- Department: Archaeology
- Module co-ordinator: Dr. James Taylor
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: C
- Academic year of delivery: 2021-22
This module runs in parallel and shares most of its content with the Excavation, however it is tailored to introduce first-year students to aspects of heritage practice set within the context of a wider field archaeology project (typically the excavation). By working as part of this wider project team, the ‘heritage practitioners’ will be given hands-on experience of heritage tasks and practices such as desk-based and archival research, and public presentation. Students have found that this module increases their understanding of public engagement in archaeology and helps with their confidence in communicating with a variety of audiences.
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Summer Term 2021-22 |
This module is aims to:
introduce first-year students to aspects of heritage practice set within the context of a wider field archaeology project (typically the excavation).
provide hands-on experience as part of a team of heritage tasks and practices such as desk-based and archival research, and public presentation.
consider the issues and challenges of heritage interpretation for various stakeholders
By the end of this module students should be able to:
Archaeologists depend upon the support and buy-in of a variety of stakeholders to sustain our practice. Similarly, archaeology offers its audiences opportunities for sustainable historic, intellectual, cultural, spiritual, and political—among other—connections to the surrounding world.
Aligned with the Excavation module, Heritage Practitioners will be embedded in the departmental field school and be expected to do most of the tasks that the rest fo the 1st Year cohort are engaged with upon that module.
However, the Heritage Practice students will take time away from excavation to organised tours of the site for the general public and help curate stories of the excavation and its interpretation for wider audiences. We will consider how archaeology and cultural heritage are mobilised via different forms of media. How do such media help, for example, in promoting understanding, garnering public support, furthering research and encouraging participation? We will also consider the role of museums and their varied interpretative practice in the modern world. Our interest is not only in the use of exhibitions/interpretative media for promoting the past to the public, but also in their efficacy for adding to our archaeological theoretical frameworks and furthering our research agendas.
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework Assessment of Learning Outcomes |
N/A | 50 |
Groupwork Team Powerpoint |
N/A | 50 |
None
Task | Length | % of module mark |
---|---|---|
Essay/coursework Assessment of Learning Outcomes |
N/A | 50 |
Essay/coursework Individual Powerpoint |
N/A | 50 |
The on-site supervisors will provide continuous feedback to the students in order for them to achieve all of the learning outcomes. PowerPoint posters will be marked on the day and feedback given.
Flatman, J., Chidester, R. and Gadsby, D. (2012). What public engagement in archaeology really means. In M. Rockman and J. Flatman, eds. Archaeology in Society: Its Relevance in the Modern World. Springer: New York, pp. 65-76.
Moshenska, G. (2017) Key Concepts in Public Archaeology [electronic Resource]. London: UCL.
Detailed reading for the module will be available via YorkShare (the University's virtual learning environment). When you have enrolled on a module, you will be able to access the full reading list.