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Team Project: Building History - ARC00026I

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  • Department: Archaeology
  • Module co-ordinator: Prof. Kate Giles
  • Credit value: 20 credits
  • Credit level: I
  • Academic year of delivery: 2021-22
    • See module specification for other years: 2022-23

Module summary

This module will enable you to put your archival skills into practice, writing a building history from original research in the archives. As a team, you’ll reflect on your strengths and preferences, allocate roles in research, writing, editing and illustrating a building history report and sharing this, where useful, with the owners or stakeholders of the building. You’ll consolidate your project and time management skills, communication skills and professional report writing skills and think about how to apply these in other learning opportunities and how to pitch them to prospective employers. 

Students on this course said, “The Team project made me realise that I have learned new skills this year not just in research but also organising my time and working with others. I really enjoyed being able to focus on the aspects of the project that interested me and helped me contribute to the team effort and group mark.”

Module will run

Occurrence Teaching period
A Summer Term 2021-22

Module aims

Building upon the practical option that you took in the Spring term (Term 5), Team Projects allows you to practice the subject-specific skills that you learnt over that period. The module will split students into teams to analyse and evaluate a dataset or case study with the overall aim of producing a report to professional standards on the material they have examined.

 

This specific module aims to: identify a building and its associated archival sources from which you will create a building history report to a professional standard, working together successfully as a team.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of this module, students should be able to:

  • Identify and undertake research on a set of archive sources related to the history of an individual building or set of buildings
  • Match recording and analytical methods to research aims and objectives
  • Appreciate the importance of consistency, time-keeping, and good record-keeping in practical work
  • Allocate and co-ordinate tasks, and communicate efficiently as a team
  • Produce a group report to a professional standard

Module content

This module builds on your experience last term, exploring how archaeologists have used archival sources in the study of buildings, to produce your own building history report. You will identify a building together, thinking carefully about its potential to be studied through surviving archival sources. Together, you will agree the areas of the research and report writing required, including secondary reading, analysis and interpretation of the sources themselves, report writing, referencing, editing and illustration. You will agree a timetable for the work and meet regularly to share findings and ideas. The final report will reflect successful team working and negotiation of any challenges you encountered, professionally and personally as a valuable learning experience to take to future learning experiences and workplace environments. Support throughout the module will be given by module and group sessions with the tutor. 

Assessment

Task Length % of module mark
Groupwork
Report		 N/A 100

Special assessment rules

None

Reassessment

Task Length % of module mark
Essay/coursework
Report		 N/A 100

Module feedback

Formative: Groups keep logbooks of work carried out and discuss progress with their module leader each week.

Summative: Written feedback sheets will be released within 20 working days of the submission deadline, along with your overall mark for the module. If you have any questions about your mark and/or your written feedback, you will be able to sign up for office hours with the marker.

Indicative reading

Have a browse of: https://www.buildinghistory.org/

Barson, S (ed.) (2019) Understanding Architectural Drawings and Historical Visual Sources. London: Historic England

Historic England https://historicengland.org.uk/advice/your-home/your-homes-history/further-resources/

Morriss, R.K. (2000) ‘Chapter 12: Document Research’, in The Archaeology of Buildings. Stroud: Tempus, pp.165-172.

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.


The information on this page is indicative of the module that is currently on offer. The University is constantly exploring ways to enhance and improve its degree programmes and therefore reserves the right to make variations to the content and method of delivery of modules, and to discontinue modules, if such action is reasonably considered to be necessary by the University. Where appropriate, the University will notify and consult with affected students in advance about any changes that are required in line with the University's policy on the Approval of Modifications to Existing Taught Programmes of Study.