Archaeology 1A: The Archaeology of Scotland ARCH1001

  • Academic Session: 2023-24
  • School: School of Humanities
  • Credits: 20
  • Level: Level 1 (SCQF level 7)
  • Typically Offered: Semester 1
  • Available to Visiting Students: Yes

Short Description

This course provides an introduction to Scotland's past from the earliest human habitation to the Modern era. The course places Scotland's history into a global context from the arrival of Scotland's first people to the end of the British Empire. While tracing Scotland's cultural evolution through this period, we will introduce you to a range of archaeological methods and principles and will see how archaeology contributes to contemporary society. It is organised chronologically into a sequence of themes, which are linked into the main course texts.

Timetable

Lecture on Thursday at 12noon over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

Weekly one hour seminar (choice of times) over 10 weeks as scheduled on MyCampus.

Weekly Blended learning materials on Moodle (designed to take one hour on average).

One-day field trip on a Saturday. 

Requirements of Entry

None

Excluded Courses

None

Co-requisites

None

Assessment

Online worksheet 1 (500 words): 15%

Online worksheet 2 (500 words): 15%

Essay (1500 words): 20%

90-minute exam (1500 words): 50%

(The worksheets have a substantial number of pictorial and numerical exercises, hence their lower word count but proportionally higher weighting)

Main Assessment In: December

Course Aims

This course aims to:

■ explain Scotland's archaeology from the earliest human habitation until the modern era

■ introduce students to a range of methodologies and principles which underpin archaeological knowledge in Scotland and beyond

■ provide a foundation in archaeological thought and practice

Intended Learning Outcomes of Course

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ apply archaeological evidence to a range of periods from Scottish prehistory and history through the experience of working with primary data during fieldtrips

■ identify the main characteristics of Scotland's material heritage

■ use archaeological evidence to interpret Scotland's cultural development and its contacts with the wider world

■ explain key archaeological methods and techniques

Minimum Requirement for Award of Credits

Students must submit at least 75% by weight of the components (including examinations) of the course's summative assessment.