Studying at York
Documents & Archives for Archaeologists - ARC00107M
- Department: Archaeology
- Credit value: 10 credits
- Credit level: M
- Academic year of delivery: 2022-23
Module summary
This module introduces students to the wealth of archival material available to help inform our understanding of historic buildings and landscapes. Working with local archives, a range of documentary, pictorial, and cartographic sources are explored, from medieval church records to estate maps and antiquarian writings. The production, use, analysis and interpretation of these resources is considered. The module includes an introduction to post-medieval palaeography (reading historic handwriting).
Module will run
| Occurrence | Teaching period |
|---|---|
| A | Autumn Term 2022-23 |
Module aims
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To introduce students to the principles of archival research for archaeology.
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To provide training in the use, organisation and deployment of archival sources.
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To provide practical training in the use, analysis, and interpretation of a range of archival sources commonly used by archaeologists and heritage managers.
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To provide practical training in basic post-medieval paleography
Module learning outcomes
Upon completion of this module students should:
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Understand how archives are created and curated.
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Be able to source, correctly handle, and apply basic palaeography skills to a range of archival sources.
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Be able to analyse and interrogate archival sources in response to a research question.
Module content
Sessions are taught in conjunction with local archives, and utilise their collections of historic documents, pictures and maps. The module initially considers the skills required to effectively utilise archival sources, from how to locate records, to how to read and transcribe their contents (palaeography).
The module is structured around three key groups of resources and is focused on considering their purpose, content, and analysis and interpretation. Sessions on Ecclesiastical Records explore the huge range of archival material produced and collected by Church authorities across the medieval and post medieval periods, both those related to churches themselves, and the wider landscapes and buildings they controlled. The module then turns its attention to Domestic and Urban records, exploring the records of everyday life in a city like York. The module concludes by looking at Estate and Landscape records, examining records as diverse as slave registers and enclosure maps.
Indicative assessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Essay/coursework | 100 |
Special assessment rules
Pass/fail
Indicative reassessment
| Task | % of module mark |
|---|---|
| Closed/in-person Exam (Centrally scheduled) | 100 |
Module feedback
Feedback within 20 working days
Indicative reading
Barson, S (ed.) (2018) Understanding Architectural Drawings and Historical Visual Sources. London: Historic England.
Hoskins et al (2001) Reading the Past: Sixteenth and Seventeenth Century English Handwriting. York: University of York.