Course Overview
Archaeology is the study of the human past through an examination of physical remains such as stone tools, pottery and bones, through to buildings, structures, monuments and landscapes. It attempts to reveal how contemporary societies, other past societies, and our own society are organised and how we interact with our environments and landscapes. You will engage with theoretical and ethical issues such as heritage and tourism, cultural politics and environmental change, as well as participate in an annual excavation at the spectacular Cistercian monastery and hinterland of Strata Florida, a few miles north of the campus in the Cambrian mountains. The programme offers students a wide range of topics and interests, from Ancient Egypt to issues of conservation, representation and display, from Palaeoenvironmental archaeology to Death and Burial.
The Education Studies component of this major/minor degree comprises two modules of study per year over the three years of your degree. Modules within the Education Studies part of the degree will cover a range of themes including, for example, the historical development of education, learning cultures and approaches to learning, the philosophy of learning and education, and the legal frameworks within which education operates today.
In your first year of study, you will undertake modules that will enable you to explore key educational debates regarding the relations between learning, knowledge, and education in contemporary society; this will provide an overview of the associated aims and values which have underpinned education.
During the second year of study you will undertake a 20-credits module entitled 'Learning in an Inclusive Environment'. As part of this module, you will have the opportunity for gaining valuable work experience through a work placement. This placement may be in a classroom, museum or other contexts which respond to education in its broadest sense. The work will provide you with an insight into the application of concepts and ideas that surround education. Further it offers an opportunity to gain first-hand experience that will support your future career aspirations. In your second year you will also study a module that explores educational identities in relation to knowledge, power, culture and social relations.
Finally, in your third year of study you will have the opportunity to either take a 40-credits dissertation that combines elements of your Education Studies with your chosen Humanities subject, or take a 20-credit Independent Project plus a 20-credit Practical Placement. The latter module might involve an observation in a local school, college, organisation or learning/teaching contexts within the community.
There is clear emphasis on enhancing your employability through ensuring that the modules enable you to develop a range of transferable skills for the workplace. Indeed, you will have the opportunity to develop such skills via, for example, a compulsory work placement, seminar presentations and a practice-based, work related dissertation.
Finally, in your third year of study you will have the opportunity to either take a 40-credits dissertation that combines elements of your Education Studies with your chosen Humanities subject, or take a 20-credit Independent Project plus a 20-credit Practical Placement. The latter module might involve an observation in a local school, college, organisation or learning/teaching contexts within the community.
There is clear emphasis on enhancing your employability through ensuring that the modules enable you to develop a range of transferable skills for the workplace. Indeed, you will have the opportunity to develop such skills via, for example, a compulsory work placement, seminar presentations and a practice-based, work related dissertation.
Key Features
Reasons to choose this course include:
- An observation Placement in a School or museum at level 5 with the option to do another at level 6
- Committed staff with a wide range of scholarly and creative publications who are experienced in teaching students from a wide range of backgrounds.
- Interview practice for PGCE course
- Research-active, published staff with expertise in a wide range of topics
- Small group and seminar discussion
- Regular trips, conferences, and events
- UK and overseas field excavations (Strata Florida, Mediterranean, Qatar)
- Combines theory, method and practice of archaeology
- Excellent facilities for field and laboratory-based courses, with its own bespoke series of laboratories (covering analysis of soil, pollen, 'the bone lab', the project room)
- Hi-tech computer facilities to undertake GIS survey
- The opportunity to develop your own research project
- Excellent support network
Modules
Typical modules include:
- Historical & Contemporary Issues in Education,
- Learning, Knowledge and Education
- Archives and Museum study
- Culture, Identity and Education.
- Lifelong Learning and Continuing Development
- Practical Placement
- Excavation and Fieldwork
- Post-Excavation and Analysis
- Death and Burial
- Funerary Beliefs in Ancient Egypt
- Bronze Age Societies
- Museums, Heritage and Representation
- Human Evolution
- Advanced Environmental Techniques
- Humans and their Environments in Prehistoric Europe
- Origins and Innovations
- Medieval Castles in Context
Course Tutor(s)
- Dr Ros Coard
- Dr Martin Bates
- Mr Quentin Drew
Assessment
Assessment methods for the course draw upon a range of different forms and approaches that include a variety of written formats, from essays (ranging from 1,500 words up to 3,500 words in length), book reviews, literature surveys, short 1,000-word analyses, reflective journals, document analysis and palaeographic work, to oral presentations delivered both in a group and individually, and both seen and unseen examinations. In addition to summative assessments the programme also undertakes a range of formative assessments that may include one or more of the following: peer assessed work, group presentations, journals, internet searches, document analysis, and bibliographic exercises.
Career Opportunities
Career and employment opportunities include:
- Teaching
- Heritage, museum and archive work
- Social and voluntary work
- International development
- Local government
- Administration
- Writing & publishing
- Journalism and IT
- Voluntary work
- Business and marketing
Further Information
Visiting the University
For any students considering studying BA Archaeology with Education Studies at UWTSD it is worthwhile attending a Visit Day or Open Day. You can take a tour of the Lampeter campus, meet some students, and question the lecturers to get a comprehensive understanding of the university and its teaching. To find out more about forthcoming dates visit the Open Day and Visit Day pages.
For more information about the Humanities and Education programmes, please contact:
Dr Rebekah Humphreys
Programme Director BA Humanities and Education
Email: r.humphreys@uwtsd.ac.uk
Tel: 01570 424975
Related Courses
- BA Heritage Studies
- BA Anthropology with Education Studies
- BA Environmental Archaeology
- BA Archaeology with Forensic Studies
- BA Nautical Archaeology
Tuition Fees
Annual tuition fees for entry in the academic year 2017/18 are as follows:
UK/EU: £9,000
International: £14,900
Tuition fees for years of study after your first year are subject to an increase of 3% for International students and at the capped fee rate as set by the UK Government for UK/EU students.
You can find further information on fees and how to pay on our Student Finance pages.
You may be eligible for funding to help support your study. To find out about scholarships, bursaries and other funding opportunities that are available please visit the University's Bursaries and Scholarships page
