ObjectivesThe programme aims to prepare you for participation in the discipline of archaeology on both a practical and theoretical level, including providing promising students with the appropriate training to embark on a PhD within the subject. Successful graduates will acquire a sound understanding of the diverse sources employed in modern archaeological practice. You will be exposed to key current issues and debates and will be introduced to the theory and method used to recover, record, analyse and interpret the relevant data. Together these provide a good understanding of the interdisciplinary nature of the field, the relationship of regional and national research to global themes and the relevance of archaeology to wider academic research and to contemporary society.
This programme equips students with a first degree in a subject other than archaeology with a strong background in the methodological and theoretical approaches used in archaeology and the interplay between them. It is designed to be a fast-track conversion programme, providing grounding in archaeological methodology and access to a wide range of optional courses covering further aspects of methodology and practice, or examining the archaeology of particular chronological periods or geographical areas. The department has particular strengths in the archaeology of the Mediterranean and of the historical periods in north-western Europe, as well as having strong practical components derived in part from our close association with our in-house field unit, GUARD (Glasgow University Archaeological Research Division).
Content
The core courses provide a grounding in key archaeological principles:
* Archaeological theory and interpretation introduces the theoretical and interpretative constructs used by archaeologists and the development of archaeological thought in relation to wider intellectual trends.
* Archaeological practice provides a background in the organisation of archaeology in the UK and the approaches to the discovery, excavation, recording and analysis of archaeological sites.
The optional courses offer specialist paths that allow you to explore particular areas of study in more detail. You need to choose three options from a specialised list of courses associated with other MLitt/PgDip degrees offered by the department. These courses draw upon the particular interests and expertise of the contributing staff and the options available may therefore vary slightly depending on staff availability. They are also subject to a minimum number of students.
The MLitt dissertation is a sustained piece of scholarly work on a topic to be agreed between the convener and the student and is undertaken between May and September.