Archaeology (BA): 3-year, full-time

COURSE STRUCTURE

The BA Archaeology is a structured programme of taught modules, designed to develop historical and archaeological understanding and critical skills.

Our new survey course options range from the ancient to the contemporary world and will introduce you to the key themes you need to know about when studying the past. In keeping with our tradition of teaching an impressive chronological breadth within one department, these modules cover the time from prehistory to the present, moving across continents and cultures.

In parallel with these cutting-edge surveys, we offer a range of compulsory 'How to' modules which bring you together with academic staff to explore the study of the past and develop the skills needed to research and write history. Every year, as you build your studies and progress towards your degree, you will take one of these courses, helping you to develop your own unique perspective on the past.

Both the survey courses and our ‘How to’ courses run annually so that it doesn't matter whether you study part-time or full-time with us - you will be able to make the most of them.

The programme consists of 11 modules. You will be required to undertake five days of archaeological fieldwork.

In Year 1, you take three compulsory modules, including the fieldwork module, and choose one Level 4 option module.

In Year 2, you take one compulsory module and choose three Level 5 option modules.

In Year 3, you choose two Level 6 option modules and write a dissertation.

YEAR 1 COMPULSORY MODULES

• Approaching the Past
• Discovering Archaeology: From Field to Finds Room
• Thames through Time: Birkbeck/MOLA Field School

YEAR 2 COMPULSORY MODULES

• Exploring the Past

YEAR 3 COMPULSORY MODULE

• Writing the Past: Dissertation

INDICATIVE LEVEL 4 OPTION MODULES

• The Ancient World
• The Archaeology of Greece and Rome

INDICATIVE LEVEL 5 OPTION MODULES

• Archaeology of the Everyday
• Beginnings: The Archaeology of Prehistory
• Crossing Borders: Passports, Bodies and the State, 1600 to Today
• London 1600-2000: people and power in the making of a global city
• The Archaeology of a Greek Sanctuary

INDICATIVE LEVEL 6 OPTION MODULES

• A sense of space: travellers and maps in the pre-modern world
• Archaeological Landscapes
• Blood and Faith: Violence, Religion and Heresy in Medieval and Early Modern Europe
• Crime, Poverty and Protest in England and Beyond, 1500-1800
• Stories in Stuff: the medieval and early modern worlds in 20 texts and objects
• The Archaeology of Early Medieval Britain
• The Archaeology of Human Evolution
• The Athenian Empire
• The Empire of Letters: Correspondence in the Roman World
• The Viking Impact, c 750-1100

Please note that all option modules are an indicative selection only. Except for Level 4 core modules, option modules are usually taught in alternate years, subject to change due to staff departure or temporary leave. Because all modules are rooted in our staff's world-class research, module choices may also change over time to reflect new developments in scholarship and new research directions by individual staff members. Please bear in mind that over the course of an academic year, planning your modules for the following year will become gradually more certain, and you should not consider any options ‘available’ until you are notified of this by the Department via official module choice forms. Even when these have been sent it may be necessary to cancel courses due to circumstances beyond the Department’s control, though this will be avoided wherever possible.

Birkbeck makes all reasonable efforts to deliver educational services, modules and programmes of study as described on our website. In the event that there are material changes to our offering (for example, due to matters beyond our control), we will update applicant and student facing information as quickly as possible and offer alternatives to applicants, offer-holders and current students.