.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); coursework in the form of a critical review of a group of research papers (30%) and practical reports (20%).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed critical review and practical feedback forms.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at Level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 4004.

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

The course will provide students with a background to the prehistoric and historical archaeology of Northern North America. In addition to covering major material culture traditions from the earliest settlement of North America to the nineteenth century, this course will also probe some of the most important issues that have come to characterize the study of this diverse and culturally fluid continent. Topics will include different theories of cultural change, concepts of ethnicity, debates surrounding European contact, and the conditions of knowledge that inform our understanding of the past.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, excluding reading weeks (16 total) and 4 2-hour tutorials every three weeks.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%; essay).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Formative Assessment

In class quiz.

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms; in class seminar feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr P Jordan

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course builds on themes and case-studies presented in AY 2004 and AY 2504.

This course will be available in 2012/13, but will not be available in 2013/14.

Overview

The course will provide students with an advanced overview of hunter-gatherer studies, drawing primarily on circumpolar case-studies to illustrate theories and traditions of research but also deploying comparative insights from forager societies in more temperate latitudes.

Topics will include:

• Traditions of hunter-gatherer research from antiquity through to the present.


• Analytical frames of reference, including adaptive/ecological and interpretive/historical approaches.


• Ethnoarchaeology and uses of ethnographic analogy in archaeology.


• Technology.


• Subsistence, mobility and settlement.


• Hunter-gatherer innovations (lithics, pottery, animal husbandry, social complexity).


• Social relations, identity and personhood.


• Hunter-gatherer foodways.


• Spirituality and belief.


• Understanding long-term hunter-gatherer transformations.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, excluding reading weeks (16 hours total) and 4 two-hour tutorials, which will be held every three weeks (8 hours total).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms; in class tutorial feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K Milek

Pre-requisites

None.

Co-requisites

None, although AY 3003 is recommended for students in Archaeology single or joint honours programme.

Notes

This course is appropriate for Geography, Geology and soil science students as well as more humanities-based students taking the single or joint honours Archaeology programmes. It is a compulsory L4 component of the BSc in Archaeology, the BSc in Archaeology with Chemistry, and the BSc in Archaeology-Geoscience and is an optional L4 component of the BSc in Archaeology –Geography, and so is not available to these students at L3. This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 4006. Students will be asked to make a nominal contribution towards the cost of the field trip.

Overview

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the complex relationships between past human societies and the environments with which they were intimately associated, and covers important issues for the archaeology of all regions and time periods, including:

• Different theoretical and methodological approaches to the understanding of past human-environment relations


• Processes of archaeological site formation: the relationships between human activities, natural processes, and the physical characteristics of soils and sediments on archaeological sites


• Techniques used to reconstruct past human environments, and the importance of situating past cultural practices in their environmental context


• Archaeological case studies from around the world that link past human activities to large-scale landscape changes

Structure

2 one-hour lectures or 1 two-hour practical per week, excluding reading weeks (20 hours total) and a one-day field trip to examine and sample soils and sediments at a local archaeological site.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%), in the form of a field notebook (10%), a lab notebook (10%), and either a practical project or an essay (30%), depending on the students’ interests and background (3,000 words).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); re-sit exam (50%).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment of essay/project proposals and outlines; detailed essay feedback forms; oral feedback during labs and field trips.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr R Knecht

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme level 3 or above or by permission of Head of School.

Notes

Flexible or distance learning archaeology students take CLL courses KL 305B or KL 355B (Scottish Archaeology: Designing and Managing; 15 credits) AND KL 305C or KL 355C (Scottish Archaeology: Archaeological Resource Management; 15 credits) as a substitute for this core course; this course may therefore not be part of a graduating curriculum with KL 305B/KL 355B or KL 305C/KL 355C.

Overview

This course will explore the diversity of practices that characterise archaeology as a discipline. Through a combination of lectures, tutorials, practical workshops and field trips, students will gain an awareness of the wide range of techniques that may be used to recover and analyse archaeological data, including excavation, survey and sampling methods, ethnoarchaeological and experimental methods, and the use of databases and statistics. The course also surveys the range of methods used to present archaeological information to different audiences, and explores the ways that archaeological theory can be incorporated into archaeological practice.

Structure

1 one hour lecture per week, 5 two hour practicals every other week with two reading weeks (20 hours in total) and two day-long field practicals (c. 8-10 hours each).

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%), consisting of short practical exercises/reports and a practical project.

Resit: No resit is possible.

Feedback

Detailed assignment feedback forms given.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in programme level 3 or above or by permission of Head of School.

Co-requisites

Previous participation in fieldwork project as agreed in advance by course co-coordinator.

Notes

Normally the field project will be the departmental field school (or other project approved by the course co-ordinator), and will take place during the summer before programme year 3, but it may sometimes be possible to join a field project taking place during the Easter Vacation of programme year 3. Students considering this course are highly recommended to consult with the course co-ordinator during the second half-session of programme year 2.
Any students with concerns about physical disability should consult with the course co-ordinator as early as possible. The Department is committed to making reasonable adjustments to enable students to achieve the learning outcomes of the degree programme.

Overview

The course provides a systematic framework that enables students to maximise the benefits of participating in an archaeological field project, including the learning of key excavation, survey and recording skills, and the communication of archaeological field data. During and after their participation in the field project, students will receive instruction in how to assemble a portfolio that includes a summary of the aims, methods and results of the approved field project, examples of the student's own excavation and survey records, a field diary, and an artefact study.

Structure

At least 80 hours of field experience on an approved archaeological field project (120 is recommended), followed by 6 one-hour lectures/tutorials to support students in the production of materials for their portfolio.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Coursework (100%) in the form of a fieldwork portfolio.

Resit: No resit is possible.

Feedback

Detailed written feedback on coursework will be provided.

Credit Points

10

Course Coordinator

Dr S Foster

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Archaeology Programme Year 3 (single or joint honours) who have passed AY 3007 Advanced Archaeological Practice.

Notes

Junior honours students must pass this course to proceed to senior honours.

This course is a pre-requisite for Archaeological Research Project Part 2. For flexible/distance learning students, KL 3553 (Archaeology Dissertation: Introduction) is taken as a substitute for this course and AY 3503 (5 credits; The Archaeological Workplace). Therefore, this course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with KL 3553.

Overview

This course reviews the range of archaeological study methods and introduces students to the process of archaeological research design. The course covers techniques for advanced library research, writing and editing longer pieces of work, preparing abstracts and bibliographies, and assessing the ethical issues involved in original research. Students will receive supervision in the development of an original archaeological research project, and will prepare a project outline, an annotated bibliography, and a literature review that places the proposed research in its archaeological, methodological and theoretical context.

Structure

6 two-hour seminars/workshops during the first half of the term and c. 4 hours of personal supervision.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%) consisting of a research project outline, a literature review, and an annotated bibliography.

Formative Assessment

Feedback during seminars.

Feedback

Detailed written assignment feedback.

Credit Points

5

Course Coordinator

Dr K Milek

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Archaeology programme level 3 (single or joint honours).

Notes

This course is designed to help students obtain an optional work placement on an archaeological excavation, in a museum, in an archaeological laboratory, in a government agency or an institution that specialises in public archaeology. The expectation is that by the end of the course students who wish to will have successfully arranged a 6-8 week work placement for the summer between programme years 3 and 4. This work placement does not necessarily have to be related to the student's intended honours research project, but some students may choose to incorporate into their research project original research carried out on the work placement.

For flexible/distance learning students, KL 3553 (Archaeology Dissertation: Introduction) is taken as a substitute for this course and AY 3502 (10 credits; Archaeology Research Project: Part 1). Therefore, this course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with KL 3553.

Overview

Co-taught by Careers Advisers, this course will provide an overview of the diverse range of archaeology-related professions and possible summer work placements in archaeology. The course instructors will provide guidance and support for student job applications and the course will cover practical skills such as how to write curriculum vitae and cover letters, and how to conduct effective job interviews.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures, 2 two-hour lectures and 1 two-hour practical session on interview techniques.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%), comprising a completed CV (40%), a cover letter (40%), and a mock interview (20%).

Feedback

Formative feedback on CVs and cover letters is provided by Careers Service Advisors in person or over email (e.g. for distance learners). Detailed feedback forms are provided for submitted CVs, cover letters, and the mock interview, and some specific comments may also be written on the CVs and cover letters themselves. Immediate oral feedback and anonymous peer-review feedback forms are provided in the mock interview practical session.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None, although AY 3001 is recommended.

Notes

Note that the student contribution to the field trip is likely to be £200-£250. This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 4504.

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

Landscape archaeology is now widely recognized as is a major area of contemporary research. This course will provide an overview of contemporary approaches to landscape in archaeological analysis highlighting their importance for a truly contextual archaeology. Topics will include prehistoric and historic landscapes, the situation of sites and monuments in their physical environment, island archaeology, seascapes and rock art. These topics will be addressed through a variety of geographical and chronological examples, and will include practical engagement facilitated through a four-day study trip to the Orkney Isles.

Structure

10 one-hour lectures and a four-day study trip to Orkney during the Easter Vacation (c.6 hours teaching per day)

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); coursework (50%; critical book review).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Formative Assessment

Informal assessment.

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms; field trip discussions.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor K Dobney

Pre-requisites

AY 3003 Archaeological Science is recommended for students in MA Archaeology single or joint honours programmes and is compulsory for students in BSc Archaeology programmes.

Notes

This course is appropriate for Geography, Geology, and Biology students, as well as more humanities-based students taking the single or joint honours Archaeology programmes. It is a compulsory component of the BSc in Archaeology, the BSc in Archaeology with Chemistry and the BSc in Archaeology-Geography. This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY4507.

Overview

The course will provide students with a multi-trajectory pathway for studying and understanding a range of important issues associated with the complex intersections of human culture, behaviour and ecology. Through lectures, practicals and seminar sessions students will gain a detailed understanding of key research themes in palaeoecology, including:

• (a) human-environment interactions and their relationship to subsistence, diet, health and welfare.


• (b) the dispersal of humans, plants and animals around the globe (e.g. human, plant and animal migrations, colonisations, diasporas, Neolithic farming dispersals, etc.)


• (c) the social, economic and religious impacts of new kinds of human relationships with plants and animals and wider ecological settings.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture every two weeks (8 hours total), 4 two-hour practical based laboratory sessions (8 hours total), 4 two-hour tutorials (8 hours total).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%) in the form of an essay.

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms. Oral feedback provided in tutorials and lab practicals.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K Milek

Pre-requisites

None although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course will not be running in 2013/2014. This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 4509. Students will be asked to make a contribution towards the cost of a field trip to the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh.

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

This course provides students with an overview of the Viking Age peoples of Scandinavia, and their dramatic expansion in the 8th-11th centuries AD. We will review the archaeological evidence for population and settlement patterns, ethnicity and social structure, the development of urban centres and commerce, and Viking Age religion, and will chart the political process that led to the rise of the modern nation states of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. This Scandinavian background will then be set in the wider context of the Viking diaspora, examining Norse contact, conflict, trade and colonisation from Canada in the West to the Asian steppe in the East.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week (excluding reading weeks), 3 one-hour practical workshops, and a one-day field trip to the National Museum of Scotland.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); coursework (50%) in the form of a 3,000-word essay (30%) and an artefact project presented in the form of an A0 poster representing the backboard of a museum display (20%).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour examination (50%).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is provided for a mock-up of the Viking artefact display board.

Feedback

Formative assessment on artefact project proposals is provided using MyAberdeen's assignment feedback form. Summative feedback is provided on detailed essay and project feedback forms, and some specific notes may be written on the assignments themselves.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr R Knecht

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 4511 or AY 3508 / AY 4508.

This course will be available in 2012/13, but will not be available in 2013/14.

Overview

The course will provide students with an overview of the ways that archaeology engages with non-academic stakeholders, including northern indigenous peoples, northern communities, interest groups and the public.
Issues will be explored through detailed case studies of collaborative projects.
Topics will include indigenous archaeologies, community-based archaeology, public archaeology and interpretation of archaeological data to the public in the media and in museum contexts. The important relationship between indigenous groups and museums will also be examined, focussing on repatriation claims for cultural property stored in collections and also new initiatives to use museums as a means of empowering the indigenous voice.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures/seminars per week, excluding reading weeks (16 hours total), and 4 two-hour tutorials which will be held every three weeks (8 hours total).

Assessment

1st Attempts: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: Marks for continuous assessment carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms. Oral feedback provided in tutorials.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr G Noble

Pre-requisites

Between AY 3001 and AY 4001 there are likely to be 30+ students per year.

Notes

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

This course will provide an in-depth introduction to the archaeology of Scotland with a chronological focus on the period from the earliest settlers to the major social and political changes of the Medieval period. The course covers:

• Prehistoric archaeology with a particular emphasis on the social archaeologies of these periods.


• The emergence of complex societies in Scotland in the Early Historic and Medieval periods.


• Current research, debate and fieldwork projects in Scotland. The formation of the archaeological record in Scotland and the way it is recorded and managed.

Structure

1 one-hour lecture a week, plus four 1.5-hour tutorials plus one day-long fieldtrip (c.6 hours teaching).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%), continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%), 1 two-hour examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed written feedback on essays will be provided.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr S Foster

Pre-requisites

Available only to students in Programme Year 4 of an Archaeology degree programme [and who will therefore have completed AY 3502, ie Part I of this course]

Notes

For flexible learning students, KL 4054 (Archaeology Dissertation) is equivalent to this module and is taken instead of this module. Therefore, this course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with KL 4054.

Overview

This course builds directly on skills acquired in AY 3502 (Archaeological Research Project Part I), during which students were trained in Archaeological study methods and research design. In completing their dissertation, students will be expected to demonstrate that they can: undertake independent research, conduct advanced library searches; prepare literature reviews situating their research question in its archaeological, methodological and theoretical context; gather, analyse and interpret appropriate datasets; write and edit longer pieces of work; prepare abstracts and bibliographies; assess the ethical issues involved in original research. Students will receive supervision in the completion of their original archaeological research project.

Structure

Individual supervision sessions with an appropriate member of staff (normally up to 6 hours) supplemented by other modes of contact between staff and student, where appropriate.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Examination of dissertation (100%).

Resit: No resit is possible.

Feedback

Feedback during 1:1 meetings with dissertation supervisors and comments on written drafts.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 3004.

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

The course will provide students with a background to the prehistoric and historical archaeology of Northern North America. In addition to covering major material culture traditions from the earliest settlement of North America to the nineteenth century, this course will also probe some of the most important issues that have come to characterize the study of this diverse and culturally fluid continent. Topics will include different theories of cultural change, concepts of ethnicity, debates surrounding European contact, and the conditions of knowledge that inform our understanding of the past.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, excluding reading weeks (16 total) and 6 two-hour tutorials.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%; essay and research design).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%)

Formative Assessment

In class quiz.

Feedback

Detailed essay and project design feedback forms; in class seminar feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr P Jordan

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course builds on themes and case-studies presented in AY 2004 and AY 2504.

This course will be available in 2012/13, but will not be available in 2013/14.

Overview

The course will provide students with an advanced overview of hunter-gatherer studies, drawing primarily on circumpolar case-studies to illustrate theories and traditions of research but also deploying comparative insights from forager societies in more temperate latitudes. Topics will include:

• Traditions of hunter-gatherer research from antiquity through to the present.


• Analytical frames of reference, including adaptive/ecological and interpretive/historical approaches.


• Ethnoarchaeology and uses of ethnographic analogy in archaeology.


• Technology.
• Subsistence, mobility and settlement.


• Hunter-gatherer innovations ( lithics, pottery, animal husbandry, social complexity).


• Social relations, identity and personhood.


• Hunter-gatherer foodways.


• Spirituality and belief.


• Understanding long-term hunter-gatherer transformations.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week, excluding reading weeks (16 hours total) and 4 two-hour tutorials, which will be held every three weeks (8 hours total); plus 4 further hours of seminars/directed learning.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms; in class tutorial feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K Milek

Pre-requisites

Co-requisites

None, although AY 3003 Archaeological Science is recommended for students in Archaeology single or joint honours programmes.

Notes

This course is appropriate for Geography, Geology, and Soil Science students, as well as more humanities-based students taking the single or joint honours Archaeology programmes. It is a compulsory component of the BSc in Archaeology, the BSc in Archaeology with Chemistry, and the BSc in Archaeology-Geoscience, and may be used to fulfil compulsory programme requirements for the BSc in Archaeology-Geography. This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 3006. Students will be asked to make a nominal contribution towards the cost of the field trip.

Overview

This course takes an interdisciplinary approach to the complex relationships between past human societies and the environments with which they were intimately associated, and covers important issues for the archaeology of all regions and time periods, including:

• Different theoretical and methodological approaches to the understanding of past human-environment relations.


• Processes of archaeological site formation.


• The relationships between human activities, natural processes, and the physical characteristics of soils and sediments on archaeological sites.


• Techniques used to reconstruct past human environments, and the importance of situating past cultural practices in their environmental context.


• Archaeological case studies from around the world that link past human activities to large-scale landscape changes.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture or practical per week (24 hours total), a one-day field trip to examine and sample soils and sediments at a local archaeological site, and 2 two-hour seminars.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%), in the form of a field notebook (10%), a lab notebook (10%), and either a practical project or an essay (30%), depending on the students' interests and background (3,000 words).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is provided for essay/project proposals and outlines; oral feedback is provided during labs and field trips.

Feedback

Formative assessment on essay/project proposals and outlines is provided using MyAberdeen's assignment feedback form. Summative feedback is provided on detailed field notebook, lab notebook and essay feedback forms, and some specific notes may be written on the assignments themselves.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr J Oliver

Pre-requisites

None, although AY 4001 is recommended.

Notes

Note that the student contribution to the field trip is likely to be £200-£250. This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 3504.

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

Landscape archaeology is now widely recognized as is a major area of contemporary research. This course will provide an overview of contemporary approaches to landscape in archaeological analysis highlighting their importance for a truly contextual archaeology. Topics will include prehistoric and historic landscapes, the situation of sites and monuments in their physical environment, island archaeology, seascapes and rock art. These topics will be addressed through a variety of geographical and chronological examples, and will include practical engagement facilitated through a four-day study trip to the Orkney Isles.

Structure

10 one-hour lectures and a four-day study trip to Orkney during the Easter Vacation (c.6 hours teaching per day); plus 4 further hours of seminars/directed learning.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%; critical book review).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Formative Assessment

Informal assessment.

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms; field trip discussions.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Professor K Dobney

Pre-requisites

AY 3003 Archaeological Science is recommended for students in MA Archaeology single or joint honours programmes and is compulsory for students in BSc Archaeology programmes.

Notes

This course is restricted to Level 4 students only.
This course is appropriate for Geography, Geology, and Biology students, as well as more humanities-based students taking the single or joint honours Archaeology programmes. It is a compulsory component of the BSc in Archaeology, the BSc in Archaeology with Chemistry and the BSc in Archaeology-Geography. This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 3507.

Overview

The course will provide students with a multi-trajectory pathway for studying and understanding a range of important issues associated with the complex intersections of human culture, behaviour and ecology. Through lectures, practicals and seminar sessions students will gain a detailed understanding of key research themes in palaeoecology, including:

• Human-environment interactions and their relationship to subsistence, diet, health and welfare.
• The dispersal of humans, plants and animals around the globe (e.g. human, plant and animal migrations, colonisations, diasporas, Neolithic farming dispersals, etc. )


• The social, economic and religious impacts of new kinds of human relationships with plants and animals and wider ecological settings.

Structure

1 two-hour lecture every two weeks (8 hours total), 4 two-hour practical based laboratory sessions (8 hours total), 4 two-hour tutorials (8 hours total); plus 6 further hours of dedicated Level 4 seminars based on the presentation and discussion of topics within the three key themes.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%) in the form of an essay.

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms. Oral feedback provided in tutorials, lab practicals, and seminars.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr K Milek

Pre-requisites

None although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course is restricted to Level 4 students only.

This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 4509. Students will be asked to make a contribution towards the cost of a field trip to the National Museum of Scotland, in Edinburgh.

This course will not be available in 2012/13, but will be available in 2013/14.

Overview

This course provides students with an overview of the Viking Age peoples of Scandinavia, and their dramatic expansion in the 8th-11th centuries AD. We will review the archaeological evidence for population and settlement patterns, ethnicity and social structure, the development of urban centres and commerce, and Viking Age religion, and will chart the political process that led to the rise of the modern nation states of Norway, Sweden and Denmark. This Scandinavian background will then be set in the wider context of the Viking diaspora, examining Norse contact, conflict, trade and colonisation from Canada in the West to the Asian steppe in the East.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures per week (excluding reading weeks), 3 one-hour practical workshops, a one-day field trip to the National Museum of Scotland, and 2 two-hour seminars.

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); coursework (50%) in the form of a 3,000-word essay (30%) and an artefact project presented in the form of an A0 poster representing the backboard of a museum display (20%).

Resit: Marks from continuous assessment to be carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Formative Assessment

Formative assessment is provided for a mock-up of the Viking artefact display board, and during the seminars.

Feedback

Formative assessment on artefact project proposals is provided using MyAberdeen's assignment feedback form. Summative feedback is provided on detailed essay and project feedback forms, and some specific notes may be written on the assignments themselves.

Credit Points

30

Course Coordinator

Dr C Hillerdal

Pre-requisites

Available only to student at level 4 of an Archaeology degree programme.

Notes

For flexible/distance learning student, a CLL course (KL 4528) , will substitute this module and is taken instead of this course.

Overview

The course integrates various components of Archaeological study to date, and students are expected to draw together, and build on, their knowledge from previous courses to tackle challenging and perhaps unfamiliar topics through analysis, discussion and open debate. Students will consolidate their skills as confident and autonomous learners and communicators through oral presentations and written work.

Structure

Core teaching: 12 two-hour seminars, one per week (with 6-8 hours of set reading per seminar). Attendance to the seminars is mandatory and students are expected to actively contribute to the discussion. In addition, students will take it in turns to give a 20-minute introductory presentation at the start of each seminar, to develop discussion questions and to lead the seminar. These presentations will be assessed. Students are also required to attend the Northern Archaeological Research Seminar Series.

In addition, students will be required to:

• Write a critical research essay on a 'current issue' of their choice.


• Write a critical review of one of the seminars presented in the department's Northern Archaeological Research Seminar Series.


• Undertake a day trip to a major museum (eg. Edinburgh's National Museum), followed by a critical written review of a museum exhibition or display.

Assessment

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (based on a portfolio of coursework as described above) (100%).

Resit: No resit is possible.

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback and presentation feedback forms: in class seminar feedback.

Credit Points

15

Course Coordinator

Dr R Knecht

Pre-requisites

None, although at least one Archaeology course at level 1 or 2 is recommended.

Notes

This course may NOT be included in a graduating curriculum with AY 3511 or AY 3508 / AY 4508.

This course will be available in 2012/13, but will not be available in 2013/14.

Overview

The course will provide students with an overview of the ways that archaeology engages with non-academic stakeholders, including northern indigenous peoples, northern communities, interest groups and the public. Issues will be explored through detailed case studies of collaborative projects. Topics will include indigenous archaeologies, community-based archaeology, public archaeology and interpretation of archaeological data to the public in the media and in museum contexts. The important relationship between indigenous groups and museums will also be examined, focussing on repatriation claims for cultural property stored in collections and also new initiatives to use museums as a means of empowering the indigenous voice.

Structure

2 one-hour lectures/seminars per week, excluding reading weeks (16 hours total), and 4 two-hour tutorials which will be held every three weeks (8 hours total).

Assessment

1st Attempt: 1 two-hour written examination (50%); continuous assessment (50%).

Resit: Marks for continuous assessment carried forward (50%); 1 two-hour written examination (50%).

Feedback

Detailed essay feedback forms. Oral feedback provided in tutorials.