Subject Area: Archaeology
This course can also be studied in the following specialisation: History

This course combines instruction in modern archaeological methods and practices (e.g. remote sensing, surface survey, excavation, archaeological sciences, conservation) with the study and assessment of various interpretive theories in archaeology (e.g., culture history, processualism, post-processualism). A major theme of the course will be the interaction of archaeology with other disciplines (e.g. history, anthropology, social and natural sciences). The course will progress through an overview of the discipline, beginning with the history of archaeology, then examining approaches to archaeology, research design, fieldwork, insights offered by other disciplines, and theoretical approaches to reconstructing and understanding the past, and ultimately concluding with a consideration of threats to archaeological heritage and strategies for conservation and preservation. Case studies will be used to explore how archaeologists work. Lectures and readings will introduce concepts, which will then be critiqued in tutorial. Student writing will analyse and assess recent archaeological publications.