Professional Practice

Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcomes

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Familiarity with the structure and organisation of archaeological practice within the UK
• Instruction in the preparation and writing of project designs, Heritage Impact Statements, desktop assessments and professional archaeological reports
• Detailed knowledge of how to design and manage archaeological projects, including post-excavation analysis
• Detailed knowledge of the publication process with explicit reference to archaeological reports

Transferable and Generic Skills

Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:

• Knowledge of report production for publication
• Knowledge of project planning and implementation
• Knowledge of the processes and workflows applied in the archaeological sector and heritage industry

The module will be delivered through a combination of weekly lectures, seminars and role-play practicals, and two fieldtrips. The topics typically covered are as follows:

• Overview of the structure of UK archaeology as currently practised by professional bodies – commercial archaeological units, governmental, local authority and non-governmental heritage bodies, museums engaged in archaeological practice/management and the HE sector.
• Archaeological project management, with a focus on the creation of research designs and written schemes of investigation, project planning, risk identification and mitigation, and budgeting.
• Management of post-excavation projects
• Preparation of Historic Environment impact assessments
• Report writing for archaeological purposes
• Engaging with archives and legacy data
• Preparation of reports for publication (including use and commissioning of graphical content, editing and proofreading).

Lectures

Seminars

Role-play practical sessions

Fieldtrips

Formative

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

Practical

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Feedback will be given by the tutor throughout the module.
• Final Assessment: No
• Group Work: No

Project design

• Assessment Type: Formative
• Feedback: Written feedback
• 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.