Admission requirements
Admission to the RMA Archaeology programme.
Description
This RMA-seminar is connected to on-going ERC- and NWO-funded projects on:
Cultural Encounters (e.g. transformation of indigenous Caribbean society and culture after first contact between the New and Old Worlds)
Archaeological networks, human mobility and the exchange of goods and ideas.
Both imply a profound interest in cultural encounters and an interdisciplinary analysis of archaeological, bioarchaeological, ethnohistorical, ethnographic, and anthropological data.
RMA-students, PhD-candidates and postdoc researchers will work together discussing theoretical aspects and other issues relevant for their thesis.
Course objectives
Knowledge of and insight in setting up, structuring and executing of academic research projects, on the basis of detailed knowledge of the relevant period, region, research problems, recent literature and current issues under consideration;
Insight in how high-ranking international research is conducted;
Critical assessment of current research and publications with respect to applicability and background;
Ability to express one’s well-argumented opinion on these topics in discussion;
Ability to design and conduct research and generate new knowledge;
Insight in the applicability of theoretical concepts and models on archaeological, historical and anthropological data;
Oral presentation of research;
Development of well-argumented texts on research;
Critical review of one‘s own research and that of fellow students in a constructive manner.
Timetable
Course schedule details can be found in the RMA and RMSc time schedule.
Mode of instruction
Seminar with student’s reports, commenting on the structure of research and thesis, with analytic discussion of recent publications. In addition students attend the guest lectures (to be announced during the year), as well as an international symposium, workshop or congress, to be selected in consultation with their thesis supervisor.
Course load
The course load will be distributed as follows:
Lectures and discussions (4 ec);
Assignments (2 ec);
Congress attendance (2 ec);
Research proposal (2 ec).
Assessment method
Active participation in the seminar (25%);
Written and oral assignments, including analytical presentation of recent literature related to the topic of the thesis (book-review) (25%);
Report on congress attendance (25%);
Research proposal (25%).
Assignments and papers should be handed in before the end of the examination week following the course block.
Exam dates and assessment deadlines can be found in the RMA and RMSc examination schedule
Reading list
Partly indicated during the seminar, partly to be identified by the students themselves.
Registration
Registration for the course or the exam is not required.
Contact
For more information about this course, please contact prof. dr. C.L. Hofman.
Remarks
Compulsory attendance.