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BA History & Archaeology

 

  • Year 1 – Study Skills. This course runs in the Autumn and Spring terms over five weeks, and is taught jointly by academic staff and honours students. It is designed to improve your study skills: learning techniques, essay-writing, use of  library, etc. Sessions are devoted to lectures, seminars, examinations, library facilities, reading and note-taking. In addition, some basic theoretical and methodological problems of historical scholarship and interpretation are introduced. The participation of senior students who have some experience of studying at Birkbeck gives others an opportunity to meet  those who have progressed into Honours and profit from their experience.

    [LINK TO BOOKLET HERE]

     
  •     Year 2 - Archaeological Theory. The module provides an introduction to history and theory of archaeology as a discipline. It covers the intellectual background of archaeology as a subject of study, examines the role of different political and historical developments on the shaping of the discipline, and highlights certain emerging trends in the field.

    [LINK TO BOOKLET HERE]

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  •      Year 3 – Research Skills for Dissertation. Over eight sessions running from March to May, this module explains some of the basic principles of historical research and practice. The course is designed to give students at the end of year 3 of their BA the necessary research and bibliographic skills to undertake and complete the dissertation in year 4. Attendance at this course is compulsory for all BA students. The course is team taught by historians in the department. Students on this course will be able, by its completion, to compile a bibliography germane to their research topic; know what their area of research for dissertation is; have an awareness of the archives, published sources and on-line archival sources germane to their research area; will know who their supervisor will be, and how to approach a supervisor for supervision and advice; will know how to craft a proposal that is viable for dissertation research. Assessment is on the basis of summative coursework allocated during the course, leading to a formative assessment in the form of a dissertation proposal (300-500 words), with provisional/working dissertation title, a preliminary bibliography of secondary sources (and, where possible, the kinds of primary sources) for your dissertation.

    [LINK TO BOOKLET HERE]