- Department: Archaeology
- Credit value: 20 credits
- Credit level: H
- Academic year of delivery: 2024-25
- See module specification for other years: 2023-24
This module aims to explore the changing landscape since the beginning of the sixteenth century. It will analyse the impact of colonialism and empire, the rise and fall of the landed estate, transformations in rural landscapes through enclosure and Improvement, industrialisation and changes in urban spaces, and the creation of revolutionary landscapes. It will explore how archaeology and archaeological theory deals with these changes and what it can contribute to our understanding of the modern world.
A directed option - students must pick an Assessed Seminar module and have a choice of which to take
Occurrence | Teaching period |
---|---|
A | Semester 1 2024-25 |
Assessed Seminars seek to develop an understanding of a specialist topic (particularly a critical understanding of the key themes, approaches and opinions). In doing so students should be able to improve their knowledge of the subject area (through reading and preparation for their own seminar, their seminar contributions and involvement in the seminars) and also have the opportunity to develop their skills in chairing a seminar, presenting material and being involved in discussion (including thinking on their feet about the topic being discussed, how to engage interest in the topic and stimulate debate).
Specifically this module aims to:
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
In a series of lectures and workshops, students will become familiar with the theme of the module. Students will then choose a topic around which they will design and chair a seminar. Seminars and class discussion will encourage a critical approach to the literature and provide preparation for chairing and presenting.
Through a series of lectures and student-led seminars, students will become familiar with important themes in the modern world, such as capitalism, colonialism, changes in rural and urban landscapes, and industrialisation. Modern landscapes offers a diverse range of landscapes students can engage with, including but by no means limited to: plantation landscapes in North America and the Caribbean, the designed landscapes of country houses, ‘slum’ neighbourhoods in the nineteenth century, how revolutions shaped landscapes, and the impact of enclosure on rural landscapes. There is a broad geographical scope, offering opportunities for students to develop seminars focused on landscapes not only in Britain but elsewhere in the world, especially places impacted by colonialism. Investigating these landscapes will develop understanding of the modern world, enabling and encouraging connections between the landscapes we study and the landscapes of today.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 25 |
Essay/coursework | 10 |
Essay/coursework | 20 |
Essay/coursework | 20 |
Essay/coursework | 25 |
None
Students will hand in worksheets before consolidation week (in Week 5) so staff can work out a schedule for students chairing and delivering presentations. Students will need to hand in presentation slides by week 8, either with pre-recorded narration or without if they opt to do it live. Student-run seminars will run from Week 9 to Week 11 where students will chair a 1hr session. Within these seminars, contributions from students will be assessed.
Task | % of module mark |
---|---|
Essay/coursework | 25 |
Essay/coursework | 25 |
Essay/coursework | 25 |
Essay/coursework | 25 |
Formative: oral feedback from module leaders in class
Summative: written feedback within the University's turnaround policy