Admission requirements
BA degree (or equivalent) in Archaeology or a relevant discipline.
SAP and exchange students: admission after approval by the Graduate School of Archaeology.
Description
Seminar which teaches the student how to translate research problems in to fieldwork strategies and in multi-disciplinary research. Based on the casus of a large scale excavation, project outlines are made in small teams (excavation company / consultancy). The outlines should take in account up-to-date knowledge of cultural processes and translate these into research questions that can be answered through excavation and post-excavation analysis. The teams try to calculate the financial consequences of their project outlines as well.
Method of instruction
After formal lectures sessions students carry out group assignments. They entail the formulation of a research design for a large scale excavation involving several periods. They present their research briefs to the group (5 sessions) and after feed-back write a final brief. Guest lectures on project management are given by senior archaeologists / project leaders from ARCHOL or other companies.
Examination
Assessment is based on the oral presentations and on the written assignment (project outline).
Goals:
Applying interpretative approaches to data within the field of Prehistoric Archaeology.
Translating research problems into practical fieldwork and laboratory work.
Gaining knowledge of field methods.
Learning how to bid in market situations for archaeological projects.
Gaining knowledge on the Dutch Quality Norm (KNA 3.1).
Learning to assess critical factors in research (risk analysis).
Formulating a well argumented opinion on current issues.
Oral presentation skills.
Working in a team.