UCL-INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY
MA in Archaeology
Degree Programme Handbook 2008-9
Co-ordinator: Dr. Ethan Cochrane
ethan.cochrane@ucl.ac.uk
Institute of Archaeology, office 107, ph. 0207 679 1527
INTRODUCTION
This is the Handbook for the MA degree programme in Archaeology. It outlines the aims and
objectives, structure and content of the degree, and includes outlines of the core course and a list of the
most relevant course options available this year. It is also available on the Institute web-site: .
This Handbook should be used alongside the MA/MSc Handbook (available through same website
above), which contains information about all MA and MSc degrees, and options within them, being
taught this year. The MA/MSc Handbook gives essential information on a range of topics, from
enrolment to guidance on the dissertation, so students should ensure that they read it carefully.
Distributed along with the MA/MSc Handbook are maps of the College precinct and surrounding area
of London, the complete MA/MSc teaching timetable and the list of Personal Tutors to MA and MSc
students. Students should consult this list to find out who is to be their Personal Tutor for the year, and
students should make contact with them soon after their arrival to arrange a meeting.
If students have queries about the organisation, objectives, structure, content or assessment of the
degree, they should consult the Degree Co-ordinator.
AIMS, OBJECTIVES AND LEARNING OUTCOMES OF THE DEGREE
Aims:
1. To provide a wide-ranging and challenging introduction to theoretical issues involved in modern
archaeology as a comparative, anthropologically-informed, and socially-situated discipline.
2. To encourage critically aware perspectives on archaeological practice and research processes.
3. To provide an in-depth understanding of approaches to the collection, analysis and interpretation of
archaeological data.
4. To provide detailed study at the forefront of knowledge in several focused areas within
archaeology.
5. To provide a sufficiently detailed understanding of archaeological data to serve as a basis for
independent research.
6. To foster the ability to develop original research questions and to explore them effectively through
research.
7. To provide training relevant to a professional career in archaeology.
8. To provide a strong background for continuing on to a research degree in archaeology.
Objectives:
These aims are pursued through a programme with two core courses designed to provide a solid
understanding of the history, theories and methods of archaeology, and a wide range of options from
which students can define an individual pathway through the programme, tailored to their specific
interests and personal educational objectives. All students undertake a supervised research project
leading to a 15,000 word dissertation, which enables them to develop specific practical, analytical and
interpretative skills as well as broader research skills.
Upon successful completion of the MA in Archaeology, students will, among other things, have:
1. Gained a detailed understanding of recent theoretical perspectives in the field.
2. Developed their critical faculties in discussion, debate, and evaluation of alternative interpretations
and perspectives on archaeological data.
3. Acquired a range of subject-specific skills, relevant to their further development as practising
archaeologists.
4. Developed a range of research-oriented skills.
5. Carried through a substantial programme of independent research embodied in a dissertation that
demonstrates theoretical understanding and practical competence in archaeological analysis and
interpretation.
2 of9
Learning Outcomes:
Upon successful completion of the MA, students should be able to demonstrate:
1. Observation and critical reflection.
2 Application of acquired knowledge.
PROGRAMME STRUCTURE
The programme of study for this degree is intended to help students meet the objectives outlined above,
and also to provide an opportunity for them to achieve any additional personal objectives. It comprises
two compulsory core courses, two units of options which are chosen from a range of options, a viva
(oral examination), and a dissertation on a research topic related to the field of the degree. Each course
addresses a specific subject and has its own Co-ordinator.
The Core Courses: G193 and G194 Themes, Thought and Theory in World Archaeology: Foundations
and Current Issues
These core courses are designed to provide an intensive graduate-level introduction to archaeological
theory, research issues and reasoning within a seminar framework based on set readings. The Term 1
course, Foundations, introduces students to the modern history of archaeological ideas and to several
broad interpretive frameworks that continue to guide the generation of archaeological knowledge. The
Term 2 course, Current Issues, examines current domains of research within archaeology from
Darwinian approaches to writing and orality. Details of these courses are given in the relevant course
handbooks.
Options
Students must take two units of optional courses (made up of full or half unit courses). Normally,
students select options from those available within (and particularly relevant to) this degree programme,
but they may select one element of options from those available in other Masters' degree programmes
taught in the Institute of Archaeology, after discussion with and subject to the agreement of the Degree
Co-ordinator. More exceptionally, it is possible to take one element provided by another Department at
UCL, or one of the other Colleges of the University of London – students should discuss this with their
Degree Co-ordinator. The options available this year for this degree programme are listed at the back
of this handbook.
Other options which can be taken (bearing in mind potential timetable clashes), after discussion and
approval from the Degree Co-ordinator, are listed in the MA/MSc Handbook (available through same
website above).
Students must confirm their final choice of options by the beginning of November on the pink form
which will be supplied by their Degree Co-ordinator.
Subject to space and the agreement of the Course Co-ordinators involved, students are welcome to
attend courses in addition to those for which they are formally registered.
Dissertation
The dissertation of up to 15,000 words is a report on research, the topic chosen being approved as being
relevant within the general area covered by this degree. Soon after arrival, students should discuss their
area of research interest with their Degree Co-ordinator, who will help them to focus their ideas for
their dissertation, or refer them to another member of staff who will be able to provide more specific
advice, and will probably be appointed to be the student’s Dissertation Supervisor. They will help the
student define their dissertation topic, and provide guidance through the main stages of the work. The
dissertation provides a further opportunity to define and achieve the student’s own particular objectives.
It might be used to apply newly learned approaches to an archaeological problem that has long been of
interest, or to gain greater experience with particular methods of data analysis. If a student is studying
part-time while working in the field, they might choose to analyse a data set derived from their own
3 of9
work, or to assess the potential of particular theoretical or methodological approaches for their work.
They can treat the dissertation as a one-off research project, as a pilot study for a Ph.D. project, or use it
to showcase their skills to potential employers.
The dissertation must be submitted by the 15th of September 2009. Guidelines for researching, writing
and producing the dissertation are included in the MA/MSc Handbook (available through the same
website above).
Oral Examination (viva)
Students are required to attend an oral examination held in late May or early June as part of their
Disssertation assessment. Students must submit to their Dissertation Supervisor and Degree Programme
Co-ordinator a single sheet of A4 summarising the proposed research design of their dissertation to
which they will speak. The oral examination will be conducted by the Degree Co-ordinator and the
Dissertation Supervisor(s) and will normally last for c. 20 minutes (inclusive of the student presentation
and a questioning session). No marks are awarded for the oral examination; the assessment is
satisfactory or unsatisfactory. In the event of a problem being identified by the examiners of the
Dissertation, students may be invited to attend a formal viva voce examination with the External
Examiner for the degree also in attendance. Part-time students will normally be required to attend their
oral examination in the year in which they are examined in the Dissertation.
TEACHING SCHEDULE
Taught courses are normally timetabled in the first two terms, though assessed work may be scheduled
for submission in the third term, depending on which options have been selected. Full details of the
timetable for each course are included in the individual course handbook. Students are expected to use
the remaining months to work on their dissertation.
If they are pursuing the degree on a part-time basis, students will normally be expected to take two full
elements (which will normally include the core course) in the first year and the remaining element in
the second. They must agree their choice of courses with the Degree Co-ordinator. They may start work
on the dissertation at the same time as full-time students, or they may wish to start later; either way they
should consult the Degree Co-ordinator, and their Dissertation Supervisor, once the latter has been
appointed.
TEACHING METHODS
Courses on Masters’ programmes are usually taught through seminars, though depending on the course,
lecturing may also be involved. Some courses will also have associated practicals, laboratory sessions,
or field trips.
Most courses taken by MA Archaeology students are based on a two-hour weekly seminar through the
first two terms (full unit course) or over just one term (half unit). Seminars are run differently by
different Course Co-ordinators, but all have weekly recommended readings, which students will be
expected to have done, to be able fully to follow and actively to contribute to discussion. Some courses
may require the student to make a seminar presentation; if so, this will be indicated in the course
handout.
PREREQUISITES
Courses for the MA in Archaeology do not have prerequisites; students will have been accepted to the
programme on the understanding that they already have sufficient background in archaeology or a
relevant field, either through their previous degree or through relevant experience, to be able to follow
the programme and courses for which they have been accepted. If, however, students wish to change
their programme, or the courses in which they indicated an interest in enrolling in their application, they
should discuss this with the relevant Degree and Course Co-ordinators, to ensure that they have the
necessary background to benefit from the course.
4 of9
For some courses, depending on the student’s previous background, it maybe recommended that they
also attend (but will not be assessed for) a parallel undergraduate lecture course, to ensure that they
have the background to get the most out of the Masters level seminars.
DEGREE ASSESSMENT
Degree results will be graded as a fail, pass or distinction. The requirements for each grade are as
follows:
Fail: A mark of less than 50% in any element (course or dissertation).
Pass: Marks of 50% or greater in all elements (courses and dissertation).
Distinction: Overall weighted average equals or exceeds 70%, and a 70% or higher is achieved in the
dissertation and at least one other whole or two half elements.
The core courses each contribute 1/9 of the overall mark, as does each half unit option. Full unit options
contribute 2/9, while the dissertation contributes 3/9.
COURSEWORK
Method ofAssessment
This varies from course to course, but is always set out in the relevant course handout. Each whole
element is normally assessed by means of a total of 10,000 words of coursework (or its equivalent in
other forms of assessment). The nature and deadlines of individual assessments are defined in the
handouts of the individual courses, available from the relevant Course Co-ordinator. If students are
unclear about the nature of an assignment, they should contact the Course Co-ordinator. The Course
Co-ordinator will be willing to discuss an outline of their approach to the assessment, provided this is
planned suitably in advance of the submission date.
Originality
All work submitted as part of the requirements for any examination (which includes all assessed work)
of the University of London must be expressed in the student’s own words and incorporate their own
ideas and judgements. Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another person’s thoughts or words
as though they are one’s own. Plagiarism constitutes an examination offence under the University
Regulations and students found to have committed plagiarism may be excluded from all further
examinations of the University and/or College. ANY QUOTATION FROM THE PUBLISHED OR
UNPUBLISHED WORKS OF OTHER PERSONS MUST BE IDENTIFIED AS SUCH BY PLACING
THE QUOTATION IN QUOTATION MARKS, AND THE SOURCE OF THE QUOTATION MUST
BE REFERENCED APPROPRIATELY. The concept of plagiarism also includes self-plagiarism,
which is the extensive use of the same sources and materials in more than one piece of assessed
coursework, submitted for the same or for other courses taken as part of the degree. To avoid charges of
plagiarism or collusion, students must always ensure that their submitted work is their own. They
should not lend essays or essay drafts to other students because they might be penalised if the other
student copies the work and submits it as their own. If students are unclear about the definition of
plagiarism, they should review the notes on plagiarism and examples of good and bad practice with
respect to sources, included in the MA/MSc Handbook, and consult their Degree Co-ordinator or
Personal Tutor.
Although each course is assessed independently of other courses, students should take care to ensure
that the same or very similar work is not submitted for assessment more than once during their study for
this degree. Failure to do so could result in a reduction of their overall mark. If students are in any
doubt, they should seek advice from the Degree Co-ordinator, or the relevant Course Co-ordinator.
It is important that students reference their sources of information as accurately and as fully as possible.
If a student summarises another person’s ideas or judgements, or reproduces their figures or diagrams, a
reference must be made in the text (using the Harvard convention [surname, year, page (if necessary)])
5 of9
and all works referred to must be documented in full in a bibliography. Referencing styles are outlined
in the MA/MSc Handbook.
Presentation
Essays and other assessed work must be word-processed (unless otherwise specified) and should be
printed on one side of the paper, using double-line spacing and a font size of 11 or 12; references may
be printed at font size 10 and single-spaced. Adequate margins should be left for written comments by
the examiner. Students are encouraged to use diagrams and/or tables, and drawings or photographs
where appropriate. These should be clearly referred to at the appropriate point in the text, and if
derived from another source, this must be clearly acknowledged. Students should adhere to word limits
on essays; they are intended to help ensure equality of workloads between courses as well as to
encourage the useful transferable skills of clearly structured argumentation and succinct writing. Course
Co-ordinators may apply penalties for overlength work; please see the individual course handbooks for
details of this.
UCL has published guidelines on the use of non-discriminatory language which apply to students as
well as staff (). You are encouraged to examine
these guidelines and write using non-discriminatory language.
Submission
Assessed work must be handed in to red essay box at the Reception Desk before 5:00 pm on the
submission date specified or agreed with the Course Co-ordinator. A blue coversheet should be stapled
to each essay. These are available in the Institute Library, in the rack outside room 411 a, and from the
Reception Desk. The name of the Course Co-ordinator (not degree Co-ordinator) should be included on
the cover sheet. Late work will incur a penalty unless an extension has been granted in advance. If
students are ill or have serious personal or family difficulties, they must complete an Extension Request
Form (ERF) (copies available from room 41 1A) and obtain the approval and signature of the Course
Co-ordinator. ERFs should normally be accompanied by a medical certificate or other documentation
justifying the circumstances (e.g. a note from their Personal Tutor or Degree Co-ordinator). If students
do not submit either the coursework or an ERF on or before the submission deadline, the maximum
mark that can be awarded is a minimum pass (5 0%). If there is an unexpected crisis on the submission
day, students should telephone or (preferably) e-mail the Course Co-ordinator, and follow this up with a
completed ERF.
Submission of coursework to Turnitin
In addition to submitting your coursework as described above, you must also submit your coursework
electronically to the Turnitin system. You will be provided with the necessary code for submitting
your work for each course.
Students who fail to submit their coursework to Turnitin will not receive the mark for the work in
question until they have done so (although they will receive written feedback in the usual way). The
maximum mark for work that has not been submitted to Turnitin prior to the meeting of the Board of
Examiners will be a minimum pass.
In advance of submitting your coursework for marking you may, if you wish, run your work through the
system in order to obtain a report on the originality of the wording and then make any necessary
adjustments prior to final submission. Turnitin advisors will be available to help you at specified times
if you need help generating or interpreting the reports.
It is important to recognise that the final decision about whether work contains plagiarism rests with
academic staff. Consequently, the presence or absence of matches in a Turnitin report does not, by
itself, provide a guarantee that the work in question either contains or is free from plagiarism.
6 of9
Detailed instructions on the use of the system will be supplied separately.
Grading
The grading system for coursework is set out in the MA/MSc Handbook. In brief, examiners will give a
percentage mark for assessed coursework using the following cutoffs: 0-49% Fail, 50-59% Pass (C
equivalent), 60-69% Good Pass (B equivalent), and 70% and higher, Distinction (A equivalent).
Allowing for vacations, every effort will be made to return assessed work within two weeks of the
submission date (three weeks for courses with large enrolments). The mark given by the initial
examiner (prior to return) is a provisional assessment for the student’s guidance, and may be modified
after assessment by the second internal examiner or by the Visiting Examiner.
Re-submission of Coursework
Students are not normally permitted to re-write and re-submit essays in order to try to improve their
marks. However, in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of their Degree Co-ordinator,
they may if they wish, submit an additional piece of coursework (on a new topic) to substitute for the
first piece of written coursework submitted for their degree. Students intending to do so should discuss
this with the Degree and relevant Course Co-ordinator.
Return of Coursework
All marked coursework must be returned to the Course Co-ordinator within two weeks of its return to
students, so that it can be second-marked, and is available to the Board of Examiners. Because assessed
work forms part of the student's permanent academic record, it needs to be retained until well after the
completion of the degree. If work is not returned to the Course Co-ordinator, the student will be deemed
not to have completed the course. Students are strongly advised always to keep a copy of all work, and
to make a copy for retention of all work after it has been assessed and commented upon by the first
examiner, if they wish to make future reference to the comments on the work.
COMMUNICATION
The primary channel of communication within the Institute of Archaeology is e-mail. If you wish to be
contacted on your personal or work e-mail address, please arrange for e-mail sent to your UCL address
to be forwarded to your other address, since staff and other students will expect to be able to reach you
through your College e-mail – which they can find on the UCL web-site. Students must consult their e-
mail regularly, as well as the student pigeon-holes in the basement common room (B 12) for written
communications. Please also ensure that the Institute has an up-to-date telephone number for you, in
case you need to be contacted.
ATTENDANCE
It is a College regulation that attendance at lectures, seminars and practicals be monitored, and a
register will be taken. A 70% minimum attendance at all scheduled sessions is required (excluding
absences due to illness or other adverse circumstances, provided that these are supported by medical
certificates or other documentation, as appropriate). Attendance is reported to College, becomes part of
the student’s academic record, and will be reported to their funding agency if this information is
requested. Students should also be aware that potential employers seeking references often ask about
attendance and other indications of reliability.
LIBRARIES AND OTHER RESOURCES
In addition to the Library of the Institute of Archaeology, other libraries in UCL with holdings of
particular relevance to this degree are the Science Library (D.M.Watson Building) and the Main
Library.
Libraries outside UCL which have holdings which may also be relevant to this degree are: the library of
the Institute of Classical Studies (Senate House), University of London Library (Senate House), the
library of the School of Oriental and African Studies, the Commonwealth Library (U of London), and
7 of9
the British Library.
HEALTH AND SAFETY
The Institute has a Health and Safety policy and code of practice which provides guidance on
laboratory work, etc. This is revised annually and the new edition will be issued in due course. All
work undertaken in the Institute is governed by these guidelines and students have a duty to be aware of
them and to adhere to them at all times.
FEEDBACK
In trying to make this degree as effective as possible, we welcome feedback throughout the year.
Students will be asked to fill-in Progress Forms at the end of each term, which the Degree Co-ordinator
will discuss with them. These forms include space for comment on their courses.
At the end of each course all students are asked to give their views on the course in an anonymous
questionnaire, which will be circulated at one of the last sessions of the course. These questionnaires
are taken seriously and help the Course Co-ordinator to develop the course. The summarised responses
are considered by the Degree Co-ordinator, the Institute’s Staff-Student Consultative Committee,
Teaching Committee, and by the Faculty Teaching Committee.
If students are concerned about any aspect of a specific course, we hope they will feel able to talk to the
relevant Course Co-ordinator, but if they feel this is not appropriate or have more general concerns,
they should consult their Degree Co-ordinator, Personal Tutor, or the Graduate Tutors (Cyprian
Broodbank, Elizabeth Graham). They may also consult the Academic Administrator (Judy Medrington),
the Chair of Teaching Committee (Sue Hamilton), or the Director (Stephen Shennan).
MA OPTION COURSES
The following list is of option courses which ‘belong’ to the MA in Archaeology and courses from
other Masters programmes which are commonly chosen by MA Archaeology students. However, it is
normally possible for students to take other options available within the Institute as well as some of
those elsewhere in UCL (for example, Anthropology). Exceptions include some of the courses in MA
Museum Studies and MA Field and Analytical Techniques, and core courses for other MA/MSc
degrees. Course Handbooks will normally be distributed at the first session of each course. If you wish
to take as one of your options, or sit in on (i.e. not assessed) courses outside the MA Archaeology, you
should first discuss this with the Programme Co-ordinator, and then ask the Co-ordinator of the course
concerned. In some cases, due to equipment or teaching space, there may be limits on the number of
students who can attend a course, and priority is given to those taking the course as one of their formal
options.
Units Course Code Course Title
1.0 ARCLG034 Museum and site interpretation
1.0 ARCLG053 Rethinking Classical Art: sociological and anthropological approaches
1.0 ARCLG057 Cultural Heritage
1.0 ARCLG067 Art: interpretation and explanation
1.0 ARCLG092 Archaeology and ethnicity
0.5 ARCLG101 Archaeobotanical analysis in practice
0.5 ARCLG104 Geoarchaeology; methods and concepts 1
0.5 ARCLG105 Geoarchaeology; methods and concepts 2
0.5 ARCLG108 Archaeometallurgy: Mining and extractive technology
0.5 ARCLG1 09 Archaeometallurgy: metallic artefacts
0.5 ARCLG1 11 Archaeological glass and glazes
0.5 ARCLG1 12 Interpreting Pottery
8 of9
Units Course Code Course Title
0.5 ARCLG1 13 Lithic Analysis
0.5 ARCLG1 14 Archaeological Ceramics and Plaster
0.5 ARCLG1 16 Archaeological approaches to the human use of space
0.5 ARCLG1 17 Spatial analysis in archaeology
0.5 ARCLG1 18 Research skills for spatial analysis
0.5 ARCLG1 28 Archaeology of Late Pleistocene and Holocene Hunter-Gatherers
0.5 ARCLG 147 Evolutionary archaeology
1.0 ARCLG1 61 Global issues in maritime archaeology
1.0 ARCLG166 Art and Archaeology of the Silk Road
0.5 ARCLG1 68 Ethnoarchaeology
0.5 ARCLG175 Cultural memory
0.5 ARCLG1 76 Archaeology of human evolution in Africa
0.5 ARCLG177 Archaeology of pre-modern humans in Eurasia
1.0 ARCLG179 Themes in Palaeoanthropology and Palaeolithic Archaeology
0.5 ARCLG180 Cultural Environments
0.5 ARCLG1 81 Evolution of Palaeolithic and Neolithic Societies in the Near East
0.5 ARCLG1 82 Languages, genetics and archaeology
0.5 ARCLG183 Evolution of Human Cognition
0.5 ARCLG1 84 Zooarchaeology in practice
0.5 ARCLG1 85 Antiquities and the law
0.5 ARCLG1 86 Archaeology and education
0.5 ARCLG1 87 Resources and Subsistence
0.5 ARCLG1 88 Environmental Archaeology in Practice
0.5 ARCLG1 89 Near East from Later Prehistory to the end of the Iron Age
0.5 ARCLG195 The Aegean from first farmers to Minoan states
0.5 ARCLG196 The Late Bronze Age Aegean
0.5 ARCLG1 97 The Archaeology of Early Egypt and the Sudan, c. 10,000 to 2500 BC
0.5 ARCLG198 Egyptian Landscapes: Archaeological Perspectives
0.5 ARCLG199 Egyptian Writing as Material Culture
0.5 ARCLG201 Aztec archaeology: codices and ethnohistory.
0.5 ARCLG202 The Mediterranean World in the Iron Age
0.5 ARCLG209 Cultural heritage and development
0.5 ARCLG208 Topics in Chinese art and archaeology
9 of9