ARCH40130: RESEARCH AND STUDY SKILLS IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SCIENCE

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• To enable students to acquire an advanced understanding of research methods, study and presentation skills in archaeological science.

• Research ethics in archaeological science.
• Academic writing skills.
• Producing grant applications.
• Oral and poster presentation skills, including PowerPoint presentations.
• Computing and statistics.
• Producing technical reports and publicly-accessible briefing notes based on archaeological science data.
• Sampling and recovery of archaeological science data and archaeological science in the commercial sector.
• Radiographic and microscopic analysis in bioarchaeology.
• Introduction to biomolecular archaeology.

Subject-specific Knowledge:

• At the end of the module the student will have:
• an understanding of the range of scientific techniques that can be applied to organic remains and their current and future potential to investigate the human past;
• an understanding of contemporary professional principles and good practice pertaining to archaeological science and its broader context within archaeology;
• Basic understanding of statistics and data analysis.

Subject-specific Skills:

• At the end of the module the student will have:
• undertaken theoretical and practical scientific analysis of organic remains and gather data in a specialised area of archaeological science;
• analysed and presented scientific data in a specialised area of archaeological science using appropriate media and comparative material;
• developed the ability to collect and process data in archaeological science and utilise a wide range of research resources;
• acquired an independent approach to developing their research methods and skills, including the effective use of library facilities and understanding the academic norms of writing.

Key Skills:

• Ability to synthesize argument critically
• Ability to understand and interpret data appropriately and critically
• Ability to express complex arguments clearly and concisely
• Ability to communicate in a range of formats to a variety of audiences
• Ability to design and conduct statistical analysis of scientific datasets
• Competence in the use of IT resources, e.g. word processing, statistical software, databases, presentation software, web-based resources
• An ability to produce work to prescribed guidelines and deadlines.

• The module will be delivered using a mixture of lectures, seminars and practical sessions. It aims to help students gain skills necessary for the world of work and/or research. Therefore, the delivery methods and assessment are focused on attaining those skills e.g. oral and written communication, computing and statistical analysis, 'career development', and methods of analysis in archaeological science.

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