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

Course starts: 13 Jan 2025

First live webinar:  20 Jan 2025, 4:00-5.00pm (UK time)

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

Credit Application Transfer Scheme (CATS) points 

To earn credit (CATS points) for your course you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee for each course you enrol on. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. If you do not register when you enrol, you have up until the course start date to register and pay the £30 fee. 

See more information on CATS point

Coursework is an integral part of all online courses and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework, but only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard. 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. 

Digital credentials

All students who pass their final assignment, whether registered for credit or not, will be eligible for a digital Certificate of Completion. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so. 

Please note that assignments are not graded but are marked either pass or fail. 

Fees

Description Costs
Course Fee £285.00
Take this course for CATS points £30.00

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.
  • 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

Learning takes place on a weekly schedule. At the start of each weekly unit, students are provided with learning materials on our online platform, including one hour of pre-recorded video, often supplemented by guided readings and educational resources. These learning materials prepare students for a one-hour live webinar with an expert tutor at the end of each weekly unit which they attend in small groups. Webinars are held on Microsoft Teams, and provide the opportunity for students to respond to discussion prompts and ask questions. The blend of weekly learning materials that can be worked through flexibly, together with a live meeting with a tutor and their peers, maximise learning and engagement through interaction in a friendly, supportive environment.

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.      

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 the required standard.

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 first live webinar 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 £30 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.

The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.

Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)

To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.

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.

Terms & conditions for applicants and students

Information on financial support