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Mini conference series with "Climate change during the Quaternary Period in Europe" as a theme

Vak
2014-2015

Compulsory attendance

-

Admission requirements

Degree students (including Dutch BA graduates): BA or BSc-degree (or equivalent) in Archaeology or a relevant discipline.

Description

The idea of this part of the MSc track is to act as a ‘bridge’ from student to early career academic. The students will be exposed to a conference setting. They will have to research a topic, produce a PowerPoint presentation, and deliver the presentation to an audience. When they are not presenting they will read the relevant literature provided by the students who are speaking and ask questions to the speakers.

3 mini conferences will take place relating to climate change in the Early, Middle and Late Pleistocene in Europe. Present at each mini conference will be a visiting senior researcher who is active in investigating climate change in the 3 time periods. This senior academic will also present, ask questions, and get involved in the resulting discussions.

Course objectives

  • To gain an up-to-date knowledge of climate change during the last 2.6 million years in Europe and understand its relevance to hominins and humans;

  • Ability to independently research literature on a given theme;

  • To understand (recent) geological climate fluctuations and their relationship to present climate change and climate forecasts;

  • Ability to critically assess research on climate fluctuations, present this, and voice one’s own properly argumented opinion;

  • Ability to present an oral paper on a theme that contains a critical assessment of the literature and includes the student’s own properly argumented opinion.

Ects distribution

The course load will be distributed as follows:

  • 7×2 hours of lectures;

  • 280 pages of literature;

  • Presentation.

Timetable

Course schedule details can be found in the MA time schedule.

Mode of instruction

Self-instruction with guidance: in a conference setting discuss, ask questions, and deliver an oral presentation on a theme.

Assessment method

  • Participation (literature review, questions asked);

  • Presentation (PowerPoint and oral delivery).

Assessment deadline

Assessment takes place during the mini conferences.

Reading list

To be compiled by the students.

Registration

Register for this course via uSis.
Instructions for registration can be found in the uSis manual.

Contact information

For more information about this course, please contact prof. dr M. van Kolfschoten or dr M.H. Field.