Advanced Human Osteology (ARCM405)

Staff	Dr Catriona Mckenzie - Convenor
Credit Value	15
ECTS Value	7.5
NQF Level	7
Pre-requisites	ARCM012 - Skeletal Anatomy
Co-requisites	None
Duration of Module	Term 1: 10 weeks;

Module aims

Deferral – if you miss an assessment for certificated reasons judged acceptable by the Mitigation Committee, you will normally be either deferred in the assessment or an extension may be granted. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of deferral will not be capped and will be treated as it would be if it were your first attempt at the assessment.

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 40%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. If you are successful on referral, your overall module mark will be capped at 40%.

ILO: Module-specific skills

1. Master key concepts of human osteology
2. Use terms and conventions commonly employed in biological anthropology accurately
3. Demonstrate familiarity with the use of osteoarchaeological standards for the assessment of human skeletal remains
4. Demonstrate familiarity with methods of identification, description and diagnosis of pathological change in the skeleton and dentition

ILO: Discipline-specific skills

5. Show initiative in interpreting a variety of information forms

ILO: Personal and key skills

6. Demonstrate competence in summarising published research
7. Demonstrate competent knowledge base in written work
8. Demonstrate mastery of academic discourse, both oral and written

Syllabus plan

Each week you will cover different topics to learn about the analysis of human skeletal remains. The course covers estimation of sex, age, ancestry, stature and then outlines the palaeopathological lesions which may be identified in human skeletal remains.

Learning activities and teaching methods (given in hours of study time)

Scheduled Learning and Teaching Activities	Guided independent study	Placement / study abroad
40	110	0

Details of learning activities and teaching methods

Category	Hours of study time	Description
Scheduled Learning and Teaching	40	Educational package sessions (10 x 4 hours)

Guided Independent Study	110	Private study

Summative assessment (% of credit)

Coursework	Written exams	Practical exams
75	0	25

Details of summative assessment

Form of assessment	% of credit	Size of the assessment (eg length / duration)	ILOs assessed	Feedback method
Skeletal report	75	3000 words plus appendix	1-8	Oral and written feedback
Practical in-class assessment	25	30 minute skills test	1-8	Oral 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
Skeletal report (3000 words plus appendix)	Skeletal report (3000 words plus appendix)	1-8	Referral/Deferral period
Practical in-class assessment (30 minute skills test)	Practical in-class assessment (30 minutes skills test)	1-8	Referral/Deferral period

Re-assessment notes

Referral – if you have failed the module overall (i.e. a final overall module mark of less than 50%) you will be required to submit a further assessment as necessary. The mark given for a re-assessment taken as a result of referral will be capped at 50%.

Indicative learning resources - Basic reading

Aufderheide, A.C. and Rodriquez-Martin, C. (1998). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Paleopathology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK).
Baker, B.J., Dupras, T.L., and Tocheri, M.W. (2005). The Osteology of Infants and Children. Texas A & M University Press. College Station (TX).
Bass, W.M. (1987). Human Osteology: A Laboratory and Field Manual. Missouri Archaeological Society, Columbia (MO).
Buikstra, J.E. and Beck, L.A. (eds.) (2006). Bioarchaeology: The Contextual Analysis of Human Remains. Academic Press, Amsterdam.
Buikstra, J.E. and Ubelaker, D.H. (eds.) (1994). Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains. Arkansas Archaeological Survey, Fayetteville (AR).
Cox, M. and May, S. (eds.) (2000). Human Osteology in Archaeology and Forensic Science. Greenwich Medical Media, London.
Hillson, S. (1986). Teeth. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK). Hillson, S. (1996). Dental Anthropology. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (UK).
Krogman, W.M. and Iscan, M.Y. (1986). The Human Skeleton in Forensic Medicine. Charles C. Thomas Publishers, Springfield (IL).
Larsen, C.S. (1997). Bioarchaeology. Interpreting Behaviour from the Human Skeleton. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.
Gowland, R. and Knusel, C.J. (eds.) 2006. Social Archaeology of Funerary Remains. Oxbow Books, Oxford. Mays, S. (1998). The Archaeology of Human Bones. Routledge, London.
Ortner, D.J. (2003). Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. (Second Edition). Academic Press, Amsterdam.
Roberts, C.A. and Cox, M. (2003). Health and Disease in Britain: From Prehistory to the Present Day. Sutton Publishing, Stroud, Gloucestershire.
Roberts, C.A. and Manchester, K.M. (2005). The Archaeology of Disease. Alan Sutton Publishing, Stroud, Gloucester (UK).
Saunders, S.R., Katzenberg, M.A. (eds.) (2008). Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton. Wiley, New York.
van Beek, G.C. (1983). Dental Morphology: An Illustrated Guide. (Second Edition). Wright, Oxford.
White, T.D. and Folkens, P.A. (1999). Human Osteology. Academic Press, New York. (most recent edition)

Module has an active ELE page?

Yes

Indicative learning resources - Web based and electronic resources

ELE: https://vle.exeter.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=11480

Available as distance learning?

Origin date

2011

Last revision date

15/03/2023

Key words search

Archaeology, Human Osteology, Biological, Anthropology, Bioarchaeology