Studiegids

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Osteology

Vak
2023-2024

Admission requirements

  • Bioarchaeology or equivalent obtained;

  • This is a seminar with a limited number of participants (32), for Archaeology students exclusively;

  • BA3 students who want to take this course: please contact the Administration Office. You can only be admitted if there are spots left, BA2 students will have priority.

Description

Human osteoarchaeology is the study of human skeletal remains found in an archaeological context. Analysis of the human skeleton is absolutely integral to understanding the past, as it provides primary evidence of the people enacting and experiencing the world.

The focus of this course is the identification of human skeletal and dental remains, and then application of this knowledge to learn more about individuals and populations. Moreover, it includes a discussion on the ethical treatment of human skeletal remains.

Course set-up

Two days of on-campus lectures and practical assignments of 12 hours in total (2 x 6 hours).
Each course day will consist of a lecture of varying length, individual/group practical assignments, and a quiz and/or feedback on the assignment.

Course objectives

  • Ability to recognise and identify human bones and teeth;

  • Ability to estimate sex, age-at-death of adults and non-adults, and stature;

  • To become familiar with common pathological conditions;

  • Understanding the ethical responsibilities and practices related to the study of human remains.

Timetable

Course schedule details can be found in MyTimetable.
Log in with your ULCN account, and add this course using the 'Add timetable' button.

Mode of instruction

  • Lectures;

  • Practical sessions with assignments.

Assessment method

  • Practical anatomy test (40%);

  • Written exam (30%);

  • Skeletal analysis + written report (30%).

There will be one final result for this course. For all assessments, at least a 5.0 or higher is necessary in order to pass the course. A retake is only possible for the exam and the skeletal analysis + report.

Assessment deadlines

All assessment deadlines (exams, retakes, paper deadlines etc.) can be found in MyTimetable.
Log in with your ULCN account, and add this course using the 'Add timetable' button. To view the assessment deadline(s), make sure to select the course with a code ending in T and/or R.

For other deadlines, please see the course syllabus on Brightspace.

Reading list

Mandatory textbook:

  • The Human Bone Manual, T.D. White & P.A. Folkens (2005), ISBN: 978-0-12-088467-4.

Registration

Registration start dates for the BA2 seminars differ from the registration dates of the regular courses.

Registration will take place with the use of forms. These will be e-mailed by the study advisers to all BA2 students and pre-master students at the beginning of March 2024.

The Administration Office will register all Archaeology BA2 students in uSis for their seminar exams. However, confirmation of these exams in MyStudymap is mandatory. No confirmation = no participation!

Contact

For more information about this course, please contact dr. R. (Rachel) Schats.

Remarks

Compulsory attendance. Students can miss no more than one class.