AR1MET: Archaeology today: methods and practice

Module code: AR1MET

Module provider: Archaeology; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: Level 1 (Certificate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 1 / 2

Module convenor: Professor Mary Lewis, email: m.e.lewis@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2024/5

Available to visiting students: No

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

The module provides you with a comprehensive introduction to the main methods and practices currently employed in modern archaeology, both in archaeological fieldwork and post-excavation analysis. It is taught through a mixture of lectures, seminars, practicals and a residential field class. It is assessed entirely by coursework. The module aims to provide you with essential knowledge of the variety of methods and techniques used in modern archaeology, an understanding of the current practice of archaeology in the UK, and an opportunity to develop practical archaeological and research skills. 

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. evaluate the main methods by which archaeologists acquire, date and analyse their primary evidence;
2. examine and interpret archaeological evidence;
3. locate published and digital sources, as well as additional sources relevant to the course, through guided and independent literature searches, and to extract relevant information from them;
4. independently gather and organise information and to present an argument in writing, while fulfilling the formal requirements for University-level coursework.

The module will also introduce you to aspects of numeracy, information handling and data analysis. The seminars, practicals and fieldwork will encourage you to develop your problem-solving and oral communication skills in group situations.

Module content

The module provides a theoretical and practical overview of the methods and approaches employed in modern archaeology, as well as an introduction to research skills. The major part of the module deals with methods of field archaeology (archaeological prospection and excavation), relative and absolute dating methods, environmental evidence (plant and animal remains, biomolecular archaeology) and artefact analysis (stone and metal objects, pottery and small finds). You will have the opportunity to examine environmental, geophysical and artefactual evidence through a series of Semester 2 practicals, and a residential field class. Seminars provide further training in archaeological stratigraphy and site interpretation. 

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module is team-taught by members of the Archaeology department. At the core of the module are lectures, seminars, and practicals (both lab-based and in the field). Lectures are linked to preparatory and follow-up reading, thus providing a comprehensive introduction to each of the covered themes. Seminars, practicals and  the residential field class will give you the opportunity to practically apply some of the methodological principles and techniques introduced in lectures to real-world archaeological evidence. The module is entirely assessed by coursework: a group-based fieldwork report (based around the residential field class and supported by other practical classes), and an individual project critique. 

This is a 20-credit module, which means that it is intended to occupy you for 200 hours of work: practical classes, module-wide sessions, background reading, and preparing and writing your option assessments. With that in mind, the kind of workload you should expect might be as follows: 

• 48 hours: contact in formal teaching sessions 
• 12 hours (1 day): residential field class 
• 40 hours: background reading and notetaking 
• 10 hours: seminar presentation 
• 40 hours: researching and writing and presenting your critique 
• 50 hours: researching and writing your fieldwork report 

Study hours

At least 43 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each working day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three working days;
• the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension to the deadline): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three working days of the deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three working days after the original deadline (or any formally agreed extension of the deadline): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: https://www.reading.ac.uk/cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

You will work in small groups during classroom and fieldtrip sessions on non-assessed interactive exercises. 

Reassessment

Additional costs