Institute of Archaeology
MSc GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
Handbook 2015–2016
coordinator: Dr Mark Lake
Room 115, tel. 020 7679 1535, ext. 21535, mark.lake@ucl.ac.uk
The following information should be read in conjunction with the
UCL Student Handbook and the Institute’s MA/MSc Handbook
Contents
1 Introduction
5
2 Aims, objectives and learning outcomes of the degree
5
3 Programme structure
3.1 Core courses . . . .
3.2 Options . . . . . .
3.3 Dissertation . . . .
3.4 Prerequisites . . .
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4 Teaching schedule
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5 Teaching methods
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6 Dyslexia and other disabilities
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7 Degree assessment
9
8 Coursework
8.1 Method of assessment . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8.2 Originality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8.3 Presentation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8.4 Submission . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8.5 Turnitin . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8.6 Grading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8.7 Timescale for return of marked coursework to
8.8 Word-length . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
8.9 Re-submission of Coursework . . . . . . . . .
8.10 Return of Coursework . . . . . . . . . . . . .
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students
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10
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9 Oral examination
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10 Communication
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11 Attendance
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12 Libraries and other facilities
15
12.1 Libraries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
12.2 Archaeological GIS and Computing Laboratory . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
13 Health and safety
16
14 Feedback
16
15 Staff
16
4
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
Handbook 2015–2016
16 Recommended reading
This document and other resources are available from the degree programme website:
http://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=338
17
Handbook 2015–2016
1
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
5
Introduction
Welcome to the MSc GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology, the Institute of Archaeology
and University College London. This handbook outlines the aims and objectives, structure and
content of the degree, and includes outlines of the core courses and the most relevant options
available this year.
This Handbook should be used alongside the general MA/MSc Handbook (also available on the Institute web-site: https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/download/attachments/43650495/
ioa-mamsc+general+handbook.pdf), which contains information about all MA and MSc degrees, and options within them, being taught this year. You should consult that handbook
if you need information about an option outside those normally offered within the present
programme. The MA/MSc Handbook gives essential information on a range of topics, from
enrolment to guidance on the dissertation, so students should ensure that they read it carefully. Distributed along with the MA/MSc Handbook are maps of the College precinct and
surrounding area of London, the complete MA/MSc teaching timetable and the list of Degree
Coordinators and Personal Tutors to MA and MSc students.
In addition, important information relating to the writing and submission of coursework
is also available on the Institute web-site at https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/archadmin/
Students.
Other important information for students is provided on the UCL website (http://www.
ucl.ac.uk/silva/current-students/services).
If you have queries about the organisation, objectives, structure, content or assessment of
the degree, you should consult the Degree coordinator.
2
Aims, objectives and learning outcomes of the degree
Many archaeological organisations, ranging from individual service providers through local to
national governmental organisations are in the process of implementing GIS. As a result there
are an increasing number of ‘end-users’ of GIS who who would benefit from training that is
explicitly focused on its archaeological uses. At the same time, GIS has become established
as an important tool in research-driven archaeology and there is also growing interest in other
computer-based tools for spatial analysis, such as computer-simulation.
In response to this situation, the aim of this degree is to help you become theoretically aware
and technically proficient end-user of GIS and other computer-based tools for spatial analysis.
Consequently the degree has five principal objectives, which are that having completed the
programme you will be able to:
• Critically assess research publications and reports;
• Determine whether the assumptions that underly the use of GIS are appropriate to a
particular problem;
• Make informed decisions about the collection and acquisition of spatial data, and avoid
making basic inferential mistakes;
• Make competent practical use of GIS when it provides the appropriate tool for a particular
problem;
• Make use of at least one other related computer-based method of analysis.
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GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
Handbook 2015–2016
In meeting these objectives you will also be able to demonstrate the following generic learning
outcomes:
• The ability to think critically about culturally specific aspects of their own thought and
behaviour;
• An understanding of the differences between scientific and other forms of reasoning;
• The ability to use quantitative data to support an argument;
• The ability to formulate and carry through a research design;
• The application of acquired knowledge;
• The ability to solve technical problems;
• Oral presentation skills;
• Independence in learning.
3
Programme structure
The programme of study for this degree is intended to help you meet the objectives outlined
above, and also to provide an opportunity for you to achieve any additional personal objectives.
It comprises four compulsory core courses worth 15 credits each, two courses which students
choose from a range of options (worth 15 credits each), and a dissertation (worth 50% of the
degree).
Each course addresses a specific subject and has its own coordinator (who may or
may not be the Degree coordinator). Note also that each course has its own—more
detailed—handbook, which may be found on the Institute website (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/
archaeology/studying/masters/courses) and by following the link to the relevant courses
on the MSc GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology Moodle site (https://moodle.ucl.ac.
uk/course/view.php?id=338). Note that the 2015/16 handbooks may not appear on these
websites until the week of 5th October. Please consult the Degree coordinator if you are unable
to access the MSc GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology Moodle site.
3.1
Core courses
Effective use of GIS and other analytic methods requires a combination of background knowledge, understanding and technical ability. Consequently you are expected to participate in the
following core courses:ARCLG090: GIS in Archaeology I provides training in the representation and manipulation of spatial information using GIS (15 credits, 1/12 of the degree).
ARCLG116: Archaeological Approaches to the Human Use of Space surveys some of
the different ways in which humans have organised themselves in space, introduces the
major theoretical approaches to the human use of space and considers theoretical concerns
about the use of GIS (15 credits, 1/12 of the degree).
ARCLG117: Spatial Analysis in Archaeology further investigates the properties of spatial data and provides the skills required to draw reliable conclusions from spatial analysis
(15 credits, 1/12 of the degree).
Handbook 2015–2016
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
7
ARCLG118: Research Skills for Spatial Analysis provides training in the design, pursuit and dissemination of a research project (15 credits, 1/12 of the degree).
3.2
Options
You must take two optional courses (worth a total of 30 credits or 2/12 of the degree).
Normally, students take ARCLG091: GIS in Archaeology II and then one other 15 credit
course available from other Masters degree programmes taught in the Institute of Archaeology
(see the MA/MSc Handbook at https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/download/attachments/43650495/
ioa-mamsc+general+handbook.pdf). It is also possible (subject to the availability of places)
to take one 15 credit option course provided by another Department at UCL, or one of the
other Colleges of the University of London. In recent years students on this programme have
taken courses offered by the Department of Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
(notably CEGEG077 Web and Mobile GIS and CEGE085 Airborne Data Acquisition) and the
Department of Information Studies (INSTG018 Introduction to Programming and Database
Querying). You should discuss your option choices with the Degree Coordinator before approaching the relevant Course Coordinators. Synopses of ARCLG091: GIS in Archaeology II
and the other courses mentioned above follow:ARCLG091: GIS in Archaeology II This course builds on the prerequisite module Geographic Information Systems in Archaeology I (ARCLG090) to provide students with a
theoretical grounding and practical experience in advanced uses of Geographic Informations Systems for archaeological purposes. There is a strong emphasis on the manipulation
of raster data and we consider landscape geomorphometry, viewshed analysis, cost surface
analysis, hydrology, as well as 2.5D and 3D modelling, and Internet GIS. The course also
introduces computer programming using Python.
We make use of a wide range of both commercial and Open Source software, including
ArcGIS, ParaView, GRASS, Landserf and TauDEM. The course is taught using a combination of lectures, practical sessions and tutorials in the Institute’s AGIS laboratory.
There is an emphasis on comparative analysis of different algorithms and software implementations, as well as a strong concern with how such techniques might be applied to
solve substantive archaeological problems. This course would particularly benefit those
who wish to use GIS primarily in an analytical capacity. It is assessed in three practical
components and one essay.
CEGEG077 Web and Mobile GIS See the CEGE module description for details: https:
//sp.cege.ucl.ac.uk/study/Pages/Module-Guide.aspx?ModileCd=CEGEG077.
CEGE085 Airborne Data Acquisition See the CEGE module description for details:
https://sp.cege.ucl.ac.uk/study/Pages/Module-Guide.aspx?ModileCd=CEGEG085.
INSTG018 Introduction to Programming and Database Querying See the DIS module description for details: https://www.ucl.ac.uk/dis/taught/pg/INSTG018.
You must confirm your final choice of options by November on the pink form which will be
supplied by your Degree coordinator.
Subject to space and the agreement of the course coordinators involved, you are welcome
to attend courses in addition to those for which you are formally registered (you may hear this
referred to as ‘sitting in’ on courses).
8
3.3
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
Handbook 2015–2016
Dissertation
The dissertation of up to 15,000 words is a report on research, the topic chosen being approved
as being relevant within the general area covered by this degree (it should include a practical
component). Soon after arrival, you should discuss your area of research interest with your
degree coordinator, who will help you to focus your ideas for your dissertation, or refer you to
another member of staff who will be able to provide more specific advice, and will probably be
appointed to be your Dissertation Supervisor. They will help the you define your dissertation
topic, and provide guidance through the main stages of the work. The dissertation provides a
further opportunity to define and achieve a your own particular objectives. It might be used
to apply newly learned approaches to an archaeological problem that has long been of interest,
or to gain greater experience with particular spatial analytic methods. If you are studying
part-time while working in the field, you might choose to analyse a data set derived from your
own work, or to assess the potential of computer-based spatial analytic methods for your work.
You can treat the dissertation as a one-off research project, as a pilot study for a PhD project,
or use it to showcase your skills to potential employers.
The dissertation should be submitted by 15th September 2016. Guidelines for researching,
writing and producing the dissertation are included in the general MA/MSc Handbook.
Advice on the preparation of the dissertation will be provided at sessions at regular intervals
through the year, starting on the second Induction Day (Thursday 1st October, 2pm–6pm,
Birkbeck Clore Management Centre, room B01; see the location map at http://www.dcs.bbk.
ac.uk/about/teaching-map.pdf).
3.4
Prerequisites
Several of the MSc GIS and Spatial Analysis courses have prerequisites: ARCLG91: Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology II and ARCLG118: Research Skills for Spatial Analysis
require that students have taken or are taking ARCLG90: Geographical Information Systems
in Archaeology I. Students taking ARCLG117: Spatial Analysis in Archaeology may benefit if
they have some experience of GIS software. Part time students should pay attention to these
prerequisites when choosing which courses to take in the first year.
If you wish to change your programme, or the courses in which you indicated an interest in
your application, you should discuss this with the relevant degree and course coordinators.
In some cases, depending on your previous background, it may be recommended that you
also attend (but will not be assessed for) a parallel undergraduate lecture course, to ensure that
you have the background to get the most out of the Masters level seminars.
4
Teaching schedule
Taught courses are normally timetabled in the first two terms, although assessed work may be
scheduled for submission in the third term, depending on which options have been selected.
Full details of the timetable for each course are included in the relevant course handbook. You
are expected to use the remaining months to work on their dissertation.
Students studying for the degree on a part time basis will be expected to take at least
three courses (which should include two core courses) in the first year and the remainder in
the second. Part time students must agree their choice of courses with the degree coordinator.
They may start work on their dissertation at the same time as full-time students, or they may
wish to start later; either way they should consult the degree coordinator.
Handbook 2015–2016
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
9
Term 1
Mon.
Wed.
11:00–13:00
09:00–12:00
Rm. B13
Rm. 501
Archaeol. Approaches to the Human use. . .
GIS in Archaeology 1
Mon.
Thu.
14:00–16:00
13:00–16:00
Rm. 412 AGIS Lab.
AGIS Lab.
Term 2
Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
GIS in Archaeology 2
ARCLG117 Research Skills for Spatial Analysis is currently timetabled for Tuesday afternoons in term 1, but based on experience last year we will discuss with you the possibility of
moving it to term 2, since that proved very beneficial.
5
Teaching methods
The core and option courses for this degree programme use a mix of lectures, seminars and
laboratory-based practicals. ARCLG116: Archaeological Approaches to the Human Use of Space
uses lectures (which usually include a participatory element) to help students gain an overview
of the various approaches to the human use of space. The other courses all use lectures and/or
seminars to help students grasp the principles of specific methods which they will then explore
in laboratory-based practical classes.
6
Dyslexia and other disabilities
If you have dyslexia or any other disability, please make your lecturers aware of this. Please
discuss with them whether there is any way in which they can help you. Students with dyslexia
are reminded to indicate this on each piece of coursework.
7
Degree assessment
The Board of Examiners normally meets in Late October or early November. At that time
students who have completed all elements may be recommended for the award of a degree.
Degree results will be graded as a Distinction, Merit, Pass or Fail. The requirements for each
grade are as follows:Distinction An award of a degree with Distinction will be made where: (a) the weighted
arithmetic mean of the marks for all elements (the taught elements and the dissertation)
is 70% or greater, and (b) the mark for the dissertation is 70% or greater, and (c) the
mark for at least one 30 credit course or two 15 credit courses) is 70% or greater, and (d)
there are no marks below 50%, and (e) all marks are based on first attempts and there
are no re-sits.
Merit An award of a degree with Merit will be made where: (a) the weighted arithmetic mean
of the marks for all elements is 60% or greater, and (b) the mark for the dissertation is
65% or greater, and (c) there are no marks below 50%, and (d) all marks are based on
first attempts and there are no re-sits.
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GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
Handbook 2015–2016
Pass An award of Pass degree will be made where: (a) the weighted arithmetic mean of at least
75% the marks for taught elements is 50% or greater and the marks for the remaining
taught elements is 40% or greater, and (b) the mark for the dissertation is 50% or greater.
(In other words, fail marks in the range 40-49% in up to 25% of the taught elements are
condoned.)
Fail A candidate will be considered to have failed the degree if the dissertation mark is less
than 50% or the mark for any element is less than 40%.
If a candidate fails to pass in one or more elements (course or dissertation), they may re-enter
for the failed element(s) the following year. Only one re-entry per element is permitted.
Each 15 credit course contributes 1/12 of the overall mark, while the dissertation contributes
6/12.
8
Coursework
Detailed guidance on the production and submission of coursework can be found in
the printed MA/MSc Handbook and also online at https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/
archadmin/Students. The most important points are also summarised here.
8.1
Method of assessment
This varies from course to course, but is always set out in the relevant course handbook. Each
15 credit course is normally assessed by means of a total of4000 words of coursework (or its
equivalent in other forms of assessment). The nature and deadlines of individual assessments are
defined in the course outline documents for the individual courses, available from the relevant
course coordinator, or on Moodle (https://moodle.ucl.ac.uk/login/index.php). If you are
unclear about the nature of an assignment, you should contact the course coordinator. The
course coordinator will be willing to discuss an outline of your approach to the assessment,
provided this is planned suitably in advance of the submission date.
8.2
Originality
All work submitted as part of the requirements for any examination (which includes all assessed
work) of University College London must be expressed in your own words and incorporate
your own ideas and judgements. Plagiarism is defined as the presentation of another person’s
thoughts or words as though they are one’s own. Plagiarism constitutes an examination offence
under the University Regulations and students found to have committed plagiarism may be
excluded from all further examinations of the University and/or College. Any quotation from
the published or unpublished works of other persons MUST be identified as such by placing the
quote in quotation marks, and the source of the quotation MUST be referenced appropriately.
The concept of plagiarism also includes self-plagiarism, which is the submission of identical or
very similar work in more than one piece of coursework assessed as part of the degree without
full citation of the location of its first submission.
To avoid charges of plagiarism or collusion, you must always ensure that your submitted
work is your own and that the sources of all information are appropriately cited. You should
not lend essays or essay drafts to other students because you might be penalised if the other
student copies the work and submits it as their own. If you are unclear about the definition
of plagiarism, you should review the information provide provided in the MA/MSc Handbook
Handbook 2015–2016
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
11
(also at https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/archadmin/Collusion%2C+falsification+and+
plagiarism), which includes notes on plagiarism and examples of good and bad practice with
respect to sources. You may also consult your Degree coordinator or Personal Tutor.
Although each course is assessed independently of other courses, it is taken to be a principle
is that students should not receive credit for the same work twice. You should take care to
ensure that the same or very similar work is not submitted for assessment more than once
during your study for this degree: failure to do so could result in a reduction of your overall
mark. If you are in any doubt, you should seek advice from the degree coordinator, or the
relevant course coordinator.
It is important that you reference your sources of information as accurately and as fully
as possible. If you summarise another person’s ideas or judgements, or reproduce their figures or diagrams, a reference must be made in the text (using the Harvard convention) and
all works referred to must be documented in full in a bibliography. Referencing styles are outlined in the printed MA/MSc Handbook and also online at https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/display/
archadmin/Referencing.
8.3
Presentation
.
Essays and other assessed work must be word-processed (unless otherwise specified). If you
have access to a duplex printer, work should be printed on both sides of the paper in order
to save paper. The main body of text should be printed using 1.5-line spacing, bibliographies
may be in single line spacing. Adequate margins should be left for written comments by the
examiner. You are encouraged to use diagrams and/or tables where appropriate. These should
be clearly referred to at the appropriate point in the text, and if derived from another source,
this must be clearly acknowledged. You should adhere to word limits on essays; they are
intended to help ensure equality of workloads between courses as well as to encourage the useful
transferable skills of clearly structured arguments and succinct writing. College regulations
require the imposition of penalties for overlength work: see below.
UCL has published guidelines on the use of non-discriminatory language which apply to
students as well as staff (http://www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/docs/non_discrim_language.php). You
are reminded, in particular, to avoid the use of gender-biased terms in your written work.
8.4
Submission
You must submit a hardcopy of coursework to the Course Co-ordinator’s pigeon-hole via the
Red Essay Box at Reception by stated deadlines. Coursework must be stapled to a completed
coversheet (available from IoA website, the rack outside Room 411A, or the Library). You
should put your Candidate Number (a 5 digit alphanumeric code, found on Portico; please note
that this number changes each year) and Course Code on all coursework. It is also essential
that you put your Candidate Number at the start of the title line on Turnitin, followed by the
short title of the coursework (example: YBPR6 Funerary practices).
Late submission will be penalized in accordance with UCL regulations, unless permission
for late submission has been granted. New UCL-wide regulations with regard to the granting of
extensions for Undergraduate and Master’s coursework have been introduced with effect from
the 2015-16 session. Full details will be circulated to all students and will be made available on
the IoA intranet. Note that Course Coordinators are no longer permitted to grant extensions.
All requests for extensions must be submitted on a new UCL form, together with supporting
documentation, via Judy Medrington’s office and will then be referred on for consideration.
12
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
Handbook 2015–2016
Please be aware that the grounds that are now acceptable are limited. Those with long-term
difficulties should contact UCL Student Support and Wellbeing to make special arrangements.
Date-stamping is via ‘Turnitin’ (see below), so in addition to submitting hard copy, you
must also submit your work to Turnitin by midnight on the day of the deadline for each piece
of work.
It is essential that you upload all parts of your coursework to Turnitin (i.e. including the
bibliography and images). This ensures that a complete electronic copy of all work is available
for second-marking in case the first copy goes astray. Please be assured that markers will not
include these additional elements when checking word counts.
If you encounter technical problems submitting your work to Turnitin you should email the
nature of the problem to mailto:ioa-turnitin@ucl.ac.uk in advance of the deadline.
The penalties for late submission without permission are as follows:• A penalty of 5 percentage marks will be applied to coursework submitted the calendar
day after the deadline (calendar day 1);
• A penalty of 15 percentage marks will be applied to coursework submitted on calendar
day 2 after the deadline through to calendar day 7;
• A mark of zero will be recorded for coursework submitted on calendar day 8 after the
deadline through to the end of the second week of the third term. Nevertheless, the
assessment will be considered to be complete provided the coursework contains material
than can be assessed;
• Coursework submitted after the end of the second week of the third term will not be
marked and the assessment will be incomplete.
You should note that these regulations will in most cases result in failing a course and thus
potentially failing the whole degree if a single item of assessed work is submitted more than 7
days late without permission.
8.5
Turnitin
In addition to providing date-stamping, Turnitin’s primary function is to scan work for evidence
of plagiarism. This system gives access to billions of sources worldwide, including websites and
journals, as well as work previously submitted to the Department, UCL and other universities.
In common with most other UCL Departments, the Institute now uses this system for all
assessed coursework for taught courses. You must submit hard copy of coursework in the normal
way, but are also required to submit each piece electronically to Turnitin, which should be done
before submission of the copy to be marked.
Unless instructed otherwise, all work must be submitted to Turnitin. Work which is not
submitted to Turnitin will be subject to late submission penalties except in cases where the
Turnitin Advisers have been notified of a technical problem.
A session will take place in the first week of term, at which the procedures will be explained
to new students, and you will be provided with the Turnitin code and password for submitting
coursework for each course.
Turnitin can be used to help you improve you work and avoid inadvertent plagiarism. In
advance of submitting your coursework for marking you may, if you wish, run your work through
the system in order to obtain a report on the originality of the wording and then make any
necessary adjustments prior to final submission. Turnitin advisors will be available to help you
Handbook 2015–2016
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
13
via email: mailto:ioa-turnitin@ucl.ac.uk if you need help generating or interpreting the
reports.
It is important to recognise that the final decision about whether work contains plagiarism
rests with academic staff. Consequently, the presence or absence of matches in a Turnitin report
does not, by itself, provide a guarantee that the work in question either contains or is free from
plagiarism.
8.6
Grading
The grading system for coursework is set out in the MA/MSc Handbook and also available online
at https://wiki.ucl.ac.uk/pages/viewpage.action?pageId=43650568. The mark given by
the initial examiner (prior to return) is a provisional assessment for your guidance, and may be
modified after assessment by the second internal examiner or by the External Examiner.
8.7
Timescale for return of marked coursework to students
You can expect to receive your marked work within four calendar weeks of the official submission
deadline. If you do not receive your work within this period, or a written explanation from the
marker, you should notify the IoA’s Academic Administrator, Judy Medrington.
8.8
Word-length
Coursework word-lengths are normally expressed in terms of a recommended range. Not included in the word count are the bibliography, appendices, tables, graphs, captions to figures,
tables and graphs. You must indicate the word length (minus exclusions) on the cover sheet.
Exceeding the maximum word-length given for the essay will be penalized in accordance with
UCL penalties for over-length work, as follows:• When work exceeds the specified maximum length by less than 10%, the mark will be
reduced by 10 percentage marks, but the penalised mark will not be reduced below the
pass mark, assuming the work merited a pass;
• When work exceeds the specified maximum length by 10% or more, a mark of zero will
be recorded.
You should note that these regulations could result in you failing a course and thus potentially failing the whole degree if a single item of assessed work exceeds the specified maximum
length by 10% or more.
8.9
Re-submission of Coursework
You are not normally permitted to re-write and re-submit essays in order to try to improve your
marks. However, in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of their degree coordinator,
you may if you wish, submit an additional piece of coursework (on a new topic) to substitute
for the first piece of written coursework submitted for your degree.
8.10
Return of Coursework
All marked coursework must be returned to the course coordinator within two weeks of its
return to students so that it can be second-marked and is available to the Board of Examiners.
Because assessed work forms part of your permanent academic record, it needs to be retained
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until well after the completion of the degree. If work is not returned to the course coordinator,
the you will be deemed not to have completed the course. You are strongly advised always
to keep a copy of all work, and to make a copy for retention of all work after it has been
assessed and commented upon by the first examiner, if you wish to make future reference to
the comments on the work.
9
Oral examination
All Master’s students are required to attend an oral examination, normally as part of their
Disssertation assessment. This will normally be held in late May or early June. You must
submit to your Dissertation Supervisor and degree programme coordinator a single sheet of A4
summarising the proposed research design of your dissertation to which you will speak. The
oral examination will be conducted by the degree coordinator and the Dissertation Supervisor(s)
and will normally last for c. 20 minutes (inclusive of the student presentation and a questioning
session). This may be organised with a group students giving their presentations with their peers
present. In such cases, following the presentation the each student will have a meeting with
their Dissertation Supervisor to discuss further their Presentation and Dissertation programme.
No marks are awarded for the oral examination; the assessment is satisfactory or unsatisfactory.
In the event of a problem being identified by the examiners of the Dissertation, you may be
invited to attend a formal viva voce examination with the External Examiner for the degree
also in attendance. Part-time students and students on two-year MA programmes will normally
be required to give a Dissertation presentation (viva) in the year in which they are examined
in the Dissertation.
10
Communication
The primary channel of communication within the Institute of Archaeology is e-mail. If you
wish to be contacted on your personal or work e-mail address, please arrange for e-mail sent
to your UCL address to be forwarded to your other address, since staff and other students will
expect to be able to reach you through your College e-mail, which they can find on the UCL
web-site. You must consult your e-mail regularly, as well as the student pigeon-holes in the
Basement Common Room for written communications. Please also ensure that you keep your
contact details (especially your telephone number) up to date on Portico, in case you need to
be contacted.
11
Attendance
Registers will be taken at all classes, and Departments are required to report the attendance of
each student to UCL Registry at frequent intervals throughout each term. If you are unable to
attend a class, please email the course coordinator to explain, in order to ensure that there is a
record of the reasons for your absence.
It is a College regulation that attendance at lectures, seminars and practicals be monitored.
A 70% minimum attendance at all scheduled sessions is required (excluding absences due to
illness or other adverse circumstances, provided that these are supported by medical certificates
or other documentation, as appropriate).
You should also be aware that potential employers seeking references often ask about attendance and other indications of reliability.
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15
Libraries and other facilities
The MA/MSc Handbook contains information about study space, the Institute Library, computing resources, collections and photocopying.
12.1
Libraries
In addition to the Library of the Institute of Archaeology (5th floor), other libraries in UCL
with holdings of particular relevance to this degree programme are the Science Library (D.M.S.
Watson building on the central UCL site), the Environmental Studies Library in Wates House
on Gordon Street, and the Department of Geography Map Library (http://www.geog.ucl.
ac.uk/maplibrary/). A full list of UCL libraries and their opening hours is provided at http:
//www.ucl.ac.uk/library/.
The University of London Senate House Library (http://www.ull.ac.uk/) also has holdings which may be relevant to this degree programme.
You may also wish to consult the list of electronic journals available through UCL (http:
//metalib-c.lib.ucl.ac.uk/).
12.2
Archaeological GIS and Computing Laboratory
Most practical sessions will be held in the Archaeological GIS and Computing (AGIS) Laboratory, located in room 322c on the third floor of the Institute, or in the UCL cluster room (501)
on the fifth floor of the Institute. The AGIS laboratory is administered by Peter Schauer, Andy
Bevan and Mark Lake.
The laboratory contains 10 networked workstations. These have quad core processors, 16 or
32Gb RAM and wide-screen TFT monitors; they run Microsoft Windows 7. All access filespace
on a Linux-based fileserver and network printing facilities, and can also be used to access central
UCL Microsoft Windows (UCL Common Desktop) and Sun Microsystems Solaris services.
The laboratory also contains the following:
• An A3 Xerox multifunction colour laser printer;
• A4 Epson Perfection 4870 Photo flatbed scanner with transparency unit;
• A0 Colortrac SmartLF cX40c 40” map scanner;
• A1 Calcomp digitising table.
You may use these facilities whenever the Institute building is open (see the MA/MSc
Handbook ) and the laboratory is not required for teaching.
Spatial analytic software available locally on the lab. computers or via the remote services
includes:
GIS ArcView, the ArcGIS suite, ERDAS Imagine, GRASS, Idrisi, Landsurf, Mapinfo;
CAD AutoCAD;
Statistics R, GWR3X, Minitab, SAS and SPSS;
Database Microsoft Access, MySQL, PostgreSQL, mapserver;
Simulation programming Sun Java Development Kit, Eclipse IDE, Repast ABM libraries,
Netlogo.
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Please note that you are responsible for keeping backup copies of your work; CD and DVD
writers are provided for this purpose. We do not currently archive user filespace, which means
that we will not be able to retrieve accidentally deleted work or work lost as a result of system
failure.
13
Health and safety
The Institute has a Health and Safety policy and code of practice which provides guidance on
laboratory work, etc. This is revised annually and the new edition will be issued in due course.
All work undertaken in the Institute is governed by these guidelines and students have a duty
to be aware of them and to adhere to them at all times. This is particularly important in the
context of the laboratory/field/placement work which will be undertaken as part of this degree.
14
Feedback
In trying to make this degree as effective as possible, we welcome feedback during the course of
the year. You will be asked to fill-in Progress Forms at the end of each term, which the degree
coordinator will discuss with you, which include space for comment on each of your courses.
At the end of each course all students are asked to give their views on the course in an
anonymous questionnaire, which will be circulated at one of the last sessions of the course. These
questionnaires are taken seriously and help the course coordinator to develop the course. The
summarised responses are considered by the degree coordinator, the Institute’s Staff-Student
Consultative Committee, Teaching Committee, and by the Faculty Teaching Committee.
If you are concerned about any aspect of a specific course, we hope you will feel able to talk
to the relevant course coordinator, but you they feel this is not appropriate or have more general
concerns, you should consult your degree coordinator/personal tutor, or the Deputy Graduate
Tutor (Ulrike Sommer). You may also consult the Academic Administrator (Judy Medrington),
the Chair of Teaching Committee (Karen Wright), or the Director (Sue Hamilton).
15
Staff
The degree coordinator is:
Dr Mark Lake (ML), who is available for consultation in room 115 at the times posted on
his door, or by appointment.
Tel: 020 7679 1535
Ext: 21535
Email: mailto:mark.lake@ucl.ac.uk
The principal contributor to the core courses is:
Prof. Andy Bevan (AB), who is available for consultation in room 108 at the times posted
on his door, or by appointment.
Tel: 020 7679 1528
Ext: 21528
Email: mailto:a.bevan@ucl.ac.uk
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Recommended reading
Unsurprisingly, Conolly and Lake’s (2006) Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology
covers much, though not all, of the material taught in this programme. Bevan and Lake’s
(2013) edited collection Computational Approaches to Archaeological Spaces provides examples
of current quantitative and computational approaches to spatial modelling in archaeology. Another relatively recent edited collection is Robertson et al.’s (2006) Space and Spatial Analysis
in Archaeology.
Theoretical Perspectives on the Human Use of Space
There is no single book that provides a good overview of the various ways in which humans
have organised themselves in space, in part because archaeologists have tended to adopt different
theoretical perspecitves when dealing with different kinds of past societies. Papers in Wagstaff’s
(1987) Landscape & Culture and Ashmore and Knapp’s (1999) Archaeologies of Landscape:
Contemporary Perspectives jointly provide an overview of the various theoretical perspectives
that have been influential in spatial archaeology.
Binford’s (1983) In Pursuit of the Past still provides a reasonable overview of the kinds
of functional issues addressed by a Processual approach to hunter-gatherer societies. Early
Processual models of settlement patterns exhibited by sedentary small-scale societies can be
found in 1970s and early 1980s work by Renfrew and others, for example papers in Renfrew’s
(1973) The Explanation of Culture Change, Earle and Ericson’s (1977) Exchange Systems in
Prehistory and Renfrew and Cooke’s (1979) Transformations: Mathematical Approaches to
Culture Change. It could be argued that this intellectual lineage is today represented by studies
using point-process models and computer simulation (see below). Since the mid 1980s, so-called
Postprocessual archaeology has tended to focus more on the meaning of material culture and the
idea ‘place’. Parker Pearson and Richards’ (1994) Architecture and Order provides a collection
of papers in this vein, covering space in later prehistory, the classical and Medieval periods.
Tilley’s (1994) A Phenomenology of Landscape. Paths, Places and Monuments was particularly
influential; recent years have seen attempts to marry his approach with the use of GIS, for
example papers in the Journal of Archaeological Method and Theory 2012 special issue on the
subject (volume 19, number 4). Giddens’ (1990) The Consequences of Modernity and Castells’
(1996) The Rise of the Network Society, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture
Vol. I provide sociological perspectives on some of the ways in which our experience of space
may be changing in so-called post-industrial societies.
GIS
There are three GIS text-books specifically aimed at archaeologists: the book jointly written
by the programme coordinator is Conolly and Lake’s (2006) Geographical Information Systems
in Archaeology; the alternatives are Wheatley and Gillings’ (2002) Spatial technology and archaeology: the archeaological applications of GIS and Chapman’s (2006) Landscape archaeology
and GIS. Burrough and McDonnell’s (1998) Principles of Geographical Information Systems
remains one of the best general GIS textbooks. Longley et als. (2001) Geographic Information
Systems and Science provides a more commercially oriented text. Worboys and Duckham’s
(2004) GIS: A Computing Perspective provides exactly what its title suggests.
Parcak’s (2009) Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology provides an introduction to the
archaeological application of remote sensing.
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The impact of Web 2.0 on archaeological GIS is described in Harris’ (2012) Interfacing
Archaeology and the World of Citizen Sensors: Exploring the Impact of Neogeography and Volunteered Geographic Information on an Authenticated Archaeology.
Spatial statistics
If you want to know what spatial statistics can do for archaeology, then a good place to start
remains Hodder and Orton’s (1976) Spatial Analysis in Archaeology, although unfortunately it
is out of print. Alternatively, Conolly and Lake’s (2006) Geographical Information Systems in
Archaeology provides a basic introduction, but for more detailed treatment of spatial statistics
you would need to consult a book such as O’Sullivan and Unwin’s (2003) Geographic Information Analysis, or Diggle’s (2014) Statistical Analysis of Spatial and Spatio-Temporal Point
Patterns. Bevan and Conolly’s (2013) Mediterranean Islands, Fragile Communities and Persistent Landscapes: Antikythera in Long-term Perspective provides a book-length case-study of
the application of contemporary spatial statistics.
Other quantitative methods
There is currently great interest in the application of agent-based computer simulation to archaeological problems, as described in Lake’s (2014) review article Trends in Archaeological
Simulation and its (2015) ‘sister’ paper Explaining the past with ABM: On modelling philosophy. One of the best collections of archaeological and anthropological simulation models remains
Kohler and Gumerman’s Dynamics in Human and Primate Societies: Agent-Based Modelling
of Social and Spatial Processes, while Gimblett’s (2002) Integrating Geographic Information
Systems and Agent-Based Modeling Techniques for Simulating Social and Ecological Processes
provides examples of how one might integrate GIS with the agent-based simulation.
If you are interested in houses, architecture and settlement plans take a look at Hillier and
Hanson’s (1984) The Social Logic of Space which spawned the field of Space Syntax Analysis.
Batty’s (2005) Cities and Complexity applies the mathematics of complexity to urban form.
Paliou et al’s (2014) Spatial analysis and social spaces : interdisciplinary approaches to the
interpretation of prehistoric and historic built environments will give you a feel for the state-ofthe-art in GIS and 3D modelling approaches to the archaeology of buildings.
References
Ashmore, W. & A. B. Knapp (eds.) 1999. Archaeologies of Landscape: Contemporary Perspectives. Blackwell, Oxford. [inst arch ah ash].
Batty, M. 2005. Cities and Complexity: Understanding Cities with Cellular Automata, AgentBased Models and Fractals. The MIT Press, Cambridge, MA. [town planning a 10 bat].
Bevan, A. & J. Conolly 2013. Mediterranean Islands, Fragile Communities and Persistent
Landscapes: Antikythera in Long-term Perspective. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
[inst arch dag 10 bev].
Bevan, A. & M. Lake (eds.) 2013. Computational Approaches to Archaeological Spaces. Left
Coast Press, Walnut Creek, CA. [inst arch ak 30 bev].
Handbook 2015–2016
GIS and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology
19
Binford, L. R. 1983. In Pursuit of the Past: Decoding the Archaeological Record. Thames &
Hudson, London. [inst arch ah bin] [anthropology c 5 bin].
Burrough, P. A. & R. A. McDonnell 1998. Principles of Geographic Informations Systems. Oxford University Press, Oxford. [inst arch ak 40 bur] [geography d 60 bur]
[engineering d 80 bur].
Castells, M. 1996. The Rise of the Network Society, The Information Age: Economy, Society and Culture Vol. I. Blackwell, Cambridge, MA; Oxford, UK. 2nd edition in 2000.
[anthropology e 50 cas] [geography h 92 cas] [public policy hc 79 cas].
Chapman, H. 2006. Landscape archaeology and GIS. Tempus, Stroud, Gloucestershire. [inst
arch ak 40 cha].
Conolly, J. & M. Lake 2006. Geographical Information Systems in Archaeology. Cambridge
Manuals in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge. [issue desk ioa con 10]
[inst arch ak 40 con].
Diggle, P. J. 2014. Statistical analysis of spatial and spatio-temporal point patterns. CRC
Press, Boca Raton, FL, 3rd edition. [mathematics l 102 dig].
Earle, T. K. & J. E. Ericson (eds.) 1977. Exchange Systems in Prehistory. Academic Press,
New York. [inst arch he ear].
Giddens, A. 1990. The Consequences of Modernity. Polity Press, Cambridge. [town planning
g 50 gid].
Gimblett, H. R. (ed.) 2002. Integrating Geographic Information Systems and Agent-Based
Modeling Techniques for Simulating Social and Ecological Processes. Santa Fe Institute Studies in the Sciences of Complexity. Oxford University Press, Oxford. [inst arch ak 40 gim].
Harris, T. M. 2012. ‘Interfacing archaeology and the world of citizen sensors: exploring
the impact of neogeography and volunteered geographic information on an authenticated
archaeology.’ World Archaeology 44(4): 580–591.
Hillier, B. & J. Hanson 1984. The Social Logic of Space. University Press, Cambridge.
[architecture a20 hil].
Hodder, I. & C. Orton 1976. Spatial Analysis in Archaeology. Cambridge University Press,
Cambridge. [inst arch ak30 hod].
Lake, M. 2015. ‘Explaining the past with ABM: On modelling philosophy.’ In G. Wurzer,
K. Kowarik & H. Reschreiter (eds.), Agent-based Modeling and Archaeology, pp. 3–35.
Springer, Switzerland.
Lake, M. W. 2014. ‘Trends in archaeological simulation.’ Journal of Archaeological Method
and Theory 21(2): 258–287.
Longley, P. A., M. F. Goodchild, D. J. Maguire & D. W. Rhind 2001. Geographic
Information Systems and Science. John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK. [geography d68
lon] [inst arch ak 40 lon].
O’Sullivan, D. & D. Unwin 2003. Geographic Information Analysis. John Wiley & Sons,
Hoboken, N.J. [inst arch ak 30 osu][engineering d 80].
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Paliou, E., U. Lieberwirth & S. Polla (eds.) 2014. Spatial analysis and social spaces : interdisciplinary approaches to the interpretation of prehistoric and historic built environments.
De Gruyter, Berlin. [inst arch ak 30 pal].
Parcak, S. H. 2009. Satellite Remote Sensing for Archaeology. Routledge., London. [inst
arch al 12 par].
Parker-Pearson, M. & C. Richards 1994. ‘Architecture and order: Spatial representation and archaeology.’ In M. Parker-Pearson & C. Richards (eds.), Architecture and Order:
Approaches to Social Space, pp. 38–72. Routledge, London. [inst arch ah par].
Renfrew, C. (ed.) 1973. The Explanation of Culture Change: Models in Prehistory. Duckworth, London. [inst arch ah ren].
Renfrew, C. & K. L. Cooke (eds.) 1979. Transformations: Mathematical Approaches to
Culture Change. Academic Press, New York. [inst arch ah ren].
Robertson, E. C., J. D. Siebert, D. C. Fernandez & M. U. Zender (eds.) 2006. Space
and Spatial Analysis in Archaeology. University of Calgary Archaeological Association and
University of New Mexico Press, Calgary. [inst arch ak 30 rob].
Tilley, C. 1994. A Phenomenology of Landscape. Paths, Places and Monuments. Berg, Oxford.
[inst arch ah til] [issue desk ioa til 2] [anthropology c 10 til].
Wagstaff, J. M. (ed.) 1987. Landscape and Culture: Geographical and Archaeological Perspectives. Basil Blackwell, Oxford. [inst arch ah wag].
Wheatley, D. & M. Gillings 2002. Spatial Technology and Archaeology: The Archaeological
Applications of GIS. Taylor & Francis, New York. [inst arch ak 40 whe].
Worboys, M. & M. Duckham 2004. GIS: A Computing Perspective. Taylor & Francis,
London, 2nd edition. [engineering d 80 wor].