ARCH30670 Facing Innovations: Innovations and transformations that shaped ancient societies

Academic Year 2019/2020

During this course we will explore how important innovations and discoveries changed or influenced the development of prehistoric societies. Just as the Industrial Revolution changed the face of societies in recent history, and the internet transformed our lives in the 21st century, prehistory offers a suite of inventions and innovations that were created by ancient peoples but came to have long-lasting impact on the trajectories of past societies and our world today. The module explores major technological developments which happened during the Neolithic and Bronze Age periods, with a focus on European and Mediterranean regions. Innovations could take the form of products that were integral to processes such as Neolithisation or the Secondary product revolution, some are technological innovations such different ways to work clay and metals, while inventions of specific objects and tools (e.g. loom, kiln, wheel, etc.) were highly transformative. It is, therefore, important for us to understand the key archaeological evidence, research methodologies and theoretical paradigms used in archaeology to identify innovations, characterise how they were spread and adopted in different societies and what impact each of these may have had on the lives of ancient communities.

Show/hide contentOpenClose All

Curricular information is subject to change

Learning Outcomes:

- Understand the technical and social contexts of ancient innovations and how to evaluate their impact on society

- Gain a critical understanding of key theoretical debates surrounding innovations that are argued to have been integral to “the human story”

- Recognise and discuss key material evidence and research methods used to identify innovations and inventions in the archaeological record

Student Effort Hours: 
Student Effort Type Hours
Lectures

18

Seminar (or Webinar)

6

Specified Learning Activities

40

Autonomous Student Learning

36

Total

100

Approaches to Teaching and Learning:
- Lectures
- Peer and group work
- Student presentations
- Critical writing
 
Requirements, Exclusions and Recommendations

Not applicable to this module.


Module Requisites and Incompatibles
Not applicable to this module.
 
Assessment Strategy  
Description Timing Open Book Exam Component Scale Must Pass Component % of Final Grade
Presentation: Power point presentation. Team based assessment. Week 8 n/a Graded No

40

Essay: Critical review of a journal article relevant to the module topic. The review should be 2500 words in length. Week 12 n/a Graded No

60


Carry forward of passed components
Yes
 
Resit In Terminal Exam
Autumn No
Please see Student Jargon Buster for more information about remediation types and timing. 
Feedback Strategy/Strategies

• Feedback individually to students, post-assessment
• Group/class feedback, post-assessment

How will my Feedback be Delivered?

Not yet recorded.

Name Role
Dr Neil Carlin Lecturer / Co-Lecturer
Mr Andrew Woods Lecturer / Co-Lecturer