- Docente: Helen Dawson
- Credits: 4
- SSD: L-ANT/10
- Language: English
- Teaching Mode: Traditional lectures
- Campus: Bologna
- Corso: Second cycle degree programme (LM) in Archaeology and Cultures of the Ancient World (cod. 8855)
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be able to verify the procedures used in archaeological research, exploring the entire process from discovery to publication. They will have acquired interdisciplinary knowledge relating to field work, responsibility for technical and scientific productions and designing international research. The skills acquired will enable them to address the problems of research, conservation and protection of the archaeological heritage within their respective competences. They will be able to adapt the design process to different contexts and to the advancement of research.
Course contents
This module, part of the course “Archaeological Theory and Practice”, will explore current themes and challenges in global research frameworks. The course will begin by reviewing the development of archaeological research in its wider historical context and move on to a critical assessment of theoretical, methodological, practical, and ethical aspects of research projects and their relevance to contemporary issues. Students will learn gradually about conceptual problems and practical challenges in interdisciplinary project design and management. By the end of the course, students will be able to draft a project design, adapting the elements provided in this course to specific questions. Moreover, they will appreciate the relevance of archaeological research to broader societal concerns.
The course is broadly divided into two blocks (timetable details to be confirmed):
Block 1: Research Design & Interpretation
Lecture 1: Approaches to Research Design
Lecture 2: The Archaeological Process: From Conception to Implementation
Lecture 3: From Excavation to Digital Toolboxes
Lecture 4: Drowning in Data? Making Sense of the Past
Lecture 5: Let’s Get Critical! From Gender Studies to Decolonisation
Block 2: Dissemination & Valorisation
Lecture 6: Sharing Archaeology: Community Archaeology, Citizen Science, and Open Data
Lecture 7: Best Practice in Heritage Conservation and Management
Lecture 8: Archaeologists on the Front Line: From Conflict to Fake News
Lecture 9: A Career in Ruins? The Economic, Social, and Political Implications of Archaeological Research
Lecture 10: Archaeology Matters: How Can Scientific Research Contribute to a Fairer Society?
Readings/Bibliography
The following reading list provides a taste of what will be covered, a full list for the lectures and seminars will be provided at the start of the course
Banning, E.B. 2002. The Archaeologist’s Laboratory. Interdisciplinary Contributions to Archaeology. Springer, Boston, MA.
Bentley, R.A., Maschner, H.D.G. and Chippindale, C. (eds.) 2008. Handbook of Archaeological Theories. Lanham: AltaMira Press.
Black, S.L. and Jolly, K. 2003. Archaeology by Design. Walnut Creek, California: Altamira Press.
Gardner, A. and Cochrane, E. (eds) 2011. Evolutionary and Interpretive Archaeologies. A Dialogue. Walnut Creek, CA: West Coast Press.
Gardner, A., M. Lake and U. Sommer (eds) 2014. The Oxford Handbook of Archaeological Theory. Oxford: OUP.
Harrison, R., 2013. Heritage: Critical Approaches. Routledge, London and New York.
Holtorf, C., Pantazatos, A. and Scarre, G. (eds) 2019. Cultural Heritage, Ethics and Contemporary Migrations. London and New York: Routledge.
Johnson, M. 2010. Archaeological Theory: An Introduction. (2nd edition). Oxford: Blackwell.
Gibbon, G. 2013. Critically Reading the Theory and Methods of Archaeology: An Introductory Guide. Altamira Press.
Kristiansen, K. 2019. Who is deterministic? On the nature of interdisciplinary research in archaeology. Archaeological Dialogues 26(1): 12–14.
Malainey, M.E. 2011. A Consumer's Guide to Archaeological Science. Springer-Verlag New York.
Meskell, L. 2015. Global heritage: A Reader. Malden, M.A: Wiley-Blackwell.
Moen, M. 2019. Gender and Archaeology: Where Are We Now? Archaeologies 15: 206–226.
Moshenska, G. (ed.). 2017. Key Concepts in Public Archaeology. London: UCL Press
Sørensen, M. L. S. and Carman, J. (eds.) 2009. Heritage studies: methods and approaches. London: Routledge.
Walcek Averett, E., Gordon, J.M., Counts, D.B. 2016. Mobilizing the Past for a Digital Future: The Potential of Digital Archaeology. The Digital Press @ University of North Dakota. Available online: https://dc.uwm.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=arthist_mobilizingthepast
Teaching methods
The typical class (2 hours) will consist of 1-hour lecture followed by 1-hour student discussion or presentation seminar
Assessment methods
Oral and written presentation of a project design (details will be provided in class)
Teaching tools
Details to follow
Links to further information
Office hours
See the website of Helen Dawson