Admission requirements
Admission to the Master Archaeology programme, specifically the Archaeological Science track.
One of the Archaeological Science Specialization Courses obtained.
Description
In this internship you will enhance your research skills and employability. The internship provides a practical component to complement the more theoretical aspects of the Master programme.
The internship involves a practical project of at least fifteen (5 ec) or thirty (10 ec) working days, and can take various forms: labwork, data and database management, fieldwork (focusing on material or dataset), etc. The internship may involve a company or external partner, or may be held within the University (if available).
It is the student’s responsibility to seek and find an available internship. You may ask various Faculty members if they have any available internships or know of archaeology partners that do, however, it is not the role of the internship coordinators to facilitate this.
An important aspect of the internship is to gain more practical experience within the chosen field, including analytical and reporting skills. It is also essential that you learn to make your own well-considered decisions. And you should 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 an internship proposal (see below), which has to be approved and evaluated by the internship provider and supervisor at least four weeks before the internship is executed.
The choice for a 5 or 10 ec internship is determined by the content and objective of the internship. Please note that if the student and supervisor opt for a 10 ec internship, this should not take the format of two independent internships (e.g., 5 ec in Material Culture, 5 ec in Human Osteoarchaeology). Rather, a 10 ec internship will consist of one task, typically focusing on one subject/material/method, but of a longer duration than the 5 ec option, containing a clear research component.
Course set-up
The internship comprises:
1. Internship proposal, including:
Relevant internship information (clearly defined project background and aims (defined by the student/internship provider/supervisor), 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 fifteen or thirty working days (5 ec or 10 ec).
3. Reflective internship report referring to the internship proposal, and 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;
An assessment of the internship provider (if the internship is carried out with external companies or institutions).
Course objectives
Ability to:
Apply advanced practical skills in a science-based methodology applied to an archaeological dataset;
Critically interpret and reflect upon the chosen methods;
Gain (more) experience (under supervision) in working in a professional environment;
Understand and critically review the relevance of archaeological science in present-day society;
Critically evaluate the operationalising 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 in a professional setting;
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
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
Individual internship introduction and supervision (internal or external).
Assessment method
One final grade for the internship will be supplied, based upon:
Assessment of the practical skills (50%);
Assessment of the internship report (50%).
The practical skills demonstrated will be evaluated by the internship supervisor of the institute/company where the internship is carried out. The final grade includes the assessment of the report and will be assigned by the internship supervisor.
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:
The dates of exams and retakes can be found in MyTimetable. The deadlines of papers, essays and assignments are communicated through Brightspace.
The internship report needs to be handed in within four weeks after the end of the internship.
Reading list
To be announced and internship-specific.
Registration
Enrolment for all components of your study programme through MyStudymap is mandatory. This applies to both compulsory elements and elective credits. If you are not enrolled, you may not participate.
General information about registration can be found on the Course and exam enrolment page.
Contact
For more information about this course, please contact dr. S.A. (Sarah) Schrader or dr. D.J.G. (Dennis) Braekmans.
Remarks
Compulsory attendance during the internship.