History and Archaeology (BA) - 2012/2013 entry

Study of these two distinct but interrelated disciplines provides a rounded view of ancient and medieval society. You will be taught by leading experts. Practical archaeological experience is a key element of the degree, and you will participate in field trips and a study weekend.

The main prerequisite for this programme is enthusiasm for studying archaeology and history together. There is no fixed route into this degree, but applicants are expected to show a genuine interest in the past.

Find out more about studying in the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology.

• Teaches you how to use a range of evidence – from Roman pottery to medieval manuscripts – to explore the past.
• Acquire critical and analytical skills by studying and comparing data and methods from two disciplines.
• Gain practice in articulating ideas and arguments and presenting conclusions.
• Watch our video of Professor Catharine Edwards talking about our courses and studying in the department.

All students take a foundation module in historical study skills and an introduction to method and practice in archaeology. You will also take three or four survey modules, covering long periods of ancient and medieval history, and then progress to study in greater depth. You choose advanced thematic modules, which may include detailed documentary study or more specialised archaeological approaches.

• Year 1: take the compulsory Method and Practice in Archaeology module, the compulsory Study Skills module and one Group 1 module.
• Year 2: take the compulsory Historiography module and two Group 1 modules.
• Year 3: take the compulsory Bibliography modules and either two Group 2 modules or one Group 2 and one Group 3 module.
• Year 4: take two Group 2 modules, or one Group 2 and one Group 3 module, and write a dissertation.

• British and European History 1250–1500
• Discovering Archaeology: Methods and Practice
• Early Modern Britain 1450–1750
• From Ancient to Medieval Societies
• From Republic to Empire – Roman History 133 BC–AD 284
• The Archaeology of Greece
• The Archaeology of the Roman Empire 
• The Greek World – Archaic and Classical Periods
• The Medieval World 1100–1500.

Group 2 and Group 3 modules

• Approaching Death in Ancient Greece and Rome
• Building the Middle Ages: Architecture and Urbanism 
• Death, Ancestors and the Afterlife in Medieval Society
• Gender in the Middle Ages
• Later Medieval London 1450–1560 – Community, Politics and Religion
• Living in the Middle Ages: From Cookery to Castles
• Power and Self-Representation in the Greek and Hellenistic World
• Religion, Magic and Society in Late Antiquity
• Religious and Political Space in the Classical and Hellenistic World
• Responses to Rome from the Eighteenth Century to the Present
• The Age of Plague – Disease, Medicine and Society in Western Europe, 1348–1665
• The Athenian Empire
• The Empire of Letters
• The English Family c.1350–1720
• Witchcraft and Society 1450–1750.

Please note: not all modules are available every year.

We offer a range of Master's degrees in history and archaeology.

Graduates go on to careers as researchers, as archivists, in museums and galleries, in education, and as journalists.

In the Department of History, Classics and Archaeology, we appreciate the commitment, experience and intellectual curiosity that mature students bring to part-time study. But we are also well aware of the problems you might face: the constraints on your time and energy and the changing level of other commitments. You may also feel trepidation about returning to study, especially if you have had a break of several years.

To help you, we run two initiatives. The first is a compulsory study skills short course for first-year BA students. Further details will be available at the History and Archaeology Induction Evening.

The second is the provision of a personal tutor for each student. If you have any problems during your degree, you can discuss them in confidence with your tutor. Of course, you are also free to talk about any issues with any other member of staff. The Students' Union also provides confidential advice.

Teaching

All formal teaching takes place between 6pm–9pm, Monday to Friday. Staff are available to provide tutorial and general help at other times, as they have a full-time commitment to the School of History, Classics and Archaeology. Most students will have to attend College for only two, or at the most three, evenings a week during term time.

Unlike other colleges and universities, Birkbeck teaches three equal terms of eleven weeks each, in the knowledge that mature students are often parents whose responsibilities are particularly heavy during the school holidays. Check our term dates.

All undergraduate students in the School of History, Classics and Archaeology are assigned a personal tutor, with whom they can discuss their academic progress and any problems they encounter during the course.

Fieldwork

Students are required to complete a total of at least four weeks (20 working days) of archaeological fieldwork during the course, outside of teaching hours. This is made up as follows:

• A week (five working days) on an approved training excavation. The College normally runs its own over five weeks in June/July every year.
• The remainder of the four-week requirement must be made up of work on approved projects. Students are strongly encouraged to gain experience of a wide range of archaeological practice, including field survey techniques. This part of the requirement may be made up from a series of separate sessions.

You may need to contribute towards meeting fieldwork costs. Every effort is made to keep costs to a minimum, however, and most events are free of charge.

Handbook

Download the programme handbook.

• Applications from January.
• Interviews usually from March.