UCL INSTITUTE OF ARCHAEOLOGY Degree Programme Handbook 2014-15 MSc Environmental Archaeology CO-ORDINATOR: Michele Wollstonecroft (m.wollstonecroft@ucl.ac.uk) Phone: 020 7679 4771 Office: Room 311 OTHER CORE INSTRUCTORS: Dorian Fuller (d.fuller@ucl.ac.uk) Louise Martin (louise.martin@ucl.ac.uk) Manuel Arroyo-Kalin (m.arroyo-kalin@ucl.ac.uk) WITH CONTRIBUTIONS FROM: Cristina Castillo, Leilani Lucas, Charlene Murphy, David Orton, Chris Stevens & Alison Weisskopf MSc Environmental Archaeology TABLE OF CONTENTS 1 INTRODUCTION 2 -Aims, Objectives and Intended Outcomes of this Programme ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAMME STRUCTURE 2 2 -Core Courses 3 -Required Practical Options 3 -Additional Options 3 -Dissertation 4 -Oral Examination 5 TEACHING SCHEDULE 2014 - 2015 5 TEACHING METHODS 6 DYSLEXIA AND OTHER DISABILITIES 6 DEGREE ASSESSMENT 6 COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT 7 -Originality 7 -Citing of sources 8 -Avoiding Plagiarism 8 -Presentation 9 -UCL Regulations on Word-length 9 COURSEWORK SUBMISSION 9 -Turnitin 10 -Anonymity 10 - Penalties for Late Submission Without Permission 10 -Timescale for return of marked coursework to students 11 -Grading 11 -Re-submission of coursework to improve marks 11 -Return of marked coursework to course co-ordinator 11 COMMUNICATION 11 ATTENDANCE 11 LIBRARIES AND OTHER RESOURCES 12 HEALTH AND SAFETY 12 STUDENT FEEDBACK 12 WHAT IS ‘ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY’? 12 ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CORE COURSES: 13 G187: Resources and Subsistence 13 ARCL G188 Environmental Archaeology in Practice G184 Zooarchaeology in Practice 14 G101 Archaeobotanical Analysis in Practice 15 G104 Geoarchaeology 15 POTENTIAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH PROJECTS 15 15 1 MSc Environmental Archaeology INTRODUCTION This is the Handbook for the MSc degree programme in Environmental Archaeology. It outlines the aims and objectives, structure and content of the degree, and includes outlines of the core course and of the most relevant options available this year. It is also available on the Institute web-site: < http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/handbook/gradstud.htm >. This Handbook should be used alongside the MA/MSc Handbook (also available on the Institute web-site: < http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/handbook/gradstud.htm >), which contains information about all MA and MSc degrees, and options within them, being taught this year. Students should consult that Handbook if they 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 and the complete MA/MSc teaching timetable. If students have queries about the organisation, objectives, structure, content or assessment of the degree, they should consult the Degree Co-ordinator. Aims, Objectives and Intended Outcomes of the Degree Programme: 1. To provide participants with a theoretical understanding of research questions and methodologies in the study of past human-environment interactions, including subsistence and subsistence change. Background in the study of temporal and spatial patterns and processes of community ecology, landscape change and agricultural systems will be provided. 2. To provide participants taking the MSc qualification with training in research methods relevant to environmental archaeology, including general familiarity with evidence from archaeobotany, zooarchaeology and geoarchaeology. 3. To provide practical training in laboratory practice of at least one environmental archaeological science (zooarchaeology, geoarchaeology or archaeobotany) 4. To enable degree holders to pursue specialized research on archaeological data relating to past environments and/or subsistence. Students will carry out a research project, resulting in a dissertation, which should represent a contribution to the knowledge of environmental archaeology. ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY PROGRAMME STRUCTURE The programme of study for this degree is intended to help students meet the objectives outlined above, and also to provide an opportunity for them to achieve any additional personal objectives. It comprises two compulsory core courses (each 15 credits), one compulsory practical option (15 credits) and three additional options (of 15 credits each), to a total of 90 credits, and a dissertation on a research topic related to the field of the degree. Each course addresses a specific subject and has its own Co-ordinator. Prerequisites: Courses for Masters programmes do not have prerequisites; students will have been accepted to the programme on the understanding that they already have sufficient background in archaeology or a relevant field, either through their previous degree, or through relevant experience, to be able to follow the programme and courses for which they have been accepted. If, however, students wish to change their programme, or the courses in which they indicated an interest in enrolling in, in their application, they should discuss this with the relevant Degree and Course Co-ordinators. 2 MSc Environmental Archaeology For some courses, depending on the student's previous background, it may be recommended that they also attend (but will not be assessed for) a parallel undergraduate lecture course, to ensure that they have the background to get the most out of the Masters level seminars. The Core Courses: Students are required to take 2 core courses, which serve to develop the necessary theory, critical thinking and quantification skills for this degree. Credit 15 Code ARCLG187 15 ARCLG188 Course Name Resources and Subsistence Environmental Archaeology in Practice Co-ordinator Michele Wollstonecroft Louise Martin Term I II Day and Time Tues 9-11 Wed 9-11 Room 410 410 G187 Resources and Subsistence (coordinated by Michele Wollstonecroft, email: m.wollstonecroft@ucl.ac.uk, office in Room 311), offered in Term I. The principal aims of this core course are to develop and understanding of theoretical debates and methodological issues in the archaeological study of subsistence, changes in subsistence and related human modification of environments. This course is intended to provide the theoretical grounding for practical projects in zooarchaeology or archaeobotany examining subsistence, and consider the potential of geoarchaeological approaches to studying past subsistence systems G188 Environmental Archaeology in Practice (coordinated by Louise Martin, email: louise.martin@ucl.ac.uk, office in Room 303), offered in Term II. This core course aims to develop a working knowledge of key methods in data analysis for environmental archaeology, including dating and the Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon calibration, sampling strategies on-site and off-site, quantification of biological and geoarchaeological datasets, and approaches to statistical analysis. Problems in taphonomy of environmental datasets will also be introduced. This course provides the theoretical grounding for practical projects in zooarchaeology, archaeobotany or geoarchaeology. Required Practical Option [at least 1 required = 15 credits]: Practical skills in working with archaeological environmental/subsistence evidence is a key part of this degree, and each student is expected to pursue practical study of at least one of the core practical research areas—Archaeobotany, Geoarchaeology or Zooarchaeology. A student may take 2 or 3 practical options, replacing the additional options below. (Note: in addition to 1 practical options, students must take three units (=45 credits) of optional courses). The schedule for these courses for this year is indicated below. Further details on these courses appears later in this document. Credit Code 15 ARCLG101 15 ARCLG184 15 ARCLG104 Course Name Co-ordinator Archaeobotanical Analysis in Practice Zooarchaeology in Practice Geoarchaeology Dorian Fuller Term II Reading Week Day and Time Room 313 Louise Martin I Mon 2.15-4.15 308 Manuel ArroyoKalin II Tu 4-6 (lecture) Wed 11-1 (practical) 209 lab Additional Options: Students must take 45 credits of optional courses Normally, students select options from those available within (and particularly relevant to) this degree programme, but they may select one element of options from those available in other Masters' degree programmes taught in the Institute of Archaeology, after discussion with and subject to the agreement of the Degree Co-ordinator. More exceptionally, it is possible to take one module provided by another Department at UCL, or one of the other Colleges of the University of London - students should discuss this with their Degree Coordinator. The options available this year for this degree programme are: For details on the topics of this courses, first visit the appropriate webpages at: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/masters/components/ [selected course number] If you have further queries, please contact the course coordinator. Availability of space in some options may be limited; please confirm availability with the course coordinator. 3 MSc Environmental Archaeology List of Additional Options: Credit 15 Code ARCLG090 15 ARCLG091 15 ARCLG112 15 ARCLG116 15 ARCLG117 15 ARCLG128 15 ARCLG196 15 ARCLG202 15 ARCLG203 15 15 ARCLG205 ARCLG218 15 ARCLG219 15 ARCLG226 15 ARCLG269 15 ARCLG270 15 ARCLG271 15 15 ARCLG274 ARCLG277 15 ARCLG278 15 ARCLG281 Course Name Geographic Information Systems in Archaeology I Geographic Information Systems in Archaeology II Interpreting Pottery - lecture Practicals (one of) Co-ordinator Andy Bevan Term I Wed 9-12 501 Mark Lake II Th 1-4 322c Bill Sillar I Mon 10-12 and B13 Bill Sillar I B13 Archaeological approaches to the human use of space Spatial analysis in archaeology Archaeology of huntergatherers from the emergence of modern humans The Late Bronze Age Aegean Mediterranean world in the Iron Age Ancient Italy in the Mediterranean Mediterranean prehistory British and European Prehistory: Neolithic to Iron Age The Archaeology of Complex Urban Sites: Analytical and Interpretative Techniques Society and Culture in Ancient Egypt Near Eastern Material Cultures I: Neolithic and Early Bronze Age Near Eastern Material Cultures II: Middle Bronze Age to the end of the Iron Age Archaeology of early human origins Archaeologies of Asia Archaeology of Buddhism Social complexity in Early China: from Neolithic to Early Empire Funerary archaeology Mark Lake I Mon 12-1, 2-3, or 3-4 Mon 11-1 410 Andy Bevan II Mon 2-4 412 Andy Garrard II Tu 2-4 612 Todd Whitelaw I Fri 2-4 B13 Corinna Riva II Th 2-4 209 Corinna Riva II Mon 2-4 612 Borja Legarra Mike Parker Pearson I I Th 11-1 Mon 2-4 410 410 Tim Williams II Fri 10-12 and Fri 2-4 B13 410 Richard Bussmann II Tu 4-6 412 Karen Wright I Tu 11.30-1.30 209 Mark Altaweel II Fri 10.30-12.30 209 Matt Pope I Fri 11-1 410 Yijie Zhuang Robert Harding I II Fri 12-2 Fri 12-2 412 412 Yijie Zhuang II Th 9-11 209 Mike Parker Pearson I Tues 2-4 612 Subject to space and the agreement of the Course Co-ordinators involved, students are welcome to attend courses in addition to those for which they are formally registered. Dissertation (= 90 credits): DUE SEPTEMBER 15, 2015 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. Soon after arrival, students should discuss their 4 MSc Environmental Archaeology area of research interest with their Degree Co-ordinator, who will help them to focus their ideas for their dissertation, or refer them to another member of staff who will be able to provide more specific advice, and will probably be appointed to be the student's Dissertation Supervisor. They will help the student define their dissertation topic, and provide guidance through the main stages of the work. The dissertation provides a further opportunity to define and achieve the student's 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 methods of data analysis. If a student is studying part-time while working in the field, they might choose to analyse a data set derived from their own work, or to assess the potential of particular theoretical or methodological approaches for their work. They can treat the dissertation as a one-off research project, as a pilot study for a Ph.D. project, or use it to showcase their skills to potential employers. Advice on the preparation of the dissertation will be provided at sessions at regular intervals through the year, starting at the second Induction Day on Thursday 25 September. The dissertation should be submitted by Tuesday, 15th September 2015. Guidelines for researching, writing and producing the dissertation are included in the MA/MSc Handbook: http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/handbook/gradstud-degree.htm We expect all students to have selected a dissertation topic by the beginning of Term II (January) and to have discussed this topic with an agreed supervisor, and the degree coordinator. Although any member of IoA staff may supervise or co-supervise a dissertation, for topics on Zooarchaeology students should consult Louise Martin, for topics on Archaeobotany students should consult Dorian Fuller. Oral Examination There is an oral examination which will be held in late May or early June. The oral will seek to explore the student's understanding of selected issues considered in the core course and how they relate to one or more of the other options studied, and to the topic defined for their dissertation research. The oral examination will be conducted by two of the core course Co-ordinators (Martin, Wollstonecroft, ArroyoKalin and/or Fuller). There are no marks awarded for the oral examination; the assessment is satisfactory or unsatisfactory. In the event of a problem being identified by the Examiners, students may be invited to attend a formal viva voce examination with the External Examiner for the degree also in attendance. Part-time students will be required to attend the oral examination in their second year TEACHING SCHEDULE 2014-2015 2014-2015 Dates of Teaching Terms: Term I: Monday 22 September 2014 - Friday 12 December 2014; Reading Week: 3-7 November 2014 Term II: Monday 12 January 2015 - Friday 27 March 2015 Reading Week: 16-20 February 2015 Term III: Monday 27 April 2015 - Friday 12 June 2015 Taught courses are normally timetabled in the first two terms, though 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 course handout. Students are expected to use the remaining months to complete their placement and to work on their dissertation. If they are pursuing the degree on a part-time basis, students will normally be expected to take 60 credits (which will normally include the core course) in the first year and the remaining element in the second. They must agree their choice of courses with the Degree Co-ordinator. They may start work on the dissertation at the same time as full-time students, or they may wish to start later; either way they should consult the Degree Co-ordinator, and their Dissertation Supervisor, once the latter has been appointed. 5 MSc Environmental Archaeology TEACHING METHODS Courses on Masters' programmes are usually taught through seminars, these will normally involve about 50% lecture and 50% time for student discussion based on the readings and issues raised in lecture. The option courses will be mainly lab-based practicals with a smaller component of seminar discussion and lecture. Seminars are run differently by different Course Co-ordinators, but all have weekly recommended readings, which students will be expected to have done, to be able fully to follow and actively to contribute to discussion. Some courses may require the student to make a seminar presentation; if so, this will be indicated in the course handbook. 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. DEGREE ASSESSMENT Degree is calculated out of 12. Core courses contribute 1/12th each, options are 1/12th each, and the dissertation is 6/12th. The Board of Examiners normally meets at the end of October. At that time students who have completed all elements may be recommended for the award of a degree. Degree results (for those who have enrolled in or after September 2010) 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 whole taught element or two taught half elements 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. In the case of the MA in Research Methods for Archaeology, an award of the degree with Distinction will be made where; (a) the weighted arithmetic mean of all elements is 70% or greater and (b) the marks for the Piece of Research Writing and the Research Proposal are both 70% 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. For the requirements in the case of 2 year Master’s degrees, please see the relevant Degree Handbook 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. In the case of the MA in Research Methods for Archaeology, an award of the degree with Merit will be made where; (a) the weighted arithmetic mean of all elements is 60% or greater and 6 MSc Environmental Archaeology (b) the marks for the Piece of Research Writing and the Research Proposal are both 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. For the requirements in the case of 2 year Master’s degrees, please see the relevant Degree Handbook 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.) In the case of the case of the MA in Research Methods for Archaeology, an award of a Pass degree will be made if the mark for every element is 50% or greater. For the requirements in the case of 2 year Master’s degrees, please see the relevant Degree Handbook. 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%. In the case of the case of the MA in Research Methods for Archaeology, the candidate will be considered to have failed if the mark for any element is less than 50%. For the requirements in the case of 2 year Master’s degrees, please see the relevant Degree Handbook 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. COURSEWORK ASSESSMENT This varies from course to course, but is always explained in the relevant course handout. Each whole element is normally assessed by means of a total of 10,000 words of coursework (or its equivalent in other forms of assessment). The nature and deadlines of individual assessments are defined in the handouts of the individual courses, available from the relevant Course Co-ordinator. If students are unclear about the nature of an assignment, they should contact the Course Co-ordinator. The Course Co-ordinator will be willing to discuss an outline of their approach to the assessment, provided this is planned suitably in advance of the submission date. Originality: All work submitted as part of the requirements for any examination (which includes all assessed work) of the University of London must be expressed in the student's own words and incorporate their 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 extensive use of the same sources and materials in more than one piece of assessed coursework, submitted for the same or for other courses taken as part of the degree. To avoid charges of plagiarism or collusion, students must always ensure that their submitted work is their own. They should not lend essays or essay drafts to other students because they might be penalised if the other student copies the work and submits it as their own. If students are unclear about the definition of plagiarism, they should review the notes on plagiarism and examples of good and bad practice with 7 MSc Environmental Archaeology respect to sources, included in the MA/MSc Handbook and on the Institute Intranet, and consult their Degree Co-ordinator. Although each course is assessed independently of other courses, students should take care to ensure that the same or very similar work is not submitted for assessment more than once during their study for this degree. Failure to do so could result in a reduction of their overall mark. If students are in any doubt, they should seek advice from the Degree Co-ordinator, or the relevant Course Co-ordinator. It is important that students reference their sources of information as accurately and as fully as possible. If a student summarises another person's ideas or judgements, or reproduces 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 MA/MSc Handbook. Citing of sources Coursework should be expressed in a student’s own words giving the exact source of any ideas, information, diagrams etc. that are taken from the work of others. Any direct quotations from the work of others must be indicated as such by being placed between inverted commas. Plagiarism is regarded as a very serious irregularity which can carry very heavy penalties. It is your responsibility to read and abide by the requirements for presentation, referencing and avoidance of plagiarism to be found in the IoA ‘Coursework Guidelines’ on the IoA website http://www.ucl.ac.uk/archaeology/administration/students/handbook Avoiding plagiarism In academic and other circles, plagiarism is regarded as theft of intellectual property. UCL regulations, all detected plagiarism is to be penalized and noted on the student’s record, irrespective of whether the plagiarism is committed knowingly or unintentionally. The whole process of an allegation of plagiarism and its investigation is likely to cause considerable personal embarrassment and to leave a very unpleasant memory in addition to the practical consequences of the penalty. The penalties can be surprizingly severe and may include failing a course or a whole degree. It is thus important to take deliberate steps to avoid any inadvertent plagiarism. Avoiding plagiarism should start at the stage of taking notes. In your notes, it should be wholly clear what is taken directly from a source, what is a paraphrase of the content of a source and what is your own synthesis or original thought. Make sure you include sources and relevant page numbers in your notes. When writing an essay any words and special meanings, any special phrases, any clauses or sentences taken directly from a source must be enclosed in inverted commas and followed by a reference to the source in brackets. It is not generally necessary to use direct quotations except when comparing particular terms or phrases used by different authors. Similarly, all figures and tables taken from sources must have their origin acknowledged in the caption. Captions do not contribute to any maximum word lengths. Paraphrased information taken from a source must be followed by a reference to the source. If a paragraph contains information from several sources, it must be made clear what information comes from where: a list of sources at the end of the paragraph is not sufficient. Please cite sources of information fully, including page numbers where appropriate, in order to avoid any risk of plagiarism: citations in the text do not contribute to any maximum word count. To guard further against inadvertent plagiarism, you may find it helpful to write a plan of your coursework answer or essay and to write the coursework primarily on the basis of your plan, only referring to sources or notes when you need to check something specific such as a page number for a citation. Take care also to avoid ‘self plagiarism’. On the basis of the principle that students should not obtain credit twice for the same work, it is illicit to reproduce material for assessment in more that one piece of assessed work within a degree without acknowledging the fact. Knowledge or ideas may of course be relevant in more than one context. References to a student’s own work should therefore be cited wherever appropriate in the same way as references to the works of other authors. Failure to do so 8 MSc Environmental Archaeology is considered 'self-plagiarism'. If in doubt, students should consult their Personal Tutor or another appropriate teacher. COLLUSION, except where required, is also an examination offence. While discussing topics and questions with fellow students is one of the benefits of learning in a university environment, you should always plan and write your coursework answers entirely independently. Presentation: Essays and other assessed work must be word-processed (unless otherwise specified) and should be printed on one side of the paper, using 1.5-line spacing. Bibliographies may be in single line spacing. Adequate margins should be left for written comments by the examiner. Students 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. Students 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 (<www.ucl.ac.uk/hr/policy_docs/non_discrim_language.htm>). You are reminded, in particular, to avoid the use of gender-biased terms in your written work. UCL Regulations on Word-length: For submitted coursework, where a maximum length has been specified, the following procedure will apply: i) The length of coursework will normally be specified in terms of a word count ii) Assessed work should not exceed the prescribed length. iii) For work that exceeds the specified maximum length by less than10% the mark will be reduced by ten percentage marks; but the penalised mark will not be reduced below the pass mark, assuming the work merited a pass. iv) For work that exceeds the specified maximum length by 10% or more, a mark of zero will be recorded. The following should not be included in the word-count: title page, contents pages, lists of figure and tables, abstract, preface, acknowledgements, bibliography, captions and contents of tables and figures, appendices, and wording of citations. COURSEWORK SUBMISSION Students are required to submit hard copy of all coursework to the course co-ordinator’s pigeon hole via the Red Essay Box at Reception by the appropriate deadline. Coursework must be stapled to a completed blue coversheet (available from the web, from outside Room 411A or from the IoA library) Please note that stringent penalties for late submission were introduced UCL-wide from 2010-11. Late submission are penalized in accordance with these regulations unless permission has been granted and an Extension Request Form (ERF) completed. Date-stamping is via ‘Turnitin’ (see below), so in addition to submitting hard copy, students must also submit their work to Turnitin by midnight on the day of the deadline for each piece of work. Students who encounter technical problems submitting their work to Turnitin should email the nature of the problem to ioa-turnitin@ucl.ac.uk in advance of the deadline in order that the Turnitin Advisers can notify the Course Co-ordinator that it may be appropriate to waive the late submission penalty. If there is any other unexpected crisis on the submission day, students should telephone or (preferably) e-mail the Course Co-ordinator, and follow this up with a completed ERF. It is essential that students upload all parts of their coursework to Turnitin (ie including the bibliography and images). This ensures that a complete electronic copy of all work is available in case an essay goes 9 MSc Environmental Archaeology astray. Please be assured that markers will not include these additional elements when checking word counts. 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. Students 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. The declaration that students sign on coursework coversheets includes a statement confirming that the work has been submitted to Turnitin. 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 training 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. The full content of the training sessions is given on the Institute Intranet 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 via email: 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. Anonymity Students should put their Candidate Number on all coursework. This is a 5 digit alphanumeric code and can be found on Portico: it is different from the Student Number/ ID. Please also put the Candidate Number and course code on each page of the work. It is also essential that students put their Candidate Number at the start of the title line on Turnitin, followed by the short title of the coursework.. – eg YBPR6 Funerary practices Penalties for Late Submission Without Permission: Where coursework is not submitted by a published deadline, the following penalties will apply: i) A penalty of 5 percentage marks should be applied to coursework submitted the calendar day after the deadline (calendar day 1). ii) A penalty of 15 percentage marks should be applied to coursework submitted on calendar day 2 after the deadline through to calendar day 7. iii) A mark of zero should be recorded for coursework submitted on calendar day 8 after the deadline through to the end of the second week of third term. Nevertheless, the assessment will be considered to be complete provided the coursework contains material than can be assessed. iv) Coursework submitted after the end of the second week of third term will not be marked and the assessment will be incomplete. vii) Where there are extenuating circumstances that have been recognised by the Board of Examiners or its representative, these penalties will not apply until the agreed extension period has been exceeded. 10 MSc Environmental Archaeology Students should note that these regulations will in most cases result in failing an element and thus potentially failing the whole degree if a single item of assessed work is submitted more than 7 days late. 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. Grading The grading system for coursework is set out in the MA/MSc Handbook The mark given by the initial examiner (prior to return) is a provisional assessment for the student's guidance, and may be modified after assessment by the second internal examiner or by the External Examiner. Re-submission of Coursework: Students are not normally permitted to re-write and re-submit essays in order to try to improve their marks. However, in exceptional circumstances and with the approval of their Degree Co-ordinator, they may if they wish, submit an additional piece of coursework (on a new topic) to substitute for the first piece of written coursework submitted for their degree. Return of marked coursework to course co-ordinator for external marking and other purposes. Students must return marked coursework to the Course Co-ordinator within two weeks of receiving it back, so that it can be second-marked, and is available to the Board of Examiners. Because assessed work forms part of the student's permanent academic record, it needs to be retained until well after the completion of the degree. If work is not returned to the Course Co-ordinator, the student will be deemed not to have completed the course. Students 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 they wish to make future reference to the comments on the work. 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. Students must consult their 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. 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 co-ordinator 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). Students should also be aware that potential employers seeking references often ask about attendance and other indications of reliability. 11 MSc Environmental Archaeology LIBRARIES AND OTHER RESOURCES In addition to the Library of the Institute of Archaeology, other libraries in UCL with holdings of particular relevance to this degree are the Science Library located in the main campus. On occasion the main library, which has holding in classics and ancient history may be useful. Libraries outside of UCL which have holdings which may also be relevant to this degree are: the SOAS library. 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. STUDENT FEEDBACK In trying to make this degree as effective as possible, we welcome feedback during the course of the year. Students will be asked to fill-in Progress Forms in the middle of each term, which the Degree Co-ordinator will discuss with them, which include space for comment on each of their 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 Co-ordinator to develop the course. The summarised responses are considered by the Degree Co-ordinator, the Institute's Staff-Student Consultative Committee, Teaching Committee, and by the Faculty Teaching Committee. If students are concerned about any aspect of a specific course, we hope they will feel able to talk to the relevant Course Co-ordinator, but if they feel this is not appropriate or have more general concerns, they should consult their Degree Co-ordinator, Personal Tutor, or the Deputy Graduate Tutor (Elizabeth Graham). They may also consult the Academic Administrator (Judy Medrington), the Chair of Teaching Committee (Karen Wright), or the Director (Sue Hamilton). WHAT IS ‘ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY’? Some aims & objectives of the research 1. To characterise 'short-term' environments, on various spatial scales, which relate to particular phases of occupation of an archaeological site (or past settlement system in an area). Both on-site and off-site data are often used, the former potentially giving detailed information about very local (intra-site) environmental variation. 2. Following from this, to infer, using both off-site and on-site data, what resources were available to and utilised by people in the past, including the modelling, both spatially and temporally (e.g. seasonality), of the ways in which landscapes were exploited for targeted resources. 3. To consider the possible impact of such exploitation on the resource base in particular, and the environment in general. 4. To build longer-term environmental sequences, over time scales relevant to the archaeological investigations in the study area, in order to model relationships between environmental changes (both 'natural' and anthropic) and changes in resource exploitation and subsistence systems. 5. To examine the evolution in time and space of 'cultural' ecosystems, such as crop-weed associations, managed woodlands, field systems, modified landforms, etc.The fundamental approach to reconstructing past environments in environmental archaeology is through the recovery, analysis and interpretation of palaeoenvironmental data (principally soils, sediments, and plant and animal remains) from on-site and off-site contexts. 12 MSc Environmental Archaeology 6. To consider how biotic resources (from animals and plants) were procured, culturally modified and employed in social systems, as resources for storage, trade, conspicuous consumption, etc. The core courses in this degree, and the selected practical option will provide students with the tools to contribute to research in Environmental Archaeology. These core elements are briefly summarized below: ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE CORE COURSES G 187: Resources and Subsistence COURSE CO-ORDINATOR: Michele Wollstonecroft; Room 311; 020 7679 4771; email: (m.wollstonecroft@ucl.ac.uk) Other contributing instructors: Louise Martin (louise.martin@ucl.ac.uk) Dorian Q Fuller (d.fuller@ucl.ac.uk) Manuel Arroyo-Kalin (m.arroyo-kalin@ucl.ac.uk) This course provides an introduction to the major guiding anthropological and archaeological concepts of the relationships between human societies, culture and the natural world. The course will include lectures, readings and discussions on ecological concepts and processes, landscape sustainability, climate change and adaptations, human perceptions and symbolization of their environments, political ecology, and human impacts on the environment. Course Aims: This course aims to provide students of Environmental Archaeology with 1) an overview of current theoretical debates on the study of humans and their environments. 2) A familiarity with case studies which illustrate current issues in the study of human/environmental relations, and 3) an understanding of how to generate problem-driven research as they use the technical skills of geoarchaeology, archaeobotany and faunal analysis that they will also acquire in this MSc degree. Teaching Structure: Weekly 2 hr seminars in Term I only. Tuesday 9-11, Room 410 Assessment: The course is assessed by two pieces of coursework, consisting of 1) (35%) a PowerPoint presentation (Week 5) and short written summary due after Reading Week (Week 6); 2) (65%) an essay, of ca. 3400 words (due at the end of term. Essay topics and submission deadlines are given in the full course handbook. In addition, students are expected participate in an in-class discussion, involving presentations on the characteristics of regionally related hunter-gatherer and farmer subsistence strategies, how they overlap and differ, for which students must present a PowerPoint and submit a written summary of the key points). Material covered in the course will be included in the pass/fail oral examination of the MSc Environmental Archaeology degree. Basic Texts and Resources: Barker, G. 2006. The Agricultural Revolution in Prehistory. Oxford University Press Clutton-Brock, J. (ed.) 1989. The Walking larder: patterns of domestication, pastoralism, and predation. London : Unwin Hyman . Denham, T., Iriarte, J. & Vrydaghs, L. (eds.) 2008. Rethinking Agriculture. Archaeological and Ethnoarchaeological Perspectives. Left Coast Press, Walnut Creek French, C. 2003. Geoarchaeology in Action. Studies in soil micromorphology and landscape evolution. Routledge, London. Harris DR, Hillman GC (eds.) 1989. Foraging and farming: the evolution of plant exploitation. Unwin Hyman, London Harris DR (ed.) 1996. The Origins and Spread of Agriculture and Pastoralism in Eurasia. London: UCL Press Kirch, P. V. 1994. The Wet and the Dry. Irrigation and Agricultural Intensification in Polynesia. University of Chicago Press 13 MSc Environmental Archaeology Panter-Brick, C., R.H. Layton and P. Rowley-Conwy (eds.) 2001 Hunter-Gatherers: An interdisciplinary perspective. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Roberts, Neil 1998. The Holocene, second edition. Blackwell, Oxford. Rosen, Arlene 2007. Civilizing Climate. Alta Mira Press Ruddiman, W. F. 2008 Earth’s Climate. Past & Future. Freeman & Co, New York. Zeder, M., E. Emshwiller, B. D. Smith, and D. G. Bradley (eds.) 2006. Documenting domestication. University of California Press ARCL G 188 Environmental Archaeology in Practice Co-ordinator: Louise Martin (louise.martin@ucl.ac.uk) Other contributing instructors: Dorian Fuller (d.fuller@ucl.ac.uk), Michele Wollstonecroft (m.wollstonecroft@ucl.ac.uk), Manuel Arroyo-Kalin (m.arroyo-kalin@ucl.ac.uk), and David Orton. The principal aims of this core course are to develop a working knowledge of key methods in data analysis for environmental archaeology, including dating and the Bayesian analysis of radiocarbon calibration, sampling strategies on-site and off-site, quantification of biological and geoarchaeological datasets, and approaches to statistical analysis. Problems in taphonomy of environmental datasets will also be introduced. This course is intended to provide the theoretical grounding for practical projects in zooarchaeology, archaeobotany or geoarchaeology. Course Aims On successful completion of this course a student should: Have an overview of current on- and off-site environmental archaeology practices, specifically in relation to archaeobotany, zooarchaeology and geoarchaeology. Be familiar with assessing site formation processes, and assessing appropriate sampling and retrieval methods. Be aware of issues in the application and interpretation of dating techniques. Be familiar with laboratory analytical approaches for assessing taphonomy, and potential for assemblage analysis. Be familiar with statistical approaches to quantification of environmental archaeology assemblages. Be familiar with assessing a range of material for their analysis potential, and assessing datasets for their interpretation potential. Teaching Structure: Weekly seminars in Term 2 only. Wednesdays, 10am- 12 noon, Room 308 Assessment: The course is assessed entirely by coursework, consisting of: 1. Quantification Report (35%) ca. 1500 words: due after reading week; 2. Essay (65%) ca. 3500 words: on a case study: due after term Material covered in the course will be included in the pass/fail oral examination of the MSc Environmental Archaeology degree. Basic Texts and Resources Evans, J. & T. O’Connor. 1999. Environmental Archaeology. Principles and Methods. Sutton, Stroud. Goldberg, P. and R. I. Macphail. 2006. Practical and Theoretical Geoarchaeology. Blackwell, Oxford Grayson, D.K. 1984. Quantitative Zooarchaeology: Topics in the analysis of Archaeological Faunas. Orlando: Academic. Hastorf, C. A. and V. S. Popper (eds.) 1988. Current Paleoethnobotany: Analytical Methods and Cultural Interpretations of Archaeological Plant Remains. Chicago; London: University of Chicago Press Lyman, R. Lee. 1994. Vertebrate taphonomy. Lyman. New York: Cambridge University Press Orton, C. 2000. Sampling in Archaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press Van Zeist, W., K. Wasylikowa, and K.-H. Behre (eds.) 1991. Progress in Old World Palaeoethnobotany. Rotterdam: Balkema 14 MSc Environmental Archaeology G184 Zooarchaeology in Practice Co-ordinator: Louise Martin This course will cover the practical aspects of animal bone identification and analysis. G101 Archaeobotanical Analysis in Practice Co-ordinator: Dorian Fuller The course focuses on the practical hands-on aspects of sorting, identifying, quantifying and reporting archaeobotanical macro-remains, with primary emphasis on seeds. This course runs intensively over reading week in Term II, 16-20 February 2015. The course teaches students to prepare basic descriptive archaeobotanical reports. Training in seed identification will focus in detail on the identification of major Old World seed crops (including Near East/European as well as some South/East Asian and African taxa). The course provides basic tools for identification that can be applied to the identification of other taxa. G104 Geoarchaeology Co-ordinator: Manuel Arroyo-Kalin The course includes classroom and laboratory training in geoarchaeological concepts and methods, with hands-on laboratory analysis of sediments and soils to examine archaeological formation processes in their landscape context. POTENTIAL DISSERTATION RESEARCH PROJECTS FOR THE MSC IN ENVIRONMENTAL ARCHAEOLOGY The list below represents some potential methodological and site-based projects. Students are also able to develop their own projects, if appropriate samples/ study material can be obtained. Methodological projects: Archaeobotanical charring and morphometric analysis There is a large potential for experimental carbonization projects on seeds or projects that look at morphometrics (of particular species, or groups of species, including change associated with domestication), including possibly the use of image analysis software. If this sort of project appeals please consult with Dorian Fuller or Michele Wollstonecroft Zooarchaeological burning projects: Animal bone from archaeological sites is often found burnt, and while there has been some research to record the characteristics and identification of burnt bone, there is good scope for attempting to understand how variables such as exposure time and varying temperature affect burning patterns. This kind of project would require experimental work to be undertaken, either in the lab or a field station. Interested students to see Louise Martin Taphonomy/bone modification projects: Aspects of bone surface modification such as understanding and characterizing butchery marks, or examining root etching, carnivore gnawing, are all available as projects. These could be approached experimentally on modern material under known conditions, or through examination of archaeological material. Interested students to see Louise Martin. Testing zooarchaeological methods: Morphometric analyses are used in zooarchaeology to explore species separation, (especially separating sheep and goat), wild/domestic status of animals, and animal-environmental variation through time/space. Student projects could focus on applying methods to archaeological assemblages, and/or developing new methods. Interested students to see Louise Martin. 15 MSc Environmental Archaeology Geoarchaeological experiments: It is possible to develop different experimental situations and/or sample sub-recent contexts to characterise associated their geoarchaeological material signatures. Interested students should examine the literature on experimental archaeology/ethnoarchaeology and discuss potential research projects with Manuel Arroyo-Kalin. N.B. for experimental work, it is essential to think well ahead of time. Site-Based Project Assemblage Projects: Bones, Seeds, Phytoliths: Many potential site-based projects focused on analysing an assemblage are available. Louise Martin can provide material for assemblage-based projects on faunal remains, from sites in Europe or the Near East, please consult her if your interests lie in archaeozoological materials. In some cases African bone assemblages may be available. Dorian Fuller can provide assemblages of flotation samples (for plant macro-remains) and/or phytolith assemblages from a wide range of periods and regions, including materials from the Near East (Turkey, Kurdistan, Syria), Sudan, Ethiopia, India, Sri Lanka, China, or elsewhere. Please consult him if your interests lie in this area. Manuel Arroyo-Kalin can provide geoarchaeological data sets (bulk samples and materials for soil micromorphological analysis) covering a range of context in the Eurasia and the Americas for dissertation projects. Students can identify geoarchaeological research problems from archaeological projects they have been involved with but an early start is essential given the time required to sample, transport, prepare and analyse samples. The large staff at the IoA, with their wide range of projects around the world means that there are often many other potential assemblages may already exist in house from additional areas. 16