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Master Internship Archaeology

Course
2023-2024

Admission requirements

  • Admission to the Master Archaeology programme, specifically the Global Archaeology or 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 much-needed practical component to complement the more theoretical aspects of the master programme.

The internship involves a practical project of at least 15 (5 ec) or 30 (10 ec) working days, and can take various forms: desk-based assessment, fieldwork (excavation, prospection and/or elaboration), policy making at a governmental organisation, site management, etc.
Your internship experience will be a good addition to your resume and an opportunity to develop your professional network.

You are free to find your own internship, either by applying to an internship job posting or by independently contacting an organisation or institution of your choice. An important aspect of the internship is to gain more practical experience within the chosen field. It is also essential that you learn to make your own well-considered decisions.
Also, you should be able to critically reflect upon the practical activities, and place these in a wider comparative framework (be it theoretically, methodologically and/or regionally), as well as contextualise the importance and (societal) relevance of the activities, and evaluate how this experience affects your own development in the chosen field. All these elements should be present in the internship report.

Before the start of the internship, you have to write a feasible internship proposal, which has to be approved and evaluated by the course coordinator and internship provider before the internship is executed.

The internship comprises:

1. Internship proposal, 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;

  • Goal and research questions of the internship;

  • Your motivation: how this internship contributes to your academic or professional development. How you will contribute to the internship project;

  • Short work plan;

  • A time schedule for the whole internship including submitting the report.

Please note: approval of the work plan is required before the internship starts, and is to be handed in at least four weeks before the start of the internship!

2. Internship of a minimum of 15 or 30 working days

3. Reflective internship report referring to the internship proposal, including:

  • An essential aspect is learning to make your own decisions. Thus, for the report, you will critically reflect upon your practical activities and place these in a wider comparative framework;

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

  • A critical discussion of methodology including recommendations;

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

5 or 10 ec:

The choice for a 5 or 10 ec internship is determined by the content and objective of the internship. Two different internships of both 5 ec is not possible. In case of an extended internship, the scope of the proposed internship should reflect why more working days are needed.

The Master Internship 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- a Master Internship Archaeology.

Course set-up

  • An introduction class (September and February);

  • 15 or 30 days of internship;

  • Writing an internship report.

Course objectives

Ability to:

  • Apply advanced practical (archaeological) skills, including a critical interpretation and view on the chosen methods;

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

  • Understand and critically review the relevance of archaeology and heritage in present-day society;

  • Understand and critically review the legal and social context and obligations of a project or company and to place your project in a larger framework;

  • Critically evaluate the operationalisation of a research project;

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

  • Successfully and independently carry out a project within a limited period of time;

  • 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;

  • Work in a professional team.

Timetable

The internship can be executed throughout the whole year. Proper periods can be January (no lectures) and the summer months after the second semester. The internship can be executed in 3/6 weeks (5 working days a week) but also over a longer period (e.g. 1/2 days a week).

Mode of instruction

One introduction class about the framework of the internship and the work plan, expectations of and from students.

Assessment method

  • Assessment of the practical skills (50%);

  • Assessment of the internship report (50%).

The practical skills demonstrated will be evaluated in a written assessment form by the internship supervisor of the institute where the internship is carried out. The final mark also includes the assessment of the report and will be assigned by the internship coordinator.

A retake consists of an improvement of the internship report within three weeks after the first submission, but only if all other requirements have been met. This grade will have a maximum of 7.0.

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 4 weeks after the end of the internship.

Reading list

To be announced.

Registration

For lectures, tutorials, and exams, enrolment through MyStudymap is mandatory.
You are also required to confirm your exam in MyStudymap. No confirmation = no participation!

General information about registration can be found on the Course and Exam Enrolment page.

Contact

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

Remarks

  • Compulsory attendance during the internship;

  • Final examination is also possible in Dutch.