Historical Archaeology - BA (Hons)

Durham University

Study the material remains of the ancient, medieval and modern worlds, with an emphasis on the last 600 years.,This exciting BA Single Honours degree enables you to develop your passion for studying history in combination with archaeological training in historic-period material and visual culture, museum collections, buildings and landscapes and world heritage. With a particular focus on the archaeology of the last 600 years, this course offers a strong emphasis on interdisciplinary learning and skills providing an opportunity across all three years to study a combination of modules in the Departments of Archaeology and History and complement this with modules from other subject areas. Classroom-led teaching and small-group seminar work are combined with practical, lab and collections-based training, field visits and participation in the annual field school. You can choose from a range of specialist modules on the archaeology of historic period societies in Europe, the Mediterranean, North Africa, East and South East Asia, the Indian Ocean and Middle East as well as thematic modules covering aspects of the early modern and modern world, such as colonialization, transatlantic connections, slavery, trade and industrialisation. Students studying this course can also follow a route accredited by CIfA, the Chartered Institute for Archaeologists. Choosing an accredited undergraduate degree is widely recognised as the first step on a career pathway leading to professional status. To obtain a CIfA accredited degree, you can study modules that equip you with the requisite theoretical and practical knowledge to act as a foundation for a career in the UK commercial archaeology sector. In the first year, you will acquire the basic range of intellectual and practical archaeological skills. In the second and third years you will move to more in-depth study of particular topics and methods working closely with staff and developing your own independent research project in the third year.Course structureYear 1 modulesCore modules:Introduction to Archaeological Methods provide you with a grounding in a range of scientific methods and techniques used in contemporary archaeologyMedieval to Modern World Archaeology introduces the archaeology of early medieval to post medieval western and northern Europe via a focus on key artefacts and sites.Archaeology Practicals examines field and laboratory techniques for the recording and analysis of primary materials, sites and monuments, using group work wherever possible.Historical Archaeology: Methods and Sources provides a grounding in a range of scientific and historical methods and techniques relevant to the archaeology of the historic era and contemporary archaeology and develops a basic critical awareness of the potential and limitations of each.Optional modules:In recent years, optional modules have included: Archaeology in BritainCities in AntiquityAncient Civilizations of the EastDiscovering World Prehistory. Year 2 modulesCore modules:Professional Training (requires three weeks of fieldwork in the summer before starting Year 2) uses practical experience to give you an understanding of the objectives and operation of a fieldwork project and how data and material produced by archaeological projects is processed.Developing Archaeological Research develops your understanding of research design and the practical skills necessary for archaeological research. You will develop skills in graphics, illustration and presentation techniques as well as learning the basic theory behind research design.