Undergraduate Programme Specification
BA Archaeology and History
Academic Year 2022/23
A programme specification is required for any programme on which a student may be registered. All programmes of the University are subject to the University's Quality Assurance processes. All degrees are awarded by Queen's University Belfast.
| Programme Title | BA Archaeology and History | Final Award (exit route if applicable for Postgraduate Taught Programmes) |
Bachelor of Arts | |||||||||||
| Programme Code | ARL-BA-JS | UCAS Code | VV41 | HECoS Code |
100299 - Archaeology - 50 100302 - History - 50 |
|||||||||
| ATAS Clearance Required | No | |||||||||||||
| Mode of Study | Part Time or Full Time | |||||||||||||
| Type of Programme | Joint Honours Single | Length of Programme |
Part Time - 6 Academic Years Full Time - 3 Academic Years |
Total Credits for Programme | 360 | |||||||||
| Exit Awards available | No | |||||||||||||
Institute Information
Teaching Institution |
Queen's University Belfast |
School/Department |
Natural and Built Environment |
|
Quality Code Higher Education Credit Framework for England |
Level 6 |
|
Subject Benchmark Statements The Frameworks for Higher Education Qualifications of UK Degree-Awarding Bodies |
Archaeology (2022) |
Accreditations (PSRB) |
|
Chartered Institute for Archaeologists |
Date of most recent Accreditation Visit 27-08-20 |
Regulation Information
|
Does the Programme have any approved exemptions from the University General Regulations None |
|
Programme Specific Regulations No |
|
Students with protected characteristics No barriers to access or progression. Physical disability may be a barrier to certain students (e.g. wheelchair users) from participating in some fieldwork activities. The School of Natural and Built Environment and the School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics work with placement providers and partner institutions to ensure that students with disabilities are able to complete placement and residence requirements. |
|
Are students subject to Fitness to Practise Regulations (Please see General Regulations) No |
Educational Aims Of Programme
On completion of the programme the student will be able to:
•demonstrate sound knowledge and understanding of the scope and key intellectual issues within the disciplines of Archaeology and History, and in-depth knowledge of selected specialist areas within these disciplines
•demonstrate key transferable skills, for example critical thinking, data recording and handling, evaluating primary and secondary sources, processing and interpreting complex information
•demonstrate broad knowledge of the global scope of both disciplines and specialist knowledge of the archaeology and history of selected regions
•show awareness of the varied social, economic and environmental parameters underpinning past political and cultural change
•display an appreciation of the character and role of archaeological sites and landscapes in the present, including ethical and legal considerations and the relevance of public engagement
•demonstrate qualification in and key skills for lifelong learning and career development, including independent research abilities, team work, written and oral expression
Learning Outcomes
Learning Outcomes: Cognitive SkillsOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
|
|
Gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information; and be familiar with appropriate means of identifying, finding, retrieving, sorting and exchanging information |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Coursework, tutorials, seminars, oral and poster presentations Methods of Assessment Essays, dissertations, independent projects |
|
Analyse concepts and ideas, and have the capacity to consider and solve problems, including complex problems to which there is no single solution |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, tutorials, supervised research Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, exams |
|
Present well-developed arguments in written and oral form with clarity and fluency |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Coursework, tutorials, seminars, oral and poster presentations Methods of Assessment Essays, reports, oral and poster presentations, tutorial assignments, seminar assignments, exams |
|
Select, design and execute a programme of primary research, including data acquisition, analysis, interpretation, and communication under time-managed conditions and within word limits |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Project design, dissertation and independent project Methods of Assessment Essays, dissertations, independent projects |
|
Display critical awareness of a range of key terms, concepts, approaches, techniques and debates in method, theory and practice relating to both disciplines |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Directed reading, tutorials, seminars, oral and poster presentations Methods of Assessment Coursework assignments, class tests, exams |
|
Appreciate a range of historical and cultural perspectives on academic enquiry |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Directed reading, tutorials, seminars, oral and poster presentations Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertations, independent projects |
|
Engage with and interpret layers of meaning within primary sources and evaluate written sources critically in their context |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Directed reading, tutorials, seminars, coursework Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertations, independent projects |
|
Assess and appraise differing views on significant areas of academic debate |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Directed reading, tutorials, seminars, coursework Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertations, independent projects, exams |
|
Discriminate between what is central and what is peripheral to the issue in question |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Directed reading, tutorials, seminars, coursework Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertations, independent projects, exams |
|
Exercise critical judgment on the basis of varied and problematic evidence and according to the persuasiveness of the arguments or the reliability of the evidence used |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Coursework, tutorials, seminars, oral and poster presentations Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertations, independent projects, exams |
|
Reflect on their own learning and seek and make use of constructive feedback |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Coursework, tutorials and seminars Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework |
|
Recognise the importance of explicit referencing and the ethical requirements of study, which requires critical and reflective use of information and information technology in the learning process |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Coursework, tutorials and seminars Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertations, independent projects |
Learning Outcomes: Transferable SkillsOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
|
|
Use electronic media and information technology (e.g. word processing, spreadsheets, computer-based mapping, graphing and image processing) |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Practicals, provision of online resources Methods of Assessment Practicals, field and lab reports, dissertations, essays, presentations |
|
Access library/museum/archive and World Wide Web resources |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Introduction to library services in Induction week, training sessions in use of online resources, practicals Methods of Assessment Appropriate uses of resources expected in all continuous assessment |
|
Work effectively and creatively both independently and in a team setting |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Fieldwork, tutorials, seminars, practicals, research design training, one-to-one guidance on dissertation and independent project research Methods of Assessment Report and dissertation writing, essays, presentations, practical assignments |
|
Manage time efficiently, work under pressure and to deadlines |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Completion of practicals on time, oral presentations, coursework deadlines Methods of Assessment Practicals, oral presentations, all continuous assessments, dissertation and independent project |
|
Take notes and summarise accurately and effectively |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures and tutorials Methods of Assessment Oral presentations, seminar discussions |
|
Present ideas and arguments orally in both formal and informal contexts; and the capacity to sustain a reasoned line of argument in the face of others, to listen, engage in sustained debate, and amend views as necessary in the light of evidence of argument |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Tutorials and seminars Methods of Assessment Oral presentations, seminar discussions |
|
Understand the role and use of feedback in assessing and improving performance; and respond constructively to criticism |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Dedicated feedback sessions with course tutors Methods of Assessment Written feedback is provided for each type and instance of assessment |
|
Reflect on intellectual and professional priorities |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Engagement with Personal Tutors and Careers Liaison Officers Methods of Assessment Not formally assessed, but each student is allocated a Personal Tutor in Level 1 and meets with him/her throughout the duration of the degree programme |
|
Demonstrate self-reliance, initiative, adaptability and intercultural awareness |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Erasmus programme and other study-abroad programmes with international universities Methods of Assessment For international exchanges, students enrol on and are assessed through the host institution’s undergraduate programme |
Learning Outcomes: Knowledge & UnderstandingOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
|
|
Display knowledge of the nature, relationships, context, development and contemporary practice of History and Archaeology as academic disciplines and as professions |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, field teaching, directed reading Methods of Assessment Exams, coursework, dissertation |
|
Display knowledge and critical awareness of primary archaeological and historical sources and their contexts (including landscapes, sites, monuments and artefacts) |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, practicals, field teaching, supervised research, directed reading Methods of Assessment Exams, coursework, dissertation |
|
Display knowledge, both comparative and specialised, of selected archaeological and historical periods and societies (prehistoric through contemporary), regions (Britain & Ireland, Europe, the Mediterranean, North America, Africa) and research themes (e.g. human evolution, the development of complex societies, cultural change through time and space, human-environment relationships) |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, field teaching, directed reading Methods of Assessment Exams, coursework, dissertation |
|
Display knowledge of a range of key terms, concepts, approaches, techniques and debates in the method, theory and practice of both disciplines |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, field teaching, directed reading Methods of Assessment Exams, coursework, dissertation |
|
Demonstrate an awareness of continuity and change over an extended period of time |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, directed reading Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, exams |
|
Critically evaluate documentary sources in a detailed fashion |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, directed reading Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertation |
|
Demonstrate awareness of the diversity of specialisms within both disciplines |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, directed reading Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, exams |
|
Appreciate the role of both disciplines in society and the varied ways in which it can be presented to a non-academic audience |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, directed reading Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertation |
Learning Outcomes: Subject SpecificOn the completion of this course successful students will be able to: |
|
|
Demonstrate direct experience and competence in a range of core practical and interpretative skills, to an advanced level, involving the recording and analysis of primary archaeological evidence |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, practicals, supervised research Methods of Assessment Coursework, dissertation, lab and field notebooks |
|
Conduct research on archaeological sites, monuments (e.g. SMR, library, archives) and museum collections |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, practicals, field teaching, supervised research Methods of Assessment Coursework, dissertation |
|
Demonstrate field skills (e.g. surveying, excavation, site sampling, coring, recording, safety) |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, practicals, field teaching, supervised research Methods of Assessment Assessed fieldwork, practicals |
|
Show an awareness of post-fieldwork requirements (e.g. artefacts and materials research, human and animal bone research, illustration, sampling, data analysis, data presentation) |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, practicals, supervised research Methods of Assessment Coursework, dissertation, lab notebooks |
|
Demonstrate an appreciation of the legal policy and ethical frameworks for research and professional practice in both disciplines |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, tutorials, seminars, directed reading Methods of Assessment Coursework |
|
Show an awareness of the wider public interest in History and Archaeology and the public benefit of both disciplines |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, field teaching Methods of Assessment Coursework |
|
Display respect for historical and archaeological context and evidence and a greater awareness of the historical processes unfolding in our own time |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Coursework, oral presentations |
|
Understand how people have existed, acted and thought in the always different context of the past |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Coursework, oral presentations |
|
Read and analyse primary sources, both critically and emphatically |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Independent study, seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Essays, dissertations, oral presentations |
|
Appreciate the complexity and diversity of situations, events and past mentalities |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Essays, dissertations, oral presentations |
|
Appreciate different viewpoints and the problems involved in interpreting complex, ambiguous, conflicting and often incomplete material |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Essays, dissertations, oral presentations |
|
Display awareness of the rules of evidence utilised by historians and archaeologists to test the validity of documentary evidence |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Essays, dissertations, oral presentations |
|
Recognise that not all statements are of equal validity |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Lectures, seminars, tutorials Methods of Assessment Essays, dissertations, oral presentations |
|
Show familiarity with bibliographic convention and the ability to research, reference and present written work according to the requirements of the subject area |
Teaching/Learning Methods and Strategies Tutorials, seminars, directed reading Methods of Assessment Essays, coursework, dissertation, individual project |
Module Information
Stages and Modules
| Module Title | Module Code | Level/ stage | Credits | Availability |
Duration | Pre-requisite | Assessment |
|||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| S1 | S2 | Core | Option | Coursework % | Practical % | Examination % | ||||||
| Introduction To World Archaeology | ARP1013 | 1 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 75% | 0% | 25% |
| Themes in Historical Archaeology | ARP1010 | 1 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 30% | 30% | 40% |
| History and Historians: Contested Pasts | HIS1001 | 1 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Ancient Humans and Landscapes | ARP1006 | 1 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 80% | 0% | 20% |
| The Long Road to Black Lives Matter | HIS1005 | 1 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 60% | 40% | 0% |
| Archaeological Excavation | ARP1014 | 1 | 20 | -- | YES | 16 weeks | N | -- | YES | 75% | 0% | 25% |
| Environmental Change: past, present and future | ARP1007 | 1 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 50% | 30% | 20% |
| Revolutions | HIS1004 | 1 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 0% | 100% | 0% |
| Exploring History 2 | HIS1002 | 1 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| A World on the Move:Historical and Anthropological Approaches to Globalization | ANT1003 | 1 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 80% | 0% | 20% |
| Exploring History 1 | HIS1003 | 1 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Europe in Prehistory | ARP1008 | 1 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| The making of contemporary Britain: 1914 to the present | HIS2018 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Apocalypse! End of the World. | HAP2065 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Alexander The Great and the Creation of the Hellenistic World | HIS2020 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 60% | 40% | 0% |
| Cabinets of Curiosity: Museums Past and Present | HIS2067 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Palaeoenvironmental Techniques | ARP2051 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| From St Patrick to the Plantation: The Archaeology of Historic Ireland | ARP2045 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 60% | 0% | 40% |
| Archaeological Excavation | ARP2039 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 16 weeks | N | -- | YES | 75% | 0% | 25% |
| Politics and Society in 20th Century Ireland | HIS2012 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 30% | 10% | 60% |
| Recording History | HIS2063 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Thinking through Things Theorizing Global Archaeology | ARP2043 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Ireland in Prehistory | ARP2041 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 40% | 40% | 20% |
| The Roman Origins of the East and West; From Augustus to Charlemagne | HIS2049 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| The American South 1619-1865 | HIS2028 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| The Northern Ireland Conflict and paths to peace | HAP2001 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Politics and Society in 19th Century Ireland | HIS2011 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Europe between the Wars, 1919-1939 | HIS2050 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| The Expansion of Medieval Europe, 1000-1300 | HIS2047 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Nationalism and Liberation in 20th Century Africa | HIS2061 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Uniting Kingdoms | HIS2064 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| The Archaeology of Islands (Residential Fieldtrip Module) | ARP2058 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Revolutionary Europe, 1500-1789 | HIS2057 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Archaeology in Practice | ARP2057 | 2 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| The American South, 1865-1980 | HIS2029 | 2 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| The Origins of Protestantism | HIS3022 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Critical Thinking and the Past | ARP3089 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 50% | 50% | 0% |
| Kingship and Religion in the First Millennium AD | ARP3085 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Archaeology/Palaeoecology Dissertation | ARP3056 | 3 | 40 | YES | YES | 24 weeks | Y | YES | -- | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Society, Death and Disease | ARP3053 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 0% | 70% | 30% |
| Sin Cities? Everyday Life in the Modern Metropolis | HIS3128 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 60% | 40% | 0% |
| Independent Project | ARP3069 | 3 | 20 | YES | YES | 12 weeks | Y | YES | -- | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Evangelical Protestantism in Ulster: From the United Irishmen to Ian Paisley | HIS3046 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| The Irish Revolution, 1917-1921 | HIS3073 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Religion and Empire: Christian Missions ro Africa, Asia and Middle East | HIS3099 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Popular Culture in England 1500-1700 | HIS3018 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| The Long Sexual Revolution: Family Life in Western Europe, 1945-1970s | HIS3023 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| The American Civil War and Reconstruction, 1860-1877 | HIS3035 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| The Soviet Union 1921-1991 | HIS3039 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| The Rise of Christianity 2: The Conversion of the Roman Empire | HIS3071 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| The Exceptional Origins of the American Republic | HIS3142 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Paths to Independence and Decolonisation in India and East Africa | HIS3133 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Surviving the Victorian city: poverty, welfare and public health in nineteenth-century Belfast | HIS3140 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| The Archaeology of Ancient Greece (Residential Fieldtrip Module) | ARP3009 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Kings, courts and culture in Carolingian Europe | HIS3079 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Twentieth-Century China | HIS3132 | 3 | 20 | YES | -- | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Volcanoes: environmental and societal impacts | ARP3080 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 0% | 60% | 40% |
| The Ancient City | HIS3129 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 90% | 10% | 0% |
| Extermination: History and Memory of the Murdered Jews of Europe | HIS3139 | 3 | 20 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | -- | YES | 100% | 0% | 0% |
| Dissertation | HIS3077 | 3 | 40 | -- | YES | 12 weeks | N | YES | -- | 100% | 0% | 0% |
Notes
At each stage, students are required to take 60 credits worth of modules in Archaeology-Palaeoecology (ARP module codes) and 60 credits worth of modules in History (ANT, HIS, HAP or PAI module codes) from the above list. In addition to a total of 120 credits worth of credit-bearing modules at Stage 1, students on this programme are also required to take the non-credit-bearing module ARP1101 ‘Study Skills for Archaeology’.
ARP1014 includes a four-week field excavation, normally in June between Stages 1 and 2.
ARP2039 is only available if ARP1014 was not taken at Stage 1 (e.g. to students transferring in from other programmes or institutions, needing to take this module to meet their CIfA/UAUK accreditation requirements), includes a four-week field excavation in June.
Students are normally required to do a dissertation at Stage 3 and will take either ARP3056 or HIS3077, they may not take both.
ARP3069 is not a standard option but is provided: (i) to accommodate visiting students at Stage 3 and (ii) to provide an alternative to the double-weighted ArcPal dissertation module (ARP3056) under exceptional circumstances, as advised by supervisor; compulsory if ARP3056 or HIS3077 are not taken; not otherwise available.