• Offered for Year: 2024/25

• Module Leader(s): Dr Francesco Carrer
• Co-Module Leader: Professor Lisa-Marie Shillito
• Lecturer: Dr Duncan Wright, Dr Sophie Moore, Dr Eric Tourigny

• 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.

Aims

To reflect on the skills and knowledge acquired during fieldwork/professional placement and the broader degree programme and to understand their relevance for the competitive job market and/or applications to postgraduate study

To develop project management skills and critically reflect on the relationship between skills development and successful delivery of a research project

To furnish students with the skills for producing an independent piece of supervised research in the form of a dissertation

To improve skills in written presentation and research techniques, including practical/laboratory-based techniques

To provide an opportunity to reflect upon how studies might be continued at postgraduate level.

The module encourages students to integrate documentary sources (written history) and archaeological evidence within their dissertation. It is a requirement of the module that some consideration of both be included in the final work.

Outline Of Syllabus

The two weeks of summer fieldwork/professional placement that all archaeology students are expected to have completed by the time they enter Stage 3, with its focus on real-world problem solving and teamwork, as well as subject specific skills, forms the foundation for the professional development and project management that are fundamental to the dissertation module. Students will learn to recognise how the skills they have gained through fieldwork prepare them for future employment and archaeological research and project management.
Semester 1 teaching commences with a training course in independent research skills, building on the skills gained in summer fieldwork/placement, which is taken by all students on degree programmes with archaeology in the title undertaking dissertations. Students will develop cognitive, subject-specific and key skills required to produce an independent piece of research. Individual students will also arrange tutorials with their supervisor and select their research topic.
Assessment of this introductory stage takes the form of:
(i) A job application that translates skills developed during the summer fieldwork/professional placement into job criteria set by potential employers or to demonstrate a student’s suitability for Masters level study.
(ii) A research proposal which will explain the importance and research context of the dissertation topic, accompanied by a concise outline of the dissertation's structure, a summary of methodological approaches and source materials, and a brief review of previous work in this field
Building on the skills acquired in the research training element of the module, students then go on in Semester 2 to complete an independent piece of written research, working under the supervision of a member of staff. The outcome will be a Dissertation of 10,000 words, formatted according to module specifications.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities

Jointly Taught With

Teaching Rationale And Relationship

Students will undertake two weeks of summer fieldwork/professional placement, a foundational element in this module. This will (a) enhance their skills in archaeological/heritage practice (b) develop teamwork skill (c) allow them to observe how archaeological projects are managed and (d) to understand the process of archaeological knowledge production. Students are encouraged to choose fieldwork/placement options that tie in with their broader interests in relation to their dissertation or future employment or study objectives. Workshops in semester 1 will enable them to reflect on the skills they have gained during fieldwork/professional placement, as well as their broader degree programme, and to match their skills and knowledge to project outlines and job applications
Project management skills will be developed with an induction into planning and implementation of a dissertation, including time management. Students take part in a workshop on auditing their existing skills and knowledge and in identifying skills and knowledge they wish to develop further through the research project.
This module is provided in a blended format, with short recorded lectures introducing topics, instructional videos introducing key skills, and guided practical exercises covering data handling and presentation, professional formatting and structuring of documents. In person lectures will introduce specific topics. Weekly scheduled small group teaching will reinforce material covered online, with a focus on looking at examples of dissertations and related materials, developing critical thinking skills. After the first week students will be allocated their supervisor. Initial supervision meetings will guide students towards appropriate reading and provide advice on dissertation structure and content. They will also foster a good working relationship between students and their supervisors. Students will take responsibility for organising regular meetings with their supervisor and ensure that they produce written work in time to allow feedback from the supervisor.
Students will begin the process of completing the dissertation in Semester 2 with a secure foundation of ideas and methods. Throughout semester 2 one-to-one and small group supervision meetings with staff will also develop students' skills in time-management, project-management, initiative and team working. Students will take responsibility in arranging times to see their supervisors, preparing in advance for meetings by submitting work at least one week before meetings, and through leading discussion of progress with their supervisor. Supervisors will engage in critical dialogue on submitted drafts and make recommendations for improvements.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment

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.

Assessment Rationale And Relationship

Students are introduced to the dissertation in semester 2 of their second year, and are advised to start thinking about potential topics and supervisors over the summer. At this point they will also research and apply for a place on an archaeological fieldwork project or a heritage/museum-based fieldwork placement. Students will be guided through this application process by the Fieldwork Convenor. Students will be directed to consider their acquisition of key graduate skills as well as the acquisition of archaeological skills through their fieldwork experience; this includes research skills, an ability to work as a team, professional project management skills as well as archaeological/heritage skills and an enhanced understanding of how archaeological knowledge is produced that will be relevant to specific dissertation projects. The assessments for this module will develop and assess students’ project-management, understanding of the relevance of fieldwork/professional placement to future employment, research development skills and ability to produce a piece of independent extended research under professional supervision.
Formative assessments: The formal submission of a title and nominated supervisor in week 1 means that students register their project with the School and are motivated to prepare for the task ahead. This also enables staff to pick up students who have not yet engaged with the dissertation and who need extra help. The formal submission of the preliminary aims and objectives (week 4) assesses the students’ abilities to formulate appropriate aims and objectives in relation to a research question, and provides feedback on their project aims and objectives in advance of the Research Proposal.

Summative assessments: (1) the job application assesses the students’ abilities to articulate how their skills, such as teamwork and project management, gained throughout their training at university and particularly during the 4 weeks of their professional experience can be applied to an employment context after graduation. Examples of job descriptions include archaeological site assistant; museum curatorial assistant; research assistant; outreach/educational assistant, and a Masters Archaeology programme. (2) The Research Proposal for the dissertation (submitted at the end of semester 1) will include theories, methods, research materials, a project schedule, and relevant bibliographical material. It will help students apply skills and knowledge developed during this training module to their own research dissertation, and to manage it as a research project. (3) The final dissertation (submitted in May) must meet specific criteria, and demonstrate mastery of skills and techniques taught throughout the module.

All submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes and develops key skills in research, reading and writing.

This module cannot be made available to exchange students under any circumstances. This applies to Erasmus, study-abroad, exchange proper and Loyola students equally.

Reading Lists

• ARA3203's Reading List

Timetable

• Timetable Website: www.ncl.ac.uk/timetable/
• ARA3203's Timetable