Key facts

Type	Online and Distance Learning
Location	Online
Dates	Wed 2 Oct to Fri 13 Dec 2013
Subject area(s)	Archaeology
CATS points	10
Fees	From £220.00
Application status	Applications being accepted
Course code	O13P362AHV
Course contact	If you have any questions about this course, please email onlinecourses@conted.ox.ac.uk.

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Overview

How do archaeologists recognise and interpret the lives of past peoples and their societies? An introduction to the methods and techniques of archaeological enquiry, from initial site survey and excavation to scientific analysis.

Description

Archaeology is everywhere, from the buildings we walk past to the landscapes we travel through. Beginning with the history of archaeology and its growth from antiquarian hobby, this course will explore the practices and methods of excavation and interpretation. We will look at the diverse techniques and skills archaeologists have developed to tease out the stories of the past from objects and landscapes. We will learn to read archaeology in the earth and from plans and drawings. We will examine the archaeology of burials and begin to explore what artefacts may have meant to our ancestors. At the same time, we will explore questions about what archaeology really means, both in the broader context, and at the individual level.

Programme details

1. What is archaeology?
2. Reading the landscape
3. Excavation techniques
4. Types of sites and features
5. Artefacts: ambassadors from the past
6. How old is it?: archaeological dating
7. Archaeological science
8. Burial archaeology
9. Making sense of it all: interpretation
10. Whose archaeology? Museums, the past and the public

We strongly recommend that you try to find a little time each week to engage in the online conversations (at times that are convenient to you) as the forums are an integral, and very rewarding, part of the course and the online learning experience.

Staff

Course aims

This course aims to introduce the methods and practices of archaeology to students with little or no previous knowledge of the subject. This course will enable students to:

• understand how archaeologists collect, analyse, and interpret data.
• become familiar with the different types of evidence available and to learn to critically assess such evidence.
• critcally analyse and discuss such current topics as the relationship between archaeology and the public and the ethical debates around dealing with human remains.
• further develop their interest in archaeology.

Certification

This course is accredited and you are expected to take the course for credit. To be awarded credit you must complete written contributions satisfactorily. Successful students will receive credit, awarded by the Board of Studies of Oxford University Department for Continuing Education. The award will take the form of 10 units of transferable credit at FHEQ level 4 of the Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS). A transcript detailing the credit will be issued to successful students.

Assessment methods

Assessment for this course is based on two assignments, placed midway through the course and completed in the 10 weeks of the course (the second assignment due at the end of week 10). Students will have two weeks to complete each assignment. The first piece will be a short exercise designed to demonstrate their understanding of a concept or concepts. Feedback from this will be designed to give them an idea of the progress they have made and of those areas of their work that might need more attention. The later piece of work allows students to demonstrate their learning on the course as a whole.

Level and demands

FHEQ level 4, 10 weeks, approx 10 hours per week, therefore a total of about 100 study hours.

Recommended reading

To participate in the course you will need to have regular access to the Internet and you will need to buy the following textbook:

Greene, K,: Archaeology: an introduction 5th ed (2010). Routledge,London

Teaching methods

• Introduction to and overview of the session, highlighting the main issues to be examined and discussed
• Guided readings (required and optional)
• Tutor’s notes and handouts
• Practical activities, including discussion on the unit forum
• Concluding comments and indication of areas for further independent study and research.

Teaching outcomes

By the end of this course students will be expected to:

1. have an appreciation of the diverse skill sets and techniques applied in archaeology.
2. be able to think critically about material and textual evidence
3. be prepared to further pursue their interests in archaeology, either though furthering formal study or visiting sites and museums.


By the end of this course students will have gained the following skills:

1. Critical assessment of different types of evidence and their context
2. Correlation of many threads of evidence to arrive at a narrative interpretation
3. Present clear and rational arguments to defend the interpretation of evidence

Fee options

Programme Fee

Home/EU Fee: £220.00

Non-EU Fee: £295.00

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