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Master Internship: Applied Archaeology

Course
2021-2022

Admission requirements

Admission to the Master Archaeology programme, specifically the Applied Archaeology track.

Description

In this internship you will apply and hone your skills, preferably within a professional context, to enhance your employability. The internship provides a practical application to complement the more theoretical aspects of the master programme.
The internship involves a small practical project of at least 15 working days, and can have various forms: fieldwork (excavation, survey, etc.), policy advice, heritage management, material study, public archaeology, etc.

Before the start of the internship, you will write a feasible internship proposal, which has to be approved and evaluated by the course coordinator and internship provider before the internship can take place. An important component is to gain more practical experience within the chosen field.

It is also essential that you learn to make your own well-considered decisions. You must also critically reflect upon the practical activities, and place these in a wider comparative framework (be it theoretically, methodologically or regionally), as well as contextualise the importance of the activities, and evaluate how this experience affects your own development in the chosen field. This will be part of the requirements for the internship report.

The practical skills demonstrated will be evaluated in a written assessment form by the supervisor of the institute where the internship is carried out, but the final mark will be assigned by the internship coordinator. The internship comprises:

  1. Internship proposal (work plan) including:
  • Relevant internship information (project background and aims, internship duration, on-site supervisor/project leader);

  • Methodological and theoretical framework of the research subject of the internship;

  • Aim and research questions of the internship;

  • Your motivation: how this internship contributes to your academic or professional development;

  • Reflection: how you will contribute to the internship project.

Please note: approval of the internship proposal is required before the internship starts, and is to be handed in preferably 4-6 weeks before the start of the internship.

  1. Internship, minimum of 15 working days.

  2. Reflective internship report, referring to the work plan, including:

  • An evaluation of the research context, including a literature review and the theoretical framework;

  • A description of work done during the internship, including the results;

  • A critical discussion of methodology and practice, including recommendations;

  • A critical personal reflection: evaluation of your own functioning and acquired skills.

The Master Internship: Applied Archaeology is part of the learning line 'fieldwork'. This learning line runs through all years of study, and consists of the courses Field Techniques, Field School 1, Field School 2, Internship BA3 and -optionally- Master Internship: Applied Archaeology. Skills acquired are kept in a portfolio.

Course set-up

  • 1 introduction lecture (September or March);

  • 15 days of internship;

  • Writing of the report.

Course objectives

  • Learning how to apply advanced practical (archaeological) skills, including a critical interpretation and view on the chosen methods;

  • Gaining (more) experience (under supervision) in working in a professional environment;

  • Ability to understand and critically review the relevance of archaeology and heritage in present-day society;

  • Ability to understand and critically review the legal and social context and obligations of a project or company;

  • Ability to critically evaluate the operationalising of a research project;

  • Ability to write a feasible work plan, containing a methodological framework, clear research questions, and a demonstration of how to operationalise the research questions;

  • Ability to successfully and independently carry out a project within a limited period of time;

  • Ability to write a scientific report on the results, describing the activities and why certain choices were made, and critically reflect on the results and operationalisation of the research questions, also in a broader, multidisciplinary context and in the context of one’s own academic development;

  • Ability to work in a professional team;

  • Enhancing your employability by increasing practical skills needed for a future job.

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

One introduction class about framework internship and work plan, expectations of and from students; examples of good internships and autonomous work under supervision.

Course load

  • Internship of at least 15 working days in the Netherlands or abroad (4 ec);

  • Internship proposal and reflective internship report (1 ec).

Assessment method

  • Evaluation of the practical skills (50%);

  • Internship report (50%).

A retake consists of an improvement of the evaluation report within 3 weeks after the first submission, but only if all other requirements have been met.

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.

The internship report needs to be handed in within 6 weeks after the end of the internship.

Reading list

To be announced.

Registration

Registration in uSis is mandatory. You can register for this course until 5 days before the first class.

Registration in uSis automatically leads to enrollment in the corresponding Brightspace module. Therefore you do not need to enroll in Brightspace, but make sure to register for this course in uSis.

You can use the study activity number in the timetable for registration.

Contact

For more information about this course, please contact dr. R. (Richard) Jansen.

Remarks

  • Compulsory attendance during the internship;

  • Final examination (the internship report) is also possible in Dutch.