• Offered by School of Archaeology and Anthropology
  • ANU College ANU College of Arts and Social Sciences
  • Classification Transitional
  • Course subject Archaeology
  • Areas of interest Archaeology, Biological Anthropology
  • Academic career PGRD
  • Course convener
    • Prof Philip Piper
  • Mode of delivery In Person
  • Offered in First Semester 2019
    See Future Offerings

This core course introduces students to the range of archaeological science methods and techniques which one can expect to use in field- and laboratory-based archaeological research and heritage management projects, evaluated within an explicitly archaeological methodology. A background in the history of the field will first be given, and the theoretical debates concerning the role of archaeological science within the wider field of archaeology will be discussed. Various sub-disciplines within archaeological science will be introduced. Field trips and/or practical study will also be an integral aspect of this course.

Where field trips or practical study involves travel outside of Canberra (including to other parts of the ACT), students will only be permitted to undertake this travel upon completion of ANU required documentation and the approval of all documentation by the relevant delegate.

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:

Upon successful completion of this course, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
  1. Explain and critique the relationships between environmental sciences, archaeology and historical and social disciplines;
  2. Apply basic principles derived from physical sciences in natural systems to archaeological research design and data interpretation;
  3. Understand the research context of key developments in archaeological science as a discipline;
  4. Explain basic field contextual analysis and assessment of archaeological sites within holistic frameworks bridging biological, chemical and physical sciences, and archaeology; and
  5. Plan and design materials from research investigations for public dissemination and/or for conference poster presentation.

Indicative Assessment

In-class powerpoint presentation, 20 minutes (10%) [Learning Outcomes 3, 4]
Discussion on topics presented in the powerpoint, 20 minutes (10%) [Learning Outcomes 3, 4]
Short report and Analysis, 1500 words (20%) [Learning Outcome 2]
Topic-based archaeological science essay, 2500 words (30%) [Learning Outcomes 1, 2, 3, 4]
Field report, 1500 words (20%) [Learning Outcomes 3, 4, 5]
Fieldwork, written response to 20 questions (10%) [Learning Outcomes 4, 5]
 

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Workload

260 hours of total student learning time made up from:
a) 36 hours of contact over 12 weeks: 12 hours of lectures and 24 hours of seminars; and
b) 224 hours of independent student research, reading and writing.

Assumed Knowledge

Basic background in Archaeological Science.

Fees

Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.  

If you are a domestic graduate coursework or international student you will be required to pay tuition fees. Tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.

Student Contribution Band:
1
Unit value:
12 units

If you are an undergraduate student and have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). You can find your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.  Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.

Units EFTSL
12.00 0.25000
Domestic fee paying students
Year Fee
2019 $6720
International fee paying students
Year Fee
2019 $10320
Note: Please note that fee information is for current year only.

Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links

ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.

The list of offerings for future years is indicative only.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.

First Semester

Class number Class start date Last day to enrol Census date Class end date Mode Of Delivery Class Summary
2013 25 Feb 2019 04 Mar 2019 31 Mar 2019 31 May 2019 In Person View

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