ARCH40145: Conservation Theory and Method

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• To provide the knowledge required to plan the conservation of archaeological and museum objects in a professional manner.
• To develop an understanding of the evolution of the field, its organisation and present day aims as well as the methodologies it employs.
• To develop the student's understanding of how ethical factors influence the development of conservation approaches.

• The module covers the physical, chemical and biological decay mechanisms for archaeological and museum object materials, the theoretical underpinning for conservation treatments and the development of the subject of conservation. A progression of seminars are designed to engage students in ethical debates to develop their judgement skills.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• A substantive understanding of the history and organisation of conservation, and the key ethical ideas and debates that underpin it.
• A detailed understanding at an advanced level of archaeological and historic materials and technologies, in order to appreciate and recover the information contained in every object.
• A detailed knowledge of the physical and chemical basis for the decay, stabilisation and conservation processes of ancient and historic materials.
• An understanding of the diverse contexts within which conservation is undertaken and their impact on project planning and development.
• A well-developed understanding of the ethical underpinning needed for pro-active decision-making in conservation work.

Subject-specific Skills:

• Mastery of the research and skills relevant to assessing emerging conservation approaches.
• The module covers the physical, chemical and biological decay mechanisms for the materials from which archaeological and museum are made as well as the theoretical underpinning for conservation treatments and the development of the subject of conservation. A progression of seminars are designed to engage students in ethical debates and to build their judgement skills regarding treatment methodology and theory.

Key Skills:

• Communication in written, image, computer and verbal formats to a professional standard.
• Demonstrate to a professional standard, an ability to undertake research, collect information (data) and critically evaluate it, and to draw appropriate conclusions.

• Teaching is primarily provided through lectures, seminars, site visits and DUO. Learning is primarily achieved through independent study, lectures, discussions, visits, observing objects their decay and treatment. Assessment is achieved through essays & short answer test.

The formative consists of two short writing projects (1500 words and 2000 words) which build the skills needed for accessing, assessing and undertaking conservation research.

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