Foundation Year Zero
Students on all of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities Foundation Year courses will undertake 80 credits of generic core modules introducing them to study in the arts and humanities and university level skills, namely:
- Academic Writing and Study Skills (20 credits)
- Personal and Career Development (20 credits)
- Understanding Arts and Humanities (20 credits)
- Being Human: an Introduction to the Humanities (20 credits)
In addition you will be offered two optional modules, one to be studied in each semester. The full list of optional modules is as follows and you will be placed onto the modules which most effectively complement your degree pathway choice and, where applicable, your study interests:
- Dangerous Ideas (20 credits)
- Foundation English Language and Communication (20 credits)
- Foundation English Literature (20 credits)
- Foundation Media and Communications (20 credits)
- Analysing British Cinema (20 credits)
- Historical Foundations (20 credits)
- America and the World (subject to validation) (20 credits)
- Music and Performing Arts in Context (20 credits)
- The Languages and Theory of Music (20 credits)
Year 1
Core modules
Introduction to Archaeology (20 credits)
In this module we will introduce you to the main theories and methods of archaeology. We will also provide you with the key study skills that you will use throughout your degree.
Archaeological Skills (20 credits)
This module introduces you to the main field and laboratory techniques used in archaeological research. You will gain practical experience of a range of research methods, including Geographic Information Systems, and those related to osteoarchaeology and artefact analysis.
Introduction to the Ancient World (20 credits)
This module introduces you to the cultures and civilisations of the ancient world through an examination of historical and archaeological evidence from Mesopotamia, Egypt, the near east, and the central Mediterranean (including Greece and Rome). Themes will include art, religion, politics, and society, with an emphasis on the long-term influence of ancient civilisations on later societies and the contemporary world.
Archaeology of Prehistoric Britain (20 credits)
This module is about prehistoric Britain, from the arrival of early humans hundreds of thousands of years ago to the arrival of the Romans in the first century AD. ‘Prehistoric’ periods are those without textual evidence, and so for this module we rely solely on archaeological evidence and interpretation. Characteristics of the Palaeolithic, Mesolithic, Neolithic, Bronze Age, and Iron Age periods are examined and enable us address the ancient origins of what it means to be ‘human’.
Archaeology of Roman Britain (20 credits)
This module introduces you to the history and archaeology of Britain from Caesar's invasions to the early fifth century. Textual sources and archaeological evidence are compared, contrasted, and combined to formulate a more complete understanding of this pivotal period in Britain's past. The impact of Roman culture on native populations will be explored, and analysis will range from imperial military and civil policies to the daily lives of specific individuals known from archaeological remains.
Archaeology of Medieval Britain (20 credits)
In this module you will explore the archaeology of Medieval Britain from AD 400 to 1500. You will look at themes such as the end of Roman Britain, the creation of the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms, the Norman Conquest, and the making of the medieval landscape.
Please note that module titles and whether they are core or optional may be subject to change
Year 2
Core modules
Fieldwork Placement I (20 credits)
This module introduces you to the basic techniques and fundamental skills of archaeological fieldwork through hands-on experience over the course of a four-week work-based placement, primarily in field archaeology but in some cases within the wider heritage sector. Placements are coordinated and administered by the Archaeology staff in cooperation with external partner organisations and projects. Standard placements take place during the summer.
Approaches to Archaeological Interpretation (20 credits)
This module introduces you to the range of approaches known as ‘archaeological theory’. It emphasises that theory underpins everything we do as archaeologists, from data collection and analysis to interpretation and dissemination of knowledge about the past. Emphasis is placed upon the connections between archaeology and anthropology, philosophy, sociology, history, human geography, and literary theory.
Please note that module titles and whether they are core or optional may be subject to change
Year 3
Core modules
Individual Study in Archaeology (dissertation) (40 credits)
In this module you design and undertake your own research project. You define the topic in consultation with a supervisor, and guidance is provided along the way as you produce the final 8,000 word dissertation. The dissertation is an excellent exercise in project management, research, and communication.
We continually review and, where appropriate, revise the range of modules on offer to reflect changes in the subject and ensure the best student experience. We will inform applicants of any changes to the course structure before enrolment.
Likely optional modules
Year 2
Archaeological Computing (20 credits)
In this module you will explore some of the main methods of data analysis and communication used in archaeology. You will examine a range of quantitative methods, computer applications (including Geographic Information Systems) and analytical techniques. You will gain first-hand experience by undertaking your own analysis of real archaeological datasets through a series of hands-on case studies.
Life and Death in Medieval Europe (20 credits)
In this module you will explore what it was like to live and die in Europe during the Central Middle Ages. You will integrate historical and archaeological evidence to explore the daily lives of people from the time of the Vikings through to the Black Death.
Bones and Bodies: An Introduction to Osteoarchaeology (20 credits)
This module introduces you to the key methods and theoretical approaches used to explore the human skeleton in archaeology. You will gain practical experience of recording, analysing and curating human skeletal remains, including how to construct "osteobiographies" through identifying sex, age at death, disease, and trauma. The archaeology of animal bones or "zooarchaeology" is also introduced.
After the Ice: Themes in Holocene Prehistory (20 credits)
This module explores life in north-west Europe in later prehistory through a series of themes. For example, you will examine aspects such as death and burial, warfare, food, and architecture during the Mesolithic through to the Iron Age.
Extended Essay in Archaeology (20 credits)
This module provides you with an opportunity to investigate in detail a topic that you have chosen. Doing so will enhance your research, writing, and project management skills. You will work with an academic supervisor and use primary archaeological data and specialist secondary sources.
Applied Humanities Employability in Practice (20 credits)
This module aims to complement the theoretical elements of a humanities degree by taking the skills-set that student acquire as undergraduates and helping them see ways and means to render it relevant to the world of work. In contrast to academic class-based learning, the focus here is on exciting and useful practical work-based experience. Students will have the opportunity to develop an understanding of a work environment either through a 40 hour micro-placement; or by bringing students into contact with professionals who will help set out a project/problem based work opportunity; or through a relevant case study. This could be work shadowing, a reflective diary, a portfolio, or a research report.
More details can be found on this page.
In addition, certain modules from the history and geography degree courses are open to students on the archaeology degree course. For example, archaeology students can undertake geography modules on mapping and geographical information systems in Years 2 and 3.
Year 3
Fieldwork Placement II (20 credits)
This module further develops research and practical skills you acquired in the Fieldwork Placement I module, with an emphasis on skills progression and increasing responsibility. The module consists of a 4-week work-based placement, primarily in field archaeology but in some cases within the wider heritage sector. Placements are coordinated and administered by the Archaeology staff in cooperation with external partner organisations and projects. Standard placements take place during the summer.
Foragers and Farmers in Prehistoric Europe (20 credits)
This module examines the shift from hunting and gathering to farming in prehistoric Europe, with special emphasis on Britain. We explore this shift through topics such as hunter-gatherer theory, the first use of ceramic technology, and social and demographic changes associated with the onset of farming. We also consider the history and political implications of research on this iconic episode in the human past.
Roman Frontiers: Life and Interaction at the Edges of Empire (20 credits)
This module critically examines historical and archaeological materials and perspectives related to the frontiers of the Roman Empire and cultural interactions within and beyond the edges of the Roman world, with a particular emphasis on northern Britain. Rather than focus on the Roman military and its fortifications, this module emphasises emerging themes of frontier life and communities, including across traditional Roman/native and military/civilian divides.
Britain in the Early Medieval World (20 credits)
This module explores the archaeology and history of the British Isles between the fourth and eighth centuries AD. You will explore debates surrounding religion, society, migration, settlement, economy, and state formation.
In Search of the Past: The Meanings of Heritage (20 credits)
In this module you will explore the past through the idea of ‘heritage’ as it appears in history and culture. Topics covered include antiquarianism, heritage tourism, and travel writing; the development of museums and their collections; the formation of national heritage bodies in the twentieth century, popular culture and heritage in the age of global media; and archaeology and its popular appeal. The rich heritage of Kent is drawn on for case studies and field trips.
Artefact Studies (20 credits)
This module equips you with hands-on skills and critical understanding of the study of archaeological artefacts, from recovery in the field through analysis and recording to interpretation and communication of results.
Please note that module titles and whether they are core or optional may be subject to change.
In addition, certain modules from the history and geography degree courses are open to students on the archaeology degree course. For example, archaeology students can undertake geography modules on mapping and geographical information systems in Years 2 and 3.