ARA8290 : Research Themes, Theories and Skills in Archaeology II (Inactive)
- Inactive for Year: 2025/26
- Module Leader(s): Professor Mark Jackson
- Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
- Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters
Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.
| Semester 2 Credit Value: | 10 |
| ECTS Credits: | 5.0 |
| European Credit Transfer System | |
Aims
This module will develop skills essential to the successful completion of archaeological research and initiating a career in the discipline.
Outline Of Syllabus
Outline syllabus, intended as a guide only; week-by-week topics may be slightly different to the following:
• Lecture: Introduction to the MA Dissertation
• Workshop: preparing your Dissertation outline I
• Workshop: preparing your Dissertation outline II
• Workshop: Robinson Library Advanced library skills
• Workshop: Writing Conference papers, oral communication and academic networking
• Workshop: Producing Posters for conferences
• Workshop: Publishing in academic journals and writing books
• Workshop: Research and teaching careers and applying for academic jobs
Formative Assessment 10-minute Presentations (All MA students and academic staff to attend)
Semester 2
Formative Assessment PGF Conference
Teaching Methods
Teaching Activities
| Category | Activity | Number | Length | Student Hours | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Guided Independent Study | Assessment preparation and completion | 25 | 1:00 | 25:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Lecture | 1 | 1:00 | 1:00 | present in person |
| Guided Independent Study | Directed research and reading | 37 | 1:00 | 37:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Small group teaching | 6 | 2:00 | 12:00 | Present-in-person seminar |
| Structured Guided Learning | Structured research and reading activities | 20 | 1:00 | 20:00 | N/A |
| Scheduled Learning And Teaching Activities | Workshops | 1 | 5:00 | 5:00 | Person to Person, mini-conference |
| Total | 100:00 |
Teaching Rationale And Relationship
In Semester 2, Students will be assisted by formal sessions designed to prepare them for starting research on their dissertation. These sessions will occur in weeks 2 to 6 after an initial introduction to the dissertation in week 1. Students will put these new skills to practice and produce a dissertation proposal by mid-semester. They will each have to give a ten minute presentation on their outline submission during a mini-conference at the end of the semester. In the second half of the module, a series of sessions will help prepare students with various career skills including networking, publishing work, and applying for jobs and careers.
Assessment Methods
The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners
Other Assessment
| Description | Semester | When Set | Percentage | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research proposal | 2 | A | 100 | 2000 word dissertation proposal |
Formative Assessments
Formative Assessment is an assessment which develops your skills in being assessed, allows for you to receive feedback, and prepares you for being assessed. However, it does not count to your final mark.
| Description | Semester | When Set | Comment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oral Presentation | 2 | M | 10 minute presentations to whole cohort with feedback from staff and peers. |
| Poster | 2 | M | Poster based on Dissertation proposal to be submitted for PGF Conference |
Assessment Rationale And Relationship
The dissertation proposal (Research Proposal 1) will link to ARA8099 in Semester 3. It must be based on a clearly defined research question and an associated set of data of archaeological sources. A methodology will then be created for the analysis of the data/sources, and the proposal as a whole structured according to the AHRC headings for research project proposals.
The proposal will assess your ability to plan a project using archaeological research methods. The project must be based on a clearly defined research question and an associated set of data or archaeological sources. A methodology will then be created for the analysis of the data/sources.
Submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes, develops key skills in research, reading and writing.
Formative assessments will provide you practice in communicating your research to an audience of peers while allowing you to gain early, informal feedback before continuing with further research for your dissertation.
Reading Lists
Timetable
- Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
- ARA8290's Timetable