| Semester 1, 2021 On-campus Toowoomba | |
| Short Description: | Archaeological Lab Methods |
| Units : | 1 |
| Faculty or Section : | Faculty of Business, Education, Law and Arts |
| School or Department : | School of Humanities & Communication |
| Student contribution band : | 2021 Grandfather Funding Cl 1 |
| ASCED code : | 090303 - Anthropology |
| Grading basis : | Graded |
Staffing
Examiner:
Requisites
Pre-requisite: ANT1000
Rationale
The archaeological record consists of the material remains of human activity in the past. In order to extract data from the archaeological record, the cultural material retrieved through excavation needs to be sorted, identified, quantified and interpreted. This is achieved through a range of laboratory methods, which are essential skills for students in archaeology as part of their professional and academic practice.
Synopsis
This course teaches archaeology students how to analyse and interpret archaeological material addressing the major categories of cultural material encountered in Australian archaeological contexts ranging from stone artefact analysis, bone and shell identification and methods of quantification and interpretation. The course aims to provide a broad introduction to laboratory methods in archaeology.
Objectives
On successful completion of this course students should be able to:
- identify and critically examine methods of analysis in archaeology;
- interpret behaviour from the material record;
- identify and quantify a range of fauna commonly found in Australian archaeological sites;
- identify and quantify stone artefacts commonly found in Australian archaeological sites.
Topics
| Description | Weighting(%) | |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Shellfish: Species identification | 15.00 |
| 2. | Shellfish: Quantification | 15.00 |
| 3. | Lithics: General Principles | 15.00 |
| 4. | Lithics: Technological analysis and typology | 15.00 |
| 5. | Bone: The Australian Mammalian fauna | 15.00 |
| 6. | Bone: Analysis, Fish, Bird and other marine species | 15.00 |
| 7. | Quantification and interpretation of behaviour from the data | 10.00 |
Text and materials required to be purchased or accessed
ALL textbooks and materials available to be purchased can be sourced from (unless otherwise stated). (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/textbooks/?year=2021&sem=01&subject1=ANT2008)
Please for alternative purchase options from USQ Bookshop. (https://omnia.usq.edu.au/info/contact/)
Carpenter, K & Volker, H (eds) 1998, The living marine resources of the Western Central Pacific. Volume 1: Seaweeds, Corals, Bivalves and Gastropods, Food and agriculture Organisation of the United Nations, Rome.
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Fillios, N & Blake, N 2015, Animal Bones in Australian Archaeology, Sydney University Press.
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Holdaway, S & Stern, N 2004, A record in stone: the study of Australia's flaked stone artefacts, Canberrra Aboriginal Studies Press, Melbourne.
Reference materials
Reference materials are materials that, if accessed by students, may improve their knowledge and understanding of the material in the course and enrich their learning experience.
Clarkson, C & Lamb, L (eds) 2005, Lithics ‘down under’: Australian perspectives on lithic reduction, use and classification, British Archaeological Reviews, International Series, Archaeopress, Oxford.
Triggs, B 1996, Tracks, scats and other traces: a field guide to Australian mammals, Oxford University Press, Melbourne.
Jansen, P. Australian Shells: an on-line identification guide for Australian shells. .
Student workload expectations
| Activity | Hours |
|---|---|
| Directed Study | 43.00 |
| Private Study | 122.00 |
Assessment details
| Description | Marks out of | Wtg (%) | Due Date | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PARTICIPATION | 20 | 20 | 01 Mar 2021 | |
| WEEKLY QUIZZES | 20 | 20 | 01 Mar 2021 | |
| ASSIGNMENT | 30 | 30 | 28 May 2021 | |
| OPEN EXAM - ONLINE | 30 | 30 | End S1 | (see note 1) |
Notes
- This will be an online exam. Students will be provided further instruction regarding the exam by their course examiner via StudyDesk. The examination date will be available via UConnect when the Alternate Assessment Schedule has been released.
Important assessment information
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Attendance requirements:
It is the students' responsibility to attend and participate appropriately in all activities scheduled for them, and to study all material provided to them or required to be accessed by them, to maximise their chance of meeting the objectives of the course and to be informed of course-related activities and administration. -
Requirements for students to complete each assessment item satisfactorily:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2021 are: To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item.
Requirements after S1, 2021:
To satisfactorily complete an individual assessment item a student must achieve at least 50% of the marks for that item. -
Penalties for late submission of required work:
Students should refer to the Assessment Procedure (point 4.2.4) -
Requirements for student to be awarded a passing grade in the course:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2021 are: To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course.
Requirements after S1, 2021:
To be assured of receiving a passing grade a student must achieve at least 50% of the total weighted marks available for the course. -
Method used to combine assessment results to attain final grade:
The final grades for students will be assigned on the basis of the aggregate of the weighted marks obtained for each of the summative items for the course. -
Examination information:
Due to COVID-19 the requirements for S1 2021 are: An Open Examination is one in which candidates may have access to any printed or written material and a calculator during the examination.
Requirements after S1, 2021:
CLOSED: Candidates are allowed to bring only writing and drawing instruments into a closed examination. -
Examination period when Deferred/Supplementary examinations will be held:
Normally Deferred and Supplementary Examinations are held in the next Examination period. In S1 2021 selected courses will pilot an early Deferred and Supplementary Examination period held within 30 business days of results release. The list of courses involved can be found at . -
University Student Policies:
Students should read the USQ policies: Definitions, Assessment and Student Academic Misconduct to avoid actions which might contravene University policies and practices. These policies can be found at .
Assessment notes
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Referencing in assignments must comply with the Harvard (AGPS) referencing system. This system should be used by students to format details of the information sources they have cited in their work. The Harvard (APGS) style to be used is defined by the USQ library’s referencing guide. This guide can be found at .
Other requirements
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Students are required to have access to a personal computer, e-mail capabilities and Internet access to UConnect. Current details of computer requirements can be found at .