World Archaeology



Overview

This course introduces the origins and development of numerous past societies located across the world including Ancient Egypt, The Near East, Mesoamerica, The Indus Valley, China, Sub-Saharan Africa, Polynesia, and more. How and when did these societies form?

We explore a range of themes beginning with the spread of humans across the world at the end of the last major ice age. Major societal and economic changes then occurred in the Holocene with the emergence of agriculture and the domestication of plants and animals. After existing as small, mobile, hunter-foragers societies for millions of years, transitions to agricultural societies began to take place. We ask: when and where did agriculture first appear, did it emerge independently in different regions, how did it spread, and what impact did it have upon people and society?

One major consequence of agriculture was the aggregation of societies into villages, then towns and cities. A surplus of food allowed economic and cultural specialisations to occur, with technological innovations such as pottery production and monumental architecture becoming prevalent in some societies. Hierarchical societies formed as organisation and management systems became more complex. We also explore the emergence of belief systems, funerary practices, writing, the first cities of the world, state formation, large-scale warfare, and explore contact between different regions and societal collapse.

World Archaeology is a fast-moving and inspiring subject that explores the richness of human cultural diversity. We draw upon the latest archaeological discoveries in the field and upon cutting-edge scientific advances being made in the laboratory in areas such as genetics, isotopes, radiometric dating, and satellite imagery analyses. However, questions and mysteries still remain, which we will discuss each week!

We also consider themes relevant to today, such as the legacy of imperialism, colonialism, and slavery, the repatriation of human remains and material culture, major environmental change, civilisational collapse, and how appreciation of our rich and diverse cultural past can be a source of hope for humanity in the future.

Programme details

Courses starts: 18 Sep 2023

Week 0: Course orientation

Week 1: Ancient Near East

Week 2: Ancient Egypt

Week 3: Prehistoric Europe

Week 4: The Mediterranean World

Week 5: Indus Valley

Week 6: Sub-Saharan Africa 

Week 7: Ancient China

Week 8: Southeast Asia and Polynesia

Week 9: Americas

Week 10: Colonialism and Imperialism

Certification

Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.

Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £257.00
Take this course for CATS points £10.00

Funding

If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:

Concessionary fees for short courses

Tutor

Dr Richard Jennings

Richard is an Associate Professor/Reader at Liverpool John Moores University specialising in Palaeolithic Archaeology and World Archaeology. He completed a D.Phil. at Oxford University on the Neanderthals of Southern Iberia and specialises in field archaeology and the analysis human societies in a landscape context. He undertakes excavations in Gibraltar and Ireland. His research and teaching is inspired by the exploration of what makes us human from a biological and cultural perspective, and in the origins of past societies across the world.

Course aims

To explore societal and cultural development around the world using the latest archaeological methods, perspectives and discoveries.

Course objectives:

  • Describe and explain the origins of agriculture and the domestication of plants and animals, and what impact this seminal development had upon human societies.
  •  When do we first see evidence for the development of social hierarchies in early societies? We examine themes such as burial differentiation, monumental architecture, the emergence of communal storage, the appearance of administrative buildings such as temples, writing, warfare, trade, and urbanism.
  • Did early societies develop independently? What similar trends can we identify in them, and what makes them unique?
  • Reflect upon how the examination of past societies is highly relevant today, with colonialism and imperialism, repatriation of human remains and material culture, and human responses to environmental change all major issues in our world.

Teaching methods

This online course will consist of a one-hour pre-recorded lecture released in advance of each live session. The pre-recorded lectures will be complemented by a one-hour live, structured discussion session.

Each week students will be asked to look at online resources concerning a particular topic that will then be discussed in the live sessions. They will also have the opportunity to ask questions more generally about each week’s lecture.

Learning outcomes

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

  • describe the origins of a range of cultural traditions around the world drawing on the latest archaeological discoveries;
  • develop an appreciation of how advances in archaeological science are transforming our understanding of past societies;
  • present a comprehensive review of specified themes/controversies for the purpose of academic discussion and debate.

Assessment methods

Students will have the choice of preparing:

Either

Option A: several shorter pieces of coursework (total approx. 1500 words) based on class discussion topics;

Or

Option B: a single 1500-word assignment, from a list of assignment questions. 

Advice on producing coursework will be given by the tutor during the course.      

Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form

Application

We will close for enrolments 7 days prior to the start date to allow us to complete the course set up. We will email you at that time (7 days before the course begins) with further information and joining instructions. As always, students will want to check spam and junk folders during this period to ensure that these emails are received.

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £10 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online.

Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an enrolment form (Word) or enrolment form (Pdf).

Level and demands

This is an introductory course suitable for anyone with an interest in World Archaeology. No previous knowledge is assumed.

Most of the Department's weekly classes have 10 or 20 CATS points assigned to them. 10 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of ten 2-hour sessions. 20 CATS points at FHEQ Level 4 usually consist of twenty 2-hour sessions. It is expected that, for every 2 hours of tuition you are given, you will engage in eight hours of private study.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support