- Overview
- Module description
Hunter Gatherers: Archaeology and Ethnography (ARC3107)
| Staff | Bruce Bradley - Lecturer Professor Alan Outram - Convenor |
|---|---|
| Credit Value | 15 |
| ECTS Value | 7.50 |
| NQF Level | 6 |
| Pre-requisites | None |
| Co-requisites | None |
| Duration of Module | Term 2: 11 weeks; |
Module aims
This module aims to develop a critical understanding of the wide variety of ways of life that hunter-gatherer peoples have today and had in both the distant and more recent past. It will provide students with the skills to apply information about recent or contemporary hunter-gatherer groups to inform our interpretations of the archaeological record. There will be a particular focus on subsistence economics, but social and artistic issues will also be covered. Students will be introduced to archaeological, environmental, experimental and ethnographic evidence that can be applied to understanding hunter-gatherer peoples.
ILO: Module-specific skills
- 1. know the theoretical and methodological frameworks of hunter-gatherer studies and understand how these relate to the interpretation of prehistoric archaeology
- 2. understand a variety of different hunter-gatherer lifeways and how they relate to their environment.
- 3. analyse the various sources of evidence employed in hunter-gatherer studies and appreciate the mechanisms for their interpretation
ILO: Discipline-specific skills
- 4. critically reflect upon the integration of ethnographic, archaeological, environmental and experimental data in interpreting the past.
- 5. integrate the use of ethnographic, archaeological, environmental and experimental data in interpreting the past.
- 6. Critically apply thematic knowledge and analyse, synthesise and evaluate terms, concepts and examples
ILO: Personal and key skills
- 7. research a topic guided by a reading list and synthesize data from disparate sources; interpret a variety of information forms
- 8. respond to comments in discussion and ask pertinent questions
- 9. contribute to presentations using appropriate visual aids
Syllabus plan
Introduction,
Archaeological Evidence
Territoriality
Ethnographic and Experimental Evidence
Optimal Foraging Theory
Mobility and the Seasonal Round
Risk Reduction Strategies
Sex; Kinship; Family Roles
Art
Relations with farmers
Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)
| Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities | Guided independent study | Placement / study abroad |
|---|---|---|
| 23 | 127 | 0 |
Details of learning activities and teaching methods
| Category | Hours of study time | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 18 | 9 x 2 hour lectures |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 2 | 2 x 1 hour seminars |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 1 | 1 x tutorial |
| Scheduled learning and teaching | 2 | revision session |
| Guided independent study | 127 | Independent study including reading, research and preparation for lectures, seminars and assignments. |
Formative assessment
| Form of assessment | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|
| Group presentations in seminars | 8-9 | verbal |
Summative assessment (% of credit)
| Coursework | Written exams | Practical exams |
|---|---|---|
| 50 | 50 | 0 |
Details of summative assessment
| Form of assessment | % of credit | Size of the assessment (eg length / duration) | ILOs assessed | Feedback method |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | 50 | 2000 words | 1-7 | Verbal and Written feedback |
| Exam | 50 | 1.5 hours | 1-6 | Verbal and Written feedback |
Details of re-assessment (where required by referral or deferral)
| Original form of assessment | Form of re-assessment | ILOs re-assessed | Timescale for re-assessment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Essay | Essay | 1-7 | Refer/Defer period |
| Exam | Exam | 1-6 | Refer/Defer period |
Indicative learning resources - Basic reading
Bettinger, R.L. (1991). Hunter-Gatherers: Archaeological and Evolutionary Theory.New York: Plenum
Binford, L.R. (1978). Nunamuit Ethnoarchaeology.New York: Academic Press.
Binford, L.R. (2001). Constructing Frames of Reference.Los Angeles: Univ ofCalifornia
Higgs, E.S. Ed. (1975). Palaeoeconomy.Cambridge: CUP
Jochim, M.A. (1998). A Hunter-Gatherer Landscape.New York: Plenum
Kelly, R.L. (1995). The Foraging Spectrum.Washington: Smithsonian Press
Rowley-Conwy, P.A. (1999). Economic Prehistory inSouthern Scandinaviain: (J. Coles, R. Bewley and P. Mellars Eds) World Prehistory: Studies in the Memory of Grahame Clark.Oxford:OxfordUniversityPress. 125 – 159.
Zvelebil, M. Ed. (1986). Hunters in Transition.Cambridge: CUP
Module has an active ELE page?
Yes
Available as distance learning?
No
Origin date
January 2009
Last revision date
27/02/2015
Key words search
Hunter Gatherer, Subsistence, Archaeology, Ethnography
