Archaeology Dissertation

Learning Outcomes

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• assemble and critique material from heterogeneous sources, which may include fieldwork, museums, laboratory work, documentary research, published outputs and more as relevant;
• work closely with an individual expert as part of a professional partnership.
• design and manage a self-contained research project, including meeting goals relating to quality, time and outputs;
• produce and deliver an effective oral presentation to a non-specialist audience, to answer related questions, and to chair presentations;
• communicate your research effectively, by means of clarity of style, structure and presentation, and thoroughness and consistency of approach;

Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• understand archaeological ethics as they relate to your chosen area of research.
• assess appropriate theories and methodologies to address archaeological questions;
• identify appropriate sources of data to address archaeological questions;

Knowledge and Understanding

Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• the current state of archaeological knowledge, theories, insights and available evidence relating to your chosen area of research.
• the key principles of archaeological research;
• the contribution of original research projects to wider debates;

Cognitive Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• demonstrate originality of thought.
• develop a specific research question and identify related aims and objectives;
• accept constructive criticism and utilise it to improve your research methods and outcomes;
• structure, explain and develop your own arguments carefully and clearly;
• apply methods, theories and sources to address specific research aims;

Subject Specific Practical Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• demonstrate mastery of any technical archaeological skills that underpin your research project.

The specific topic to be analysed will be different for each dissertation, but some elements will be common to all projects. These will include:

• project planning, including risk assessments, ethics assessments, logistics, assessment of likely costs, time management and milestones;
• identification and formulation of research questions, aims and objectives;
• identification of appropriate data sets, methodologies and/or theoretical approaches;
• collation of data, insights and/or scholarly views from primary or secondary sources, and their analysis;
• critique of the material gathered and formulation of novel insights and conclusions;
• communication of the principal project outcomes in both written and verbal forms.

Preliminary briefing and orientation meetings will be held in the second half of Semester 2 of Year 2, in order to engage you at an early stage with the choices available to you. If you are a joint honours student, these meetings will explain the differences between the Archaeology dissertation and those in your combining subjects, both in terms of intellectual expectations and logistical requirements (timings, prerequisites, etc). For all single honours students and those joint honours considering the Archaeology dissertation module, subsequent sessions will examine the nature of the research to be undertaken and introduce the diversity of possible approaches to it, as well as outlining the requirements for health-and-safety and ethical oversight. These sessions will also present useful available resources and provide opportunities to ask questions.

Before the end of Year 2, you should speak to individual staff members who might supervise your choice of topic in order to refine your ideas. Your dissertation research will be supervised by a specified member of staff, with whom you will arrange a series of one-to-one supervisions to guide your research. These should start before the summer break at the end of your Year 2, since many students choose to conduct some of their research activities in the summer between Year 2 and the start of Year 3.

During Year 3, you should meet regularly with your supervisor to discuss your progress, to address any problems encountered and to set and meet agreed milestones of research and writing. The module coordinator will also hold informal small-group meetings to provide a friendly forum in which you can compare progress and discuss issues encountered. Midway through Year 3, you will be required to present your project plan and its initial results to an audience of staff and students, which will allow you to receive formative feedback from a diverse group of interested and supportive listeners.

The majority of the project hours will comprise independent research, as you take ownership of your project and its implementation.

Formative

This is how we’ll give you feedback as you are learning. It is not a formal test or exam.

Presentation

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Verbal feedback will be available from your supervisor as you plan your presentation, provided you leave sufficient time. Verbal feedback will be provided on the day by the module coordinator, supervisor and/or other staff and students attending. Written feedback may be provided afterwards.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Summative

This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.

Referral

This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.