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ARCH40160: FIELD PROJECTS

It is possible that changes to modules or programmes might need to be made during the academic year, in response to the impact of Covid-19 and/or any further changes in public health advice.

Type Tied
Level 4
Credits 60
Availability Not available in 2024/2025
Module Cap
Location Durham
Department Archaeology

Prerequisites

  • None

Corequisites

  • None

Excluded Combinations of Modules

  • None.

Aims

  • To give students the opportunity to engage in the survey of archaeological or historical landscapes and structures, enabling them to practice, develop and demonstrate their surveying, visualisation, analytical and interpretation skills.

Content

  • The nature of the work undertaken in this module will vary, depending on the types of site and survey chosen by the student. It is intended that there will be limited intervention from members of staff, but the module tutor will arrange supervisory meetings, and be available to offer advice.

Learning Outcomes

Subject-specific Knowledge:

  • How to make decisions about which approaches and techniques are appropriate to the investigation of a site structure
  • How to process the data derived from site surveys and interpret the results in terms of their archaeological meaning
  • The ability to understand the significance of a site and discuss this in the context of its region and period

Subject-specific Skills:

  • The ability to organize a campaign of fieldwork
  • The ability to deploy sophisticated instruments in the field
  • The ability to negotiate access to archaeological sites with landowners, tenants and official bodies

Key Skills:

  • The ability to write and present reports which demonstrate an understanding of both the application of techniques and the archaeological value of the information which has been obtained.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

  • By the time they take this module students will have undertaken a range of formal teaching in the form of lectures, practicals and supervised fieldwork. This module gives an opportunity for them to practice and develop the skills they have learned with a minimum of supervision. The students will undertake two surveys of archaeological sites, structures or landscapes, and a report on each site will be produced to professional standards. At least one report must include a discussion of the site in the broader context of its place in the archaeology of its region and period.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

ActivityNumberFrequencyDurationTotalMonitored
LecturesYes
Tutorials55 
Seminars 
Practicals  
Fieldwork135 
Preparation & Reading460 
Other:  
Total600 

Summative Assessment

Component: Practical PortfolioComponent Weighting: 100%
ElementLength / DurationElement WeightingResit Opportunity
Practical Portfolio containing survey data, analysis and publication-quality reports on two sitesMax. 80 pages100 

Formative Assessment

Two project designs (one per site) of not more than 1500 words each

More information

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