Landscape archaeology is the study of landscapes as highly synthetic expressions of human - environment relationships through time. The field is highly interdisciplinary, integrating archaeology, geography, ecology, history, environmental studies, remote sensing, landscape architecture and more. This course is designed to develop the fundamental skills, knowledge and understanding essential to careers related to the study of and engagement with the landscape in the research, environment and heritage sectors. Participants on this course are afforded the opportunity to learn about current and emerging thinking and practice in landscape archaeology, with an emphasis on practice-based and research-led learning.

3x 7hr fieldtrip on consecutive days mid-semester.

2x 2hr workshop sessions before fieldtrip.

1x 2h workshop session after fieldtrip.

None

None

The standard assessments for this course are:

■ Essay (3,000 words) (an essay topic of the students' choosing on a particular landscape of interest) - 50%

■ Portfolio of fieldwork and workshop activities (3000 words equivalent) (a collation of exercises and observations made in the field and classroom to be written up and submitted as a portfolio of activities and findings; to aid early feedback, activities to be broken down into smaller components with separate deadlines) -- 50%

If required, for instance where a disability prevents a student from undertaking a specific method of assessment, the following alternatives are available:

■ There is no alternative to the essay, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

■ There is no alternative to the portfolio, but flexible deadlines can be offered as reasonable adjustments (students should follow the usual process for extensions)

Further reasonable adjustments may be provided where necessary. Students are encouraged to consult with the course convenor.

It is the default expectation that all courses will offer opportunities for reassessment or deferred assessment. Where it is not possible to offer this in some assessment components, the grade achieved at the first attempt will be counted towards the final course grade, and any exceptions for this course are described below.

[No exceptions]

This course aims to:

■ Provide a graduate-level introduction to past and current theoretical frameworks for interpretation in archaeological landscape research, from antiquarian through post-modern approaches and beyond.

■ Introduce a series of practical methodological skills central to current archaeological landscape practice including fieldwork, field observation, analytical description, image interpretation, and data integration.

■ Build confidence in the practice of landscape archaeology in the field, lab, and desk methods through hands-on field and practical-based sessions and supervised workshop sessions.

■ Familiarise students with the diverse data sources drawn upon in landscape archaeology, covering topics such as palaeoenvironmental evidence, geophysics, remote sensed data, written records of land value, and ceramic scatters.

■ Create an environment for students to mobilise archaeological theory and data in the interpretation of specific landscape contexts

■ Provide opportunities for students to develop transferable skills of data collection, analysis, problem-solving, presentation and communication

By the end of this course students will be able to:

■ Formulate and express, orally and in writing, their own views on the development of archaeological landscape theory and practice.

■ Illustrate knowledge of the data sources commonly used in the practice of landscape archaeology and the contexts in which they may be deployed

■ Select and apply appropriate quantitative and qualitative methods to synthesise and analyse diverse data sources.

■ Effectively apply a theoretical approach of their choice to a specific dataset to produce an interpretation of a landscape area.

■ Design, plan, and execute practical tasks in data collection and analysis

■ Articulate complex ideas and nuanced debates clearly in oral, visual and written form.