Archaeology

Programme Structure & Content

First Year

• Introduction to Archaeology 1
  • The Study of the Past: a Global History of Archaeological Enquiry
  • Being Human: Early Hominins and the Development of Culture
  • Material Culture: the Principles of Artefact Study
• Introduction to Archaeology 2
  • Introduction to the Practice of Archaeology
  • Transformations: the Global Development of Human Complexity
  • Introduction to the Archaeology of the British Isles
• Plus courses from two other disciplines (67% of study time)

Second Year

• Interpreting the Past
• Archaeologies of Social Life
• Archaeology of the North: Colonisation and Culture Contact
• Archaeology of the North: Lifeways and World-Views

Third Year

• Scottish Archaeology
• Advanced Archaeological Practice
• Archaeological Science
• Archaeological Fieldwork Portfolio
• Archaeological Research Project Part 1
• The Archaeological Workplace
• Plus 3 course options chosen from a range available:
  
  • North American Archaeology
  • Archaeologies of Landscape
  • Viking Archaeology
  • courses from other disciplines

Fourth Year

• Archaeological Research Project Part 2
• Current Issues in Archaeology
• Plus Up to 4 advanced course options from a range available

Teaching & Assessment

All students attend lectures, seminars and tutorials, and make a number of excursions to ancient monuments and museums in Scotland. In the Honours years there is an emphasis on field and research skills, with a required fieldwork component. A dissertation provides students with the opportunity to tackle an original piece of research.

Honours students will participate on Departmental field projects in Scotland and elsewhere in the northern world, where they will receive practical training in survey, excavation and documentation methods. There are also opportunities for places on our Field Schools in Iceland and Alaska. Beyond the formal training projects, students are strongly encouraged to improve their practical skills by seeking additional field and placement work. Staff are happy to advise and help with such opportunities, which include projects based overseas.

Assessment is by means of written exams and continuous assessment.