Admission requirements
BA degree (or equivalent) in Prehistoric archaeology or a relevant discipline;
Admission to the Research Master Archaeology programme.
Description
This is a course in which key developments in Prehistoric Europe will be discussed, taking place between the 7th and the end of the 1st millennium BC. The emphasis is on how Prehistory shaped the modern world.
The focus is on agrarian communities. Themes that may be addressed include the spread of farming in Europe, the rise and history of ritual landscapes, the deep history of migration, Prehistoric religion and cosmology, invention and adaptation of metallurgy, Bronze Age and Iron Age “world systems”, ethnogenesis (Celts, Germans, Scythians), and the legacy of Prehistory in modern Europe.
A central theme of the course will be how to deal with and encapsulate such broad issues in regional, practical research, and if/how it plays a role in debates on contemporary society. The lectures will be closely linked to current research of our section members.
This is an interactive course, which means that a part of each lecture session is dedicated to a discussion on the basis of literature and an assignment, and a part in which a broader background is presented on the issues being debated.
This way you will build your knowledge of and insight into the most fundamental interpretative themes of European Prehistory, and you will be trained to formulate your own views on them.
Each week you will write a paper in which you try to answer/explore the question that has been posed about the literature. At the end, you write an essay on a theme of your own choice, reflecting on a particular research question.
Due to its broad perspective, the course is not only of interest to students who plan a future career in the archaeology of early Europe (both in terms of fieldwork/material culture, museums and heritage), but also to students who are interested in links between the Mediterranean and Near East on the one hand, and ‘Barbaric’ Europe on the other.
Although participating in the same sessions as the MA-students, assignments will be different and more demanding for RMA-students. We also expect the RMA-students to start and stimulate discussion. In addition, they will write a different type of essay in which a theme is explored in more depth, and new directions for research are being formulated.
Course objectives
Knowledge of and insight in key developments in European Prehistory from the Neolithic to the Iron Age and ability to situate these in broader, more global developments, or contextualise these in social-historical discussions;
Ability to review the significance of such regional/local research in terms of such broader issues;
Ability to quickly combine and assess the opinions of others on Prehistoric key themes;
Ability to report such reviews orally and in writing;
Ability to assess and evaluate different theories and use these to formulate original/innovative new directions of research;
Ability to stimulate and facilitate discussion.
Timetable
Course schedule details can be found in the RMA and RMSc time schedule.
Mode of instruction
Formal lectures;
Discussion based on written assignments.
Course load
The course load will be distributed as follows:
6 × 2 hours of lectures plus one tutorial with a smaller group (1 ec);
4 short assignments based on a specific RMA question about the literature (300 words each) (1 ec);
250 pages of literature (2 ec);
Final essay of ca. 1,800-2,000 words: new directions of research (1 ec).
Assessment method
4 short assignments (300 words each) (50%);
Final essay (1,800-2,000 words) (50%);
Participation in discussion (bonus of max. 0.5, used to round up grade).
A retake is only possible for the final essay and only if all other requirements have been met, including attendance and submission of all assignments.
All assessment deadlines (exams, retakes, paper deadlines etc.) can be found in the RMA and RMSc examination schedule.
The assignments have strict (weekly) deadlines.
Reading list
The reading list will be published on BlackBoard.
Registration
Registration via uSis is mandatory.
The Administration Office will register all BA1 students for their tutorials (not lectures; register via uSis!).
BA2, BA3, MA/MSc and RMA/RMSc students are required to register for all lectures and tutorials well in time.
The Administration Office registers all students for their exams, students are not required to do this in uSis.
Contact
For more information about this course, please contact dr. Q.P.J. (Quentin) Bourgeois.
Remarks
Compulsory attendance.