BA Archaeology and History

Compulsory modules

Revolutions and Transitions: The Human Journey from 6 Million Years Ago to the Present Day

Discover how archaeological research has shaped our understanding and knowledge of the development of human society over the last 6 million years, from our earliest ancestors through to the present day. You’ll learn how archaeological methods are used to reconstruct the human past and identify major issues of debate in our history.

Archaeology Today: Methods and Practice

Uncover the main methods and practices currently employed in modern archaeology, both in archaeological fieldwork and post-excavation analysis. You’ll gain essential knowledge on the variety of techniques used in modern archaeology and an understanding of current practice in the UK. 

Perspectives in History

Gain a geographically and chronologically broad study of history, discovering the potential pathways available to you throughout your degree. You’ll not only examine specific historical contexts, but also the historiographies, methodologies and theories that have shaped historians’ perspectives.  

Making History

Embark on your own research project to refine the transferable skills required for studying, and producing, history at university level. You’ll be guided through the process of effective reading, understanding historiographical debate, and how to write in a concise and convincing manner.  

Optional modules 

Warfare in Early Modern Europe, c. 1500-1715

Consider the relationship between warfare, and its ‘badges, battles and buttons’, with the wider social, economic and political contexts. You’ll be introduced to war and warfare in early modern Europe and study the consequences of war and the historical basis of our contemporary ideas on war.  

Doomsday Dystopias: Nuclear Disaster in the Cold War Imagination 

Examine four real Cold War nuclear episodes and the impacts these events had on fictional imagination of disaster: the 1945 Hiroshima/Nagasaki A-bombings which ushered in civil defence in 1950s America; 1962’s Cuban Missile Crisis; 1983’s ‘Able Archer’ NATO exercise that almost triggered war, and 1986’s Chernobyl disaster in the USSR.  

US Environmental Diplomacy from Nixon to Obama

Explore the evolution of US foreign policy on environmental issues from the Nixon administration to the Obama administration. You’ll be introduced to key ideas and debates on the role of the environment in US foreign policy and learn to reflect critically upon the historical basis of contemporary ideas about global environmental change.  

After Malthus: Sex, Society, Sustainability and the Politics of Population in the Long Nineteenth Century

Discover the legacy of Thomas Malthus’ ‘population principle’ in shaping a series of debates across the long nineteenth century and its influence upon ideas of birth control, natural selection, ‘Social Darwinism’, and environmental sustainability.  

Forensic Anthropology and the Archaeology of Death

Learn the archaeological methods and theories employed in the scientific study of the dead, both from the modern forensic and older archaeological contexts. Gain insight into how humans have buried their dead over the time, analyse skeletal remains, and conduct fieldwork in a cemetery survey.  

Contemporary World Cultures: An Introduction to Social Anthropology

Gain a general introduction to social anthropology – the study of human societies and cultures. You’ll explore key themes in the discipline through the study of topics including kingship and marriage, gender and sexuality, the role of religion, ritual and witchcraft in social life, and contemporary hunting and gathering societies.  

Presenting the Past: An Introduction to Museum Studies

Examine how contemporary museum practice contributes to social challenges. Visits to museums, case studies and theory will help you to consider the origins of museums along with how information is collected and presented to different audiences.   

Merlin the Magician

Explore the rise and transformations of the figure of Merlin and its influence upon ideas of magic, prophecy, natural philosophy and power. Examine a period stretching from the twelfth to the twentieth century to develop an understanding of long-term patterns of historical change.

Optional Language Modules 

Learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you. 

These are the modules we typically offer at this level of study. If you have any questions about specific modules, please email the Archaeology Admissions Tutor at archaeology@reading.ac.uk.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

There is more module choice in Year 2, although you have to take a minimum number of certain types of modules (e.g. one 'period' module in Archaeology, and one 'professional development' module). For further details, see the list of options below or please contact the Archaeology Admissions Tutor. 

Optional modules

Archaeology and Heritage: Past, Present and Future

Discover how and why archaeologists have excavated and interpreted the material remains of past societies over time. You’ll examine interpretations of the past through to the modern day, spanning the ancient Near East and Classical Greece and Rome. You’ll also examine the evolution of ideas, considering how wider society has changed archaeology and how it may continue to develop in the future.  

Ancient Objects: Materials and Meanings

Learn the skills, techniques and interpretative frameworks specific to the study of artefacts, including how they’re recorded, analysed and interpreted. You'll be exposed to a wide range of artefacts covering two chronological periods as you explore methodological aspects and analyse data for your dissertation.  

Prehistoric Europe: the First Million Years

Uncover Europe’s pre-history, from the earliest Palaeolithic through to the Iron Age c. 1,600,000 – 800 BC), from Turkey and the Balkans to Britain, Ireland and Scandinavia. You’ll consider important research questions and themes such as technology, dietary strategies, life histories, hominin cognitive abilities, settlement and burial archaeology, ritual practice, and comparative anthropology.  

Archaeology Field School and Professional Practice

Gain a practical, hands-on introduction to field techniques and site recording methods used on both urban and rural excavations. You’ll spend four weeks on a departmental excavation and participate in site work including excavation, finds and sample processing, geophysics, survey and aspects, and geoarchaeology.  

Bioarchaeology

Learn the key methods employed in the examination of human and animal skeletal remains from archaeological sites, and utilise skeletal collections held by the Department of Archaeology. You’ll uncover the role of the osteoarchaeologist, and learn how to identify, record and analyse human and non-human remains.  

Changing the Face of the Earth: Past, Present and Future Sustainability

Examine how archaeology, environmental science and anthropology can provide a deep-time perspective on global challenges and sustainability and how they may contribute to future solutions. You’ll explore the historical emergence, sustainability, and collapse of communities and civilisations, alongside the role of humans in changing climate and ecosystems in the future. 

Celts and Romans: Northern Europe and Britain

Explore the character of archaeological evidence concerning Roman presence in Northern Europe from 300 BC to AD 300, and its relation to the documentary evidence. You'll delve into the major social, cultural and economic changes of the region in this period.

Medieval Europe: Power, Religion and Death

Gain a comprehensive understanding of the contribution that archaeological evidence, approaches and interpretation have made to an understanding of Europe over the ‘Long Middle Ages’, c. AD 500-1600. You'll make thematic comparisons between different geographical, cultural and temporal contexts in Europe and familiarise yourself with key transformations and developments embraced by this period. You'll also gain a first-hand experience from a field trip to Winchester - one of the richest medieval urban landscapes in southern England. 

Museum Learning and Engagement

Critically examine the learning role of museums in society and discover resource design, evaluation, and visitor research. Talks from museum-based professionals and museum visits will allow you to contextualise and apply your learning.  

Curatorship and Collections Management

Explore the methods used by professionals to store, catalogue, and research objects, and to communicate their meanings to the public. You’ll receive an induction to these methods and undertake assignments based on objects in the University’s collections.  

Going Public: Presenting the Past, Planning the Future

Explore public interpretations of the past and how history has been presented in the world outside of academia. You’ll work collaboratively with external partners on a group project which will challenge you to deal with ‘difficult’ history and conflicting narratives as you engage with wider audiences.  

People, Power and Revolution: Political Culture in Seventeenth-century England

Explore the turbulence of the political landscape in the seventeenth century as you study events such as Charles I’s execution and Oliver Cromwell’s rise to power. You’ll consider the extent ordinary people knew of, or were involved in, politics, what events led to revolution, and how politics compared from the beginning to the end of the century.  

Hollywood Histories: Film and the Past

Tackle film aesthetics and off-camera censorship and reception as you study historical films evoking a different past from the present in which they were made. Ranging from silence to epic, to television to slow-burn docudramas, you’ll question how films reflect or shape popular notions of the past.  

Europe in the Twentieth Century

Explore the geopolitical dynamics of modern European history from the formation of the German nation state in 1971 to the aftermath of the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s. You'll consider why twentieth-century Europe was so violent, how warfare has evolved, and how Europe’s role has changed in a contemporary sense.  

Medieval Medicine 

Study classical medical theories through to the plague in the fourteenth century. You'll explore religious concepts, the early Middle Ages, transmission of medical knowledge and medical schools, hospitals and charity, diagnosis and prognosis, women’s health and more. 

‘The Brightest Jewel in the British Crown’: The Making of Modern South Asia, 1757-1947

Discover the role of South Asia in international politics and globalisation, exploring key themes in the making of modern South Asia during the period of British colonial rule over the Indian subcontinent and its impact on the wider imperial world.  

Reform and Revolt in the Modern Middle East: Egypt from Ataturk to the ‘Arab Spring’

Examine the key events, individuals and themes that shaped the Middle East in the 20th century, with a particular focus on Egypt. You’ll explore the origins and impact of Arab nationalism, outline the key Arab-Israeli wars and their consequences, and critically appraise the presidencies of Nasser, Sadat and Mubarak.  

The Crusades, 1095-1291

Survey the history of the ‘golden age’ of crusading (1095-1291) and reflect on the crusaders, the crusades, and the crusader states within their historical context. Develop a sophisticated understanding on the religious, political, social and economic reasons for the crusades.  

Encountering the Atlantic World, 1450-1850 

Become introduced to the Atlantic World, discovering the impactful connections made between the 14th and 18th century and their turbulent influence on culture, economies and political structures. Explore how these connections have left an important and, at times, unsettling legacy in the modern world.  

Women and Medieval History

Explore the role of women throughout the centuries with a particular focus on Western Europe. Learn how social status, cultural revolution, and other social and economic dynamics impacted how these women engaged with, and contributed to, the world around them.  

Black Britain: Race and Migration in Post-war Britain

Explore race in post-war Britain and how immigration has rendered contemporary Britain into a truly multi-cultural society. You'll study the influx of immigration from the 40s, 50s and 60s and the restrictive immigration acts that followed, and analyse the experience of migrants and the political responses of both the white population and black power and civil rights groups.  

The Colonial Experience: Africa, 1879 to 1980

Survey the history of British – and also German, Belgian, and French – colonialism with an outlook into its legacy in Africa, South of the Sahara, 1879. Reflect on how the colonial experience relates to gender, age, social status and initiative. 

Summer Placement

Take the opportunity to complete a research or professional placement during the summer vacation preceding Part 2 or Part 3 of your degree. You can work alongside a member of staff on a current project based in the UK or internationally, or with a professional organisation, consultancy or government organisation.   

Optional Languages Modules

Learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you. 

These are the modules we typically offer at this level of study. If you have any questions about specific modules, please email the Archaeology Admissions Tutor at archaeology@reading.ac.uk.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.

Compulsory modules

Dissertation in Archaeology

Plan, organise and carry out an independent archaeological research project. You’ll undertake primary research as you critically assess previous approaches to a research question and identify or design methods relevant to its solution.

OR

Dissertation in History

Develop powers of synthesis and analysis and refine your knowledge on your chosen dissertation topic. You'll develop vital research skills as you explore specialised literature and primary sources and articulate a well-versed argument. 

Optional modules

Science and the Dead: Taphonomy and Chemistry in Human Remains

Explore the knowledge and skills required of archaeologists who specialise in human remains. You’ll learn how to use biomolecular methods to reconstruct the living from the dead and develop your understanding of taphonomy. 

The Anthropology of Heritage and Cultural Property

Explore how heritage is an important global industry for tourism and heritage site conservation. You’ll discover the historical development of concepts, politics, and legal claims on heritage and cultural property in the contemporary world. 

Objects and Identities in the Roman Empire 

Explore the relationships between the consumption of objects and the expression of individual and group identities in the Roman world. You’ll focus on issues such as ethnicity, regionality, and the use of objects to represent feminine and masculine. 

Biological Anthropology

Discover key methods used by human bone specialists, starting with the identification of human remains. You’ll learn how to examine bones for disease and injury, along with methods for assigning biological sex, age-at-death, and stature to a skeleton. 

Post-excavation: Assessment, Analysis and Publication in the Profession

Prepare for employment in professional archaeology by learning post-excavation techniques and legal and planning policy frameworks. You’ll analyse records of an excavation and create a dated stratigraphic sequence for a post-excavation site report. 

Emergence of Civilisation in Mesopotamia

Deepen your knowledge of Mesopotamia from the 4th to the 2nd millennium BC. You’ll explore the origins of writing and socio-politics, the nature of power, city-states and empire, and human-environment inter-relationships, resources, trade, and exchange. 

The First Europeans: Archaeology of the Lower Palaeolithic

Explore the earliest archaeological evidence in Europe covering hominin evolution, their technologies, diets, and survival strategies. You’ll also consider the dramatically changing climates, habitats, and landscapes of the Lower Palaeolithic world. 

The Archaeology and Anthropology of Food

Explore how food contributes to our understanding of all human populations as a biological necessity and social commodity. Themes such as feasting, cannibalism, gender, migration, and colonialism will be considered. 

Living in Medieval Towns 

Follow the evolution of towns and cityscapes from post-Roman times to the emergence of medieval towns. You’ll discover the socioeconomic complexities of urban centres, effects of the Black Death, and complexities of modern urban archaeology. 

Neolithic and Early Bronze Britain

Explore anthropological and archaeological interpretation of neolithic and early bronze age Britain. Topics include farming, treatment of the dead, ritual practices, the nature of settlement, perceptions of the landscape, and the arrival of metal to the British Isles. 

Archaeology of the Dark Ages

Explore the archaeology of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and British-speaking areas of England from the 5th to 10th centuries. You’ll examine interactions between them and the wider world, and their transformation by Christianisation and political centralisation. 

The American Civil War 

Reflect on the historical impact on the American Civil War and how it shaped understandings of what it means to be American, particularly in relation to face. You’ll examine issues of contingency and consider how historians have understood the causes and consequences of the conflict.  

Pirates of the Caribbean: Empire, Slavery, and Society, 1550-1750

Study the development of piracy and maritime raiding as a historical phenomenon, and its consequences for early modern empires. You'll reflect on the ways attitudes regarding piracy developed and were understood within differing social contexts and consider historical interpretation of piracy and its significance to politics, economics and gender.  

Utopia: The Quest for a Perfect World

Explore humanity’s most cherished and long-standing dream: the quest for a perfect world. Discover the roots of utopian tradition in contrast to modern ideals of utopia c.1800-c.2000, examining attempts to put utopia into practice in small and large scales – from communes to examples of Yugoslavia and Cuba.  

Medieval Magic and the Origins of the Witch-Craze

Absorb the history of magic as you gain an understanding of medieval practices and theories of magic. You’ll consider the wider social contexts within which they were developed to gain a deeper understanding on why they were welcomed or repressed.  

'Battleaxes and Benchwarmers': Early Female MPs 1919-1931

Assess the aftermath of suffrage and reassess the importance of the 1918 Representation of the People Act on British democracy. You'll examine the impact of the acts in relation to women, and the emergence of female MPs throughout the transformative social, political and economic context of the 1920s.  

Axis at War: Life and Death in Fascist Italy and Nazi Germany, 1936-45 

Explore Italian and German society during a war which sparked civil war in Italy and sent millions to their deaths in the Holocaust. You'll examine diaries, letters, secret police reports and Allied Intelligent assessments to gain a view of life under fascism and the differing experiences of the Second World War. 

The United States and the Cold War

Explore the evolution of US foreign policy during the Cold War as you examine the impact of the conflict on US domestic politics and the wider influence of the Cold War on US society and culture.

From Darwin to Death Camps? Evolution and Eugenics in European Society, 1859-1945

Examine the reception of Darwin’s ideas and their influence in shaping social theories. You’ll focus on the shifting perceptions of a desirable social and biological order found in attempts by science, medicine and the State to influence heredity and evolution, regulate sexuality and reproduction, and eradicate disease and defect.

Poor Law to Hostile Environment

Examine the language and policy based on concepts of repatriation and expulsion of migrant and minority groups in modern Britain. You'll explore the notions of ‘self’ and ‘other’, the concept of 'foreignness' and 'home', attitudes toward migration, and the relationship between voluntary and forced forms of repatriation spanning from the early nineteenth century to the twenty-first century. You'll gain insights into how migration, minority identities, and responses to migration have influenced modern British politics, economics, culture, and society and analyse long-term historical patterns, the relationship between ideas and policies, and the cyclical nature of migration discourse.

Optional Language Modules 

Learn one of ten languages offered by the University at a level appropriate for you. 

These are the modules we typically offer at this level of study. If you have any questions about specific modules, please email the Archaeology Admissions Tutor at archaeology@reading.ac.uk.

Please note that the University cannot guarantee that all optional modules will be available to all students who may wish to take them.

You can also register your details with us to receive information about your course of interest and study and life at the University of Reading.