AR3R13: The archaeology and anthropology of money

Module code: AR3R13

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

Credits: 20

Level: Level 2 (Intermediate)

When you'll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Dr John Creighton, email: j.d.creighton@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: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 20 May 2024

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This module focuses on the nature of money, past and present (and touch on the future). Since the rise of accounting systems in Mesopotamia and coinage in China and Ancient Greece, monetary systems have been used to transfer value between people as society scaled.

The module examines a wide variety of systems through the lens of a series of different themes: including definitions of money (and their link with power relations); anthropological ideas about its origin and nature; the variance in societal value systems, its use in propaganda, the link between money and states; the importance of money in cult and ritual practices. The module covers both anthropological and archaeological approaches, and in most cases, these will be mixed.

Case studies relating to these theme will be drawn from every continent (including Antarctica!) and from ancient to modern systems, it will also include discussion of where experimentation in money is going.

Module learning outcomes

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

1. Demonstrate a thorough knowledge of a chosen monetary system, conducting a literature review, and diving deeply into a thematic aspect of it aligned with the themes discussed in the seminar programme (e.g. ritual use, inequality, propaganda, value-systems, colonialism)
2. Demonstrate an overview knowledge of the variety of value-exchange systems that have existed, and how money is many things, not one thing
3. Show an awareness of this knowledge in relation to broader theoretical and interpretive debates which have taken place in anthropology and archaeology
4. Present archaeological and anthropological arguments in written form, and be able to support them with relevant detail

Module content

This module focuses on the nature of value-transfer systems, known as money. The course has a thematic structure, approaching different issues and approaches each week. Students develop an interest and knowledge of a chosen monetary system and see how each theme applies to their material, and contributes to discussion each week.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

This course is taught through a combination of highly interactive lectures/seminars, group discussions and debates, student presentations, directed reading, and assignments.

Each teaching session will last two hours, some divided into a one hour lecture, and a one-hour discussion/seminar, others involving repeated discussion throughout.

There will be an additional hour each week which is for you project development (your assignments), which will involve developing your research skills and sharing your insights and giving each other feedback as you develop your work.

As a 20 credit module, the module should involve 200 hours of study time: attending lectures and seminars, general background reading, preparing for seminars, and reading for, and writing, your written coursework. 

Study hours

At least 33 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.

Reassessment

Additional costs