Archaeological Practice (MA) - 2013/2014 entry
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Overview
This programme will introduce you to the major techniques, principal bodies of evidence, research themes and concepts deployed in the discipline of archaeology. From this, you will develop a critical understanding of how contemporary archaeologists think, draw and write about archaeology. The curriculum addresses the perceived divide between theory and practice in archaeological fieldwork and cultural resource management. It aims to produce a new kind of professional, who is theoretically aware while grounded in the craft of archaeology. In doing so, the programme will develop your capacity for interdisciplinary and innovative research in the field, based on a more critical and integrated study of landscape, architecture and material culture. Context, and an engagement with its material and historical conditions, is crucial to this work-based training.
London is key to the history of archaeology in Britain, and this programme explores that history from the public outcry for archaeological intervention after Second World War bomb damage, to modern developer-funded archaeology. Practice-based teaching will focus on the archives of the Museum of London and the collections held in The British Museum. You will further learn through practice on field trips and on a tailor-made Birkbeck excavation programme, ‘Buried Humanities’. The curriculum is linked directly to the prehistoric past and will extend outwards from the city in order to compare and contrast the detailed accounts of Thames Valley to East Anglian Fenland archaeology. It is therefore well placed to examine differences in the kinds of knowledge of prehistory produced in site-reports, the regional knowledge of monographs, and the works of synthesis more popular in the academy. A crucial subject is the value of archaeology in the world and the kinds of community that participate in its practice. Birkbeck students will be equipped to implement more creative and productive projects with the communities that live in the landscapes archaeologists study.
By the end of the programme, you will have developed your own research agenda in dealing with archaeological evidence. You will have a confidence in context gained from your skills in reading and interpreting primary evidence, allowing you to break open the materials in archives, collections, excavation and the landscape itself.
Find out more about studying in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.
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Why study this course at Birkbeck?
- Offers an opportunity for independent study and research related to your own interests.
- Flexible entry routes for applicants from different levels and subject areas.
- Become acquainted with a broad range of texts, visual sources and material culture from the archives and collections of the Museum of London and the British Museum, and of developer-funded archaeology.
- Taught by specialists engaged in critical research of empirical evidence in Britain, Europe and the Mediterranean region.
- Watch our video on studying in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.
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Course structure
The core module taken in the first year familiarises you with the principal themes and concepts of current research in archaeology practice, and addresses the perceived divide between theory and practice in archaeological fieldwork and cultural resource management. The module will develop your capacity for interdisciplinary and innovative research in the field, based on a more critical and integrated study of landscape, architecture and material culture.
You will study three option modules (two modules in your first year and one in your second), on such diverse subjects as:
- From Temples to Museums: Post-Classical Encounters with Classical Antiquities
- The Edge of Empire: The Archaeology of Roman Frontiers
- The City of Rome: Ancient to Medieval
- Geographical Information Systems for Archaeologists
- Frameworks for Archaeology: Curatorial Archaeology in England
- Archaeological Architecture.
You will also have a chance to participate in the week-long Birkbeck Field School, offering intensive fieldwork experience.
You will also write a dissertation on a subject of your choice, under the guidance of experienced academic staff.
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Study resources
The programme makes extensive use of archaeological sites, monuments and resources in London and Southern England. We are located five minutes' walk from the British Museum and there is an easy connection with the British Library and Museum of London. Other nearby specialist centres of research include the Institute of Archaeology, which has an internationally renowned library collection and offers regular seminars on research areas covered by the department.
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Further study opportunities
If you are interested in further research, we offer a PhD/MPhil in Archaeology.
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Careers information
Graduates go on to careers as postgraduate and vocational researchers, and as employees in developer-funded archaeology, in the heritage management sector or in education.
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Apply now
- Application deadlines and interviews
- You should apply as early as possible.
- Interviews from January.
- Online application
You can apply online from the link below.
- Application deadlines and interviews