AY3519: PROFESSIONAL ARCHAEOLOGY II: POST-EXCAVATION ANALYSIS AND EMPLOYMENT (DISTANCE) (2016-2017)

This course aims to provide practical experience in the techniques used to process and analyze archaeological artefacts and samples. Lectures and laboratory practicals will introduce analytical basics for lithic, ceramic, faunal and historic artefact analysis. Techniques in conserving, cataloguing and curating archaeological collections will also be introduced. This course also introduces practical skills need to obtain employment and placement in an archaeological workplace through practical excercises in writing CVs, job cover letters and job interview skills. By the end of the course students will have acquired:
- a knowledge of the basic techniques used in the laboratory analysis of archaeological artefacts.
- an understanding of the basics in proper handling, conservation and curation of archaeological collections and data.
- an understanding of the range of archaeological workplaces and the skills needed to write a CV, cover letter and conduct oneself at a job interview.

This course will provide practical experience in the processing and analysis of archaeological artefacts and other data. Lectures and laboratory practicals will be used to introduce the techniques for process and handling lithic, ceramic, faunal and historic assemblages. Artefact conservation and curation skills will also be introduced. The final weeks of the course will be co-taught by Careers Advisers and introduce a range of archaeology-related professions and possible summer work placements in archaeology. This will provide guidance and support for student job applications and the course will cover practical skills such as how to write curriculum vitae and cover letters, and how to conduct effective job interviews.

This is a distance learning course. Students learn from home using a combination of pre-recorded podcast-style lectures and practical workshops/data analysis exercises.

As this course is offered via both distance learning and on-campus study, distance-learning students can choose to attend practical workshops or will be assigned alternative computer-based data analysis practical exercises

Information on contact teaching time is available from the course guide.

View AY3519 Timetable

More Information about Week Numbers

1st Attempt: Continuous assessment (100%), consisting of laboratory notebook (50%), lab worksheets (25%), completed CV, cover letter and mock interview (25%). Resit: No resit is possible.

There are no assessments for this course.

Formative feedback on CVs and cover letters is provided by Careers Service Advisors in person or over email (e.g. for distance learners). Detailed feedback forms are provided for submitted CVs, cover letters, and the mock interview, and some specific comments may also be written on the CVs and cover letters themselves. Immediate oral feedback and anonymous peer-review feedback forms are provided in the mock interview practical session. Detailed written feedback will be provided for the laboratory notebook/laboratory work sheets.

None.