Archaeology with a Foundation Year (BA)

The School of History, Archaeology and Religion enables you to develop in a high-quality learning environment, supported by a student-orientated approach to the acquisition of knowledge and skills.

Teaching methods include lectures, seminars, practicals, workshops, interactive classes, field trips, and one-to-one tutorials. You will also undertake independent study and research, with guidance from tutors.

Lectures provide an overview of the key concepts and frameworks for a topic, equipping you to carry out independent research for the seminars and to develop your own ideas. Seminars provide an opportunity for you to explore the ideas outlined in the lecture in a small group environment.

Seminars usually consist of about 15 students and the seminar leader (a member of the teaching team). Seminars may take various formats, including plenary group discussion, small group work and student-led presentations. They offer a rewarding opportunity to engage critically with the key ideas and reading of a topic, and to explore areas of particular interest with an expert in the field.

Archaeological skills are promoted through a range of practical sessions and direct participation on fieldwork projects, including excavation, surveys, post-excavation programmes and curatorial projects in museums.

How will I be assessed?

All modules have been designed to provide a high-quality academic experience. The type of assessment varies from module to module, but includes essays, examinations, class tests, presentations, role play assessments and portfolios.

In all cases, our assessments are designed to support you in developing your ideas, skills and competencies. The skills developed and assessed throughout the programme prepare you for entry into a range of graduate careers. Individual and group feedback on assessments and other learning provides you with the opportunity to reflect on your current or recent level of attainment. Assessment of the thematic modules is directed towards the ability to interrogate and contextualise evidence in writing. Approaches are diverse, to ensure distinct pathways and experiences and include essays, articles, open book exams and close analysis of evidence independently and in groups. The skills modules all have authentic assessments which simulate real-world activities in the relevant areas. The optional final year project provides the chance to make a genuinely original contribution to archaeological knowledge.

What skills will I practise and develop?

The Learning Outcomes for this Programme describe what you will achieve by the end of your programme at Cardiff University and identify the knowledge and skills that you will develop. They will also help you to understand what is expected of you.

On successful completion of your Programme you will be able to:

Knowledge & Understanding

• Critically evaluate the development of archaeology (including current themes and methods), in relation to a broad range of contexts, time periods and intellectual traditions.
• Design and execute an original, critical archaeological research project embedded in an appropriate theoretical framework.
• Critically appraise the role of archaeology within the wider heritage sector.
• Critically assess the cultural, environmental and social development in the past, and the ways in which archaeology can contribute to the understanding of those processes today.
• Critically evaluate the theoretical frameworks in which archaeological research is embedded.
• Apply knowledge of archaeological method and theory to the examination of particular temporal and geographic contexts.

• Critically interrogate the role of heritage in modern society.

   

Intellectual Skills:

• Collate, describe and present complex and unpredictable archaeological evidence.
• Critically assess and evaluate archaeological and heritage scholarship and relate these to research from other arts and humanities disciplines.
• Analyse, debate and interpret multifaceted archaeological evidence (including objects, sites, buildings and landscapes).
• Formulate and sustain reliable and valid evidence-based arguments, situated within relevant conceptual frameworks.
• Identify and locate appropriate primary and secondary sources of evidence and analyse them critically to address questions and solve problems.
• Utilise knowledge and appropriate skills and methods to critically evaluate change in the examination of particular temporal or geographical contexts.

Professional Practical Skills:

• Contribute competently to the identification, investigation and recording of archaeological sites.
• Assess the reliability, validity and significance of archaeological evidence.
• Prepare professional quality outputs for a range of audiences in the heritage sector relating to the findings of archaeological research.
• Apply archaeological skills in a professional setting.
• Critically relate archaeological knowledge and understanding to other humanities disciplines.

Transferable/Key Skills:

• Communicate complex heritage information to a variety of audiences through a range of media.
• Comply with health and safety legislation and professional standards in a range of archaeological and heritage settings.
• Access, critically assess, and synthesise a range of research resources and evidence.
• Critically assess and ensure research integrity and the ethical delivery of research.
• Competently apply practical IT, numeracy and presentation skills in complex situations.
• Comprehensively assess the ethical implications of research.
• Work collaboratively towards a defined goal.
• Listen, comprehend and reflect when presented with new information.
• Interpret evidence by embedding it in an appropriate theoretical framework.
• Situate and explore discipline-specific knowledge in a global societal, environmental and economic context.
• Effectively communicate complex information and arguments, either individually or as part of a team.