NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF IRELAND, GALWAY

Welcome to 3rd year!

Important Message: Student Attendance and Engagement

The Department of Archaeology monitors student attendance. If you fail to attend regularly at class, you may not be permitted to take examinations and assessments.

Please read the following general principles set out by this university regarding your attendance at lectures and engagement with your studies

‘Attendance is not optional, but an obligatory requirement. Non-attendance may be considered de facto withdrawal from a course and students may be unable to proceed to examination or subsequent registration’.

‘Enrolment on a full-time programme means a commitment to 40-50 hours of total student effort per week throughout all the weeks of each semester.

The scheduled classes (lectures, tutorials, field classes) are only one component of the total effort that is required in order to succeed.

Assessments and assigned coursework are designed on the basis that students are undertaking the full effort required and are not just based on material covered in scheduled class time alone.

Students should make sure that they timetable in their own diaries adequate time for study, reading, coursework and revision across the semester. Success at university level is not possible through cramming at the last minute’.

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3rd Year Archaeology

2014 /2015 Handbook

Year Co-ordinator: Ms. Maggie Ronayne

The Modules ............................................................................................... 4

Deadline Dates ........................................................................................... 4

The Courses ................................................................................................ 5

Timetable 2014-2015 ............................................................................... 6

AR336 Europe In The Bronze Age ....................................................... 7

AR343 Public Archaeology ...................................................................... 8

AR239 Landscapes Of Cult And Kingship.......................................... 10

AR325 Minor Dissertation .................................................................... 12

AR337 Gaelic Peoples – Identity and Cultural Practice ................ 15

AR332 The Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe ........ 18

AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments ......... 20

Active Learning– Some Practical Advice .......................................... 22

The Department Library ...................................................................... 23

The Modules

Students must complete the three core modules in semester one, and the two core modules and one of the option modules in semester two. Semester 1

Core Modules AR336 Europe in the Bronze Age AR343 Public Archaeology AR239 Landscapes of Cult and Kingship: The Ancient Royal Sites of Ireland Semester 2

Core Modules AR325 Minor Dissertation AR337 Gaelic Peoples: Identity and Cultural Practice Option Modules – Choose one AR332 Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments

Deadline Dates AR336 Europe in the Bronze Age Friday 12/12/2014 AR343 Public Archaeology Monday 8/12/2014

AR239 Landscapes of Cult and Kingship: The Ancient Royal Sites of Ireland Monday 17/11/2014

AR325 Minor Dissertation Monday 20/4/2015* AR337 Gaelic Peoples: Identity and Cultural Practice Friday 27/3/2015 AR332 Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe Friday 1/5/2015 AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments Exam

*The introductory lecture in AR325 Minor Dissertation is on Monday, September 15th 2014.

The Courses

Semester One

Core Modules Course Assessment ECTS

Date of first

lecture

Date of last lecture

AR336 Europe in the Bronze Age Essay 5 9.9.14 28.11.14 AR343 Public Archaeology Essay 5 8.9.14 27.11.14

AR239 Landscapes of Cult and Kingship: The Ancient Royal Sites of Ireland Essay 5 9.9.14 29.10.14

Field Classes

AR239 Landscapes of Cult and Kingship – Saturday 27 September, 2014

Semester Two

Core Modules Course Assessment ECTS

Date of first

lecture

Date of last

lecture AR325 Minor Dissertation Dissertation 5 15.9.14 AR337 Gaelic Peoples: Identity and Cultural

Practice Essay 5 14.1.15 7.3.15

Option Modules AR332 The Development of the Castle in

Medieval Europe Essay 5 12.1.15 14.4.15

AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments Exam 5 13.1.15 17.4.15

Field Classes

AR337 Gaelic Peoples: Identity and Cultural Practice - Saturday 7th March, 2015 AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments - Friday 20th February, 2015

Timetable 2014-2015

Semester One - Core Modules

Code Module Name Day Time Venue AR343 Public Archaeology Monday 12 pm – 1 pm AC203 AR336 Europe in the Bronze Age Tuesday 12 pm – 1 pm IT202

AR239 Landscapes of Cult and Kingship: The Ancient Royal Sites of Ireland Tuesday 1 pm – 2 pm IT202

AR239 Landscapes of Cult and Kingship: The Ancient Royal Sites of Ireland Wednesday 12 pm – 1 pm AC202

AR343 Public Archaeology Thursday 12 pm – 1 pm Mc Munn AR336 Europe in the Bronze Age Friday 12 pm – 1 pm AC213

Semester Two - Core Modules

Code Module Name Day Time Venue

AR337 Gaelic Peoples: Identity and Cultural Practice Wednesday 12 pm – 1 pm IT202

AR337 Gaelic Peoples: Identity and Cultural Practice Thursday 12 pm – 1 pm IT125

(1st Floor)

Note: Re AR325 Minor Dissertation. Dates and times will be notified at the Introductory lecture on Monday September 15th.

Semester Two - Option Modules

Code Module Name Day Time Venue

AR332 The Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe Monday 12 pm – 1 pm D’Arcy

Thompson

AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments Tuesday 12 pm – 1 pm School Lab

AR332 The Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe Tuesday 1 pm – 2 pm IT250

(1st Floor)

AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments Friday 12 pm – 1 pm School Lab

AR336 Europe In The Bronze Age

Third year core module (semester one)

Course Convenor: Dr. Carleton Jones Lecturer: Dr. Carleton Jones

Structure of module: 24 lecture hours over twelve weeks in Semester one. Lecture Commences: Tuesday 9/09/14 Lecture Ends: Friday 28/11/14

Lecture times and venues: Day Time Location

Tuesday 12 noon -1pm IT202 Friday 12 noon -1pm AC213

Assessment: Two text analyses during the course and a final essay Essay submission will be due on Monday, 12th December 2014

Course Weighting: 5 ECTS

Module Summary

This course focuses on investigating the types of societies that occupied Europe in the Bronze Age. A range of themes will be addressed including patterns of production, exchange and interaction, the exceptional social and economic developments in the Aegean region, the role of warfare, and patterns of metalwork deposition and hoarding. Following these thematic treatments, we will investigate the nature of Bronze Age societies by focusing on how the concept of ‘chiefdoms’ has been developed and used by anthropologists and archaeologists. This will involve a close look at some Polynesian chiefdoms that have been used as interpretive models to help understand Bronze Age European societies and specific European case studies focusing on Wessex in England, Denmark, and the Munster region in Ireland.

Hoard of early copper axes, awls, and a dagger from Knocknagur, Co. Galway.

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Learning Outcomes

Ability to summarise and critique the salient points of a piece of archaeological writing

Ability to critically assess the merits and demerits of various explanatory models and theories put forward regarding the nature of societies in Bronze Age Europe

Ability to compose an organized, logical argument Understanding of how ethnographic-based models of chiefdoms have been used

by archaeologists to model European Bronze Age societies Have a developed understanding of the international context of the Irish Bronze

Age Have knowledge of key international archaeological issues and sites.

Core Texts A comprehensive reading list will be provided at the start of the course on Blackboard.

AR343 Public Archaeology

Third year core module (semester one) Lecturer: Maggie Ronayne

Structure of module: 22 lecture hours over twelve weeks in Semester one. Lecture Commences: Monday 8/09/14 Lecture Ends: Thursday 27/11/14

Lecture times and venues: Day Time Location

Monday 12 noon -1pm AC203 Thursday 12 noon -1pm Mc Munn

Bronze Age palace at Knossos on Crete.

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Assessment: Essay (3,500 words), due Monday, December 8th, 2014

or a community-based project.

Course Weighting: 5 ECTS

Module Summary This course is an introduction to Public Archaeology addressing the key question for archaeologists in the 21st century: accountability to communities whose cultural heritage we may be investigating or who are defending their community and its heritage. We will examine professional ethics and standards and the practical ways in which archaeologists can work with grassroots communities.

Case studies will range from heritage destruction resulting from the wars on Iraq and Afghanistan to a consideration of the impact of development projects such as roads in Ireland, large dams in Turkey and heritage tourism at home and abroad. Other topics will include an introduction to community archaeology and the public presentation of archaeological research. An optional field class allows students to explore and discuss some of the course topics in a practical way.

Learning Outcomes

This course will enable students to: Identify the variety of areas of work within the field of public archaeology Demonstrate critical understanding of the roles and responsibilities of

professional archaeologists in contemporary society Recognise the work, achievements and knowledge of people who are not

archaeologists who work for the survival and continuity of culture and heritage

Appreciate the need for professional ethics and standards in Archaeology and compare practices in different parts of the world

Demonstrate critical understanding of the role of archaeology in development and its implications for communities and their heritage

Explain the need for mutual accountability between professional archaeologists and communities

Recognise and discuss key issues in community archaeology

Construct a clear, coherent argument

Assess archaeological writing, projects or other work regarding level and type of engagement with the public.

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Core Texts

Hamilakis, Y. and Duke, (eds) 2007. Archaeology and Capitalism. From Ethics to Politics. California: Left Coast Press. (Selected papers).

Vitelli, K.D. (ed.), 1996. Archaeological Ethics. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press. Zimmerman, L.J., Vitelli, K.D. and Hollowell-Zimmer, J. 2003. Ethical Issues in

Archaeology. Walnut Creek: Altamira Press. Students are also advised to consult issues of the journal Public Archaeology. A more detailed reading list will be provided in class and some material will be available on Blackboard.

AR239 Landscapes Of Cult And Kingship

Third year core module (semester one) Lecturers: Conor Newman, Roseanne Schot

Structure of module: Sixteen lectures over eight weeks and a full day field

class in Semester one. Lecture Commences: Tuesday 9/09/14 Lecture Ends: Wednesday 29/10/14

Lecture times and venues: Day Time Location

Tuesday 1 pm – 2 pm IT202 Wednesday 12 noon -1 pm AC202

NB. AR239 includes a one day field class on Saturday September 27th, 2014.

Assessment: Essay, (3,500 words), due Monday, 17th November, 2014. Course Weighting: 5 ECTS

Module Summary Cult centres and royal complexes like Tara, Emain and Cruachain reveal how early kingship found expression in religion, politics and the sword in pre-Norman Ireland.

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In complex ceremonies the earliest kings married, symbolically, a sovereignty goddess, turning them into sacred persons who acted as intermediaries between the human world and that of the gods: upon this relationship depended things like the fertility of the land and of the people. The associated ‘kingdoms’ were also sacred places. While some were probably perceived and designed as analogues of the cosmos, all of them were culturally enriched with monuments, mythology, history, legends and placenames. This is what makes them landscapes of cult and kingship. Archaeology has demonstrated that Irish landscapes of kingship comprise monuments of every period, from the Neolithic (ca. 4000-2500 BC) to the Early Medieval Period (ca. AD 400-1000), organised into ceremonial arenas of sacral kingship and burial. This course investigates how such landscapes evolved over time, how ancient monuments were combined with new ones, and how monuments and topographical formations were marshalled into cultural landscapes through toponomy (placenaming), totemism, mythology and history. Following instruction on the principles of Landscape Archaeology*, this course focuses on Tara, premier cult site of ancient Ireland and seat of the High-Kings; Emain Macha/Navan Fort, Co. Armagh, traditional seat of the Ulaid and sacral fortress of the Red Branch Knights; Dún Ailinne/Knockaulin, Co. Kildare, seat of the Laigin; Cruachain/Rathcroghan, Co. Roscommon, seat of the Connachta from where the epic Táin Bó Cuailnge (Cattle Raid of Cooley) was launched; Caisil/Cashel, Co. Tipperary, ancient capital of Munster, and Uisneach, the Navel of Ireland, meeting point of the ancient provinces. The course finishes with an examination of how the institutions and traditions of sacral power converged with the new, Christian model of kingship and religion from the early 5th century AD onwards.

Learning Outcomes

In-depth knowledge of the evolution of kingship and the sacralisation of ‘royal’ landscapes in early Ireland, from prehistory to the early medieval period

Understanding of the landscape concept in archaeology Understanding how archaeologists formulate a coherent research design from

fieldwork strategies to interpretation and dissemination Understanding that archaeology is a social undertaking that needs to relate to

communities whose heritage and culture is being investigated or those who are, like archaeologists, working to save culture from destruction

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Core Texts (full bibliography on Blackboard)

Bhreathnach, E. (ed.). 2005. The kingship and landscape of Tara. Dublin. Quigley, D. 2005. Introduction: the character of kingship. In D. Quigley (ed.),

The character of kingship. Oxford. Schot, R., Newman, C. & Bhreathnach, E. (eds) 2011. Landscapes of cult and

kingship. Dublin. Waddell, J. 2010. The prehistoric archaeology of Ireland. 2nd edition. Galway.

(Chapter 9: ‘Royal sites’)

AR325 Minor Dissertation Third year core module

Convenor: Dr. Kieran O’Conor

Lecturers: Dr. Kieran O’Conor, Maggie Ronayne, Dr. Paul Naessens, Marie Boran, & Niamh Walsh

Structure of module: This course has both taught and research based components. The taught part consists of eight lectures/workshops where various aspects of archaeological writing and research are addressed. There are also small group workshops where you present and discuss your dissertation topic. The remainder of the course consists of your research for, and writing of, the Minor dissertation. You will be assigned a supervisor with whom you should meet regularly to actively progress your work with the dissertation

NB. This course is not open to Visiting Students

First introductory lecture is on Monday 15 September, 12-1pm in AC203

Lecture times & dates will be confirmed at this

first lecture

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Date Details Location

Lecture 1 Introduction to course (KOC) AC203

Lecture 2 Research Design (KOC) School Lab

Lecture 3 Academic writing (MR) School Lab

Lecture 4 Local sources (MB) Library

Lecture 5 Resources in Hardiman Lib. (NW) Library

Lecture 6 Plagiarism and Referencing (PN) School Lab

Lecture 7 Annotated Bibliography (PN) School Lab

Lecture 8 Presenting your dissertation (KOC) School Lab

Please note that dates and times of lectures will be available at your first lecture

on Monday, 15th September which will be held in AC203.

You will be allocated your supervisor during Lecture one. Assessment: Research Design (10%)

Annotated Bibliography (10%) Dissertation (80%)

Note that all lectures are obligatory.

A deduction of 5% will be made for each lecture not attended.

Course Weighting: 5 ECTS

Module Summary Students taking AR325 research and write a minor dissertation of 5,000 words on an approved topic. The aim is to give students an opportunity to gain research, analysis and writing skills while addressing key archaeological issues in some depth. The emphasis is on the process of doing research. Eight lectures/workshops including library information sessions as well as a small group workshop will guide students on research design, interpretation and presentation. Most of the time will be spent doing research on your chosen topic under the guidance of a member of staff and writing up the results. At the first lecture all students will be allocated a supervisor by the course convenor and students then arrange to meet with that staff member and select a topic in consultation with them. You will also arrange a consultation timetable together. As well as the dissertation itself,

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assessment includes a short presentation and submission of a research design as well as submission of an annotated bibliography.

Learning Outcomes This course enables students to:

Identify key research issues and ask questions of archaeological interpretations and evidence

Formulate, plan and implement a coherent research design within a given time frame

Assemble evidence in support of a clear, coherent argument Use bibliographic tools in an advanced way Critically analyse evidence and draw conclusions from it Interpret and present relevant research findings Develop capacity for self-directed learning and independent research Develop an in-depth and critical understanding of a research topic in

archaeology Prepare and deliver a brief in-class presentation Discuss key issues with fellow students to support each other’s research

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AR337 Gaelic Peoples – Identity and Cultural Practice

Third year core module (semester two) Lecturers: Prof. Elizabeth FitzPatrick & Guest Speaker

Structure of module: Sixteen lectures and a full day compulsory field class

over eight weeks in Semester two. Lecture Commences: Wednesday 14/1/15 Lecture Ends: Saturday 7/3/15

Lecture times and venues:

Day Time Location Wednesday 12 noon -1 pm IT202 Thursday 12 noon -1 pm IT125 (first floor)

Assessment: Field-based narrative (3,500-words)

Due Monday, 27 March 2015.

Course Weighting: 5 ECTS Module Summary The aim of this module is to investigate social organisation and cultural practices among Gaelic peoples of north Atlantic Europe c. 1200-1600, with particular reference to the centrality of ancestral attachment and pedigree of place in Gaelic consciousness. Social organisation in Gaelic society was defined by a deeply hierarchical kin-based structure of septs, and framed by a concept of geography as lineage. Those values influenced the ways in which people organised and settled their territories and lived their lives. The impacts and outcomes of relationships between Gaelic peoples and colonial communities on the island of Ireland in this period are also considered. The module is grounded in the theory and methods of

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Old World historical archaeology, in which the efficacy of all types of archaeological evidence, from artefacts to landscapes, buildings and text, is valued in the generation of interpretations of the past.

N.B. The module includes a compulsory field class which will be held on Saturday,7th March, 2015.

Lecture themes Introduction

Module objectives and contents Who are the Gael?

Landscape Organisation

Lordship and its divisions Land denominations

Ancestral Attachment and Innovation in Settlement Forms

Native enclosed settlement: ráth, caiseal, crannóg, pailís Tower houses in the Gaelic landscape

Pedigree of Place

Assembly places and their landscape setting Hunting grounds

Material Culture & Identity

Ritual and art objects of lordship Pottery in Gaelic society

The hunting ground of Formoyle, viewed from the assembly place of Lough Gill, Co. Sligo

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Learning Outcomes

Awareness of the presentness of the past in cultural practices. Insight that material culture is an active element in the negotiation of cultural

identity at particular moments in the past. Good working knowledge of the settlement forms and material culture of the

period. Core Texts Please note that reading specific to particular themes in this module will be posted on the Blackboard site. Core texts only are listed below.

Doran, L. and Lyttleton, J. (eds) 2007 Lordship in Medieval Ireland: image and reality. Dublin.

Duffy P, Edwards, D. and FitzPatrick, E. (eds), 2001 Gaelic Ireland, c. 1250-c.1650: land, lordship and settlement. Dublin.

FitzPatrick, E. 2009 Native enclosed settlement and the problem of the Irish ‘ring-fort’. Medieval Archaeology 53, 271-307.

FitzPatrick, E. 2004 Royal inauguration in Gaelic Ireland c. 1100-1600: a cultural landscape study. Woodbridge.

Herron, T. and Potterton, M. (eds) 2007 Ireland in the Renaissance c. 1540–1660. Dublin.

Horning, A., Ó Baoill, R., Donnelly, C. and Logue, P (eds) 2007 The archaeology of post-medieval Ireland 1550–1850. Bray.

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AR332 The Development of the Castle in Medieval Europe

Third year option module (semester two) Lecturers: Dr. Kieran O’Conor, Dr. Rory Sherlock, Dr. Paul Naessens.

Structure of module: 23 lecture hours over twelve weeks in Semester two. Lecture Commences: Monday 12/1/15 Lecture Ends: Tuesday 14/4/15

Assessment: Essay – 3,500 words, due Friday 1st May, 2015. Course Weighting: 5 ECTS

Lecture times and venues: Day Time Location

Monday 12 noon – 1 pm D’Arcy Thompson Tuesday 1 pm – 2 pm IT250 (First Floor)

Module Summary Thousands of castles of various forms can still be seen in the Irish landscape. They are really the principal visible reminder throughout Europe of the whole later medieval period. Castles were one of the major means by which medieval lords controlled society and land in the period from the eleventh century to c.1600. Their study tells us much about the way society was organised and administered during medieval times. Students will be introduced to current thinking on the development of castles and the basics of architectural dating will be taught. While the course will consider castles across Britain, Europe and the Crusader lands, the Irish evidence will be examined in detail. One particular theme will be the differences between the Gaelic-Irish and Anglo-Norman usage of fortifications during the late 12th, 13th and 14th centuries.

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Learning Outcomes At the end of the course (which includes the completion of the assessment) a student should be able to:

Demonstrate an understanding of the development of castles in medieval Europe and the historical context in which this occurred

Critically analyse competing interpretations of the role of castles in medieval Europe

Properly structure and coherently write a 3,500-word essay Understand the chronological development of medieval architecture

Core Texts Barry, T.B. 1987. The Archaeology of Medieval Ireland, London and New York. Boas, A.J. 1999. Crusader Archaeology, London. Cairns, C.T. 1987. Irish Tower-Houses, a Co. Tipperary Case Study, Athlone. Creighton, O. 2002. Castle and Landscapes, Continuum. Creighton, O. and Higham, R.2003. Medieval Castles, Princes Risborough. Higham, R. and Barker, P. 1992. Timber Castles, London. Higham, R. and Barker, P. 2000. Hen Domen Montgomery - A Timber Castle on

the English / Welsh Border, London. Johnson, M. 2002. Behind the Castle Gate, London and New York. Kennedy, H. 1994. Crusader Castles, Cambridge. Kenyon, J. 1990. Medieval Fortifications, Leicester and London. Kenyon, J. and O’Conor, K (eds.) 2003. The Castle in Ireland and Wales,

Dublin. Kerrigan, P. 1995. Castles and Fortifications in

Ireland, Cork. King, D.C. 1988. The Castle in England and Wales,

London and Sydney. Leask, H.G. 1941. Irish Castles and Castellated

Houses (1st ed.), Dundalk. McNeill, T.E. 1992. Castles, London. McNeill, T.E. 1997. Castles In Ireland - Feudal

Power In a Gaelic World, London and New York. O’Conor, K.D. 1998. The Archaeology of Medieval

Rural Settlement in Ireland, Dublin. O'Keeffe, T. 2000. Medieval Ireland, an

Archaeology, Stroud. Pounds, N.J.G. 1990. The Medieval Castle in

England and Wales, Cambridge. Pringle, D. 1997. Secular Buildings in the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem,

Cambridge. Sweetman, D. 1999. The Medieval Castles of Ireland, Cork. Wheatley, A. 2004. The Idea of the Castle, York.

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AR347 Palaeoecology – Reconstructing Past Environments Third year option module (semester two)

Lecturer: Dr. Karen Molloy Structure of module: 24 lecture hours over twelve weeks in Semester two. Lecture Commences: Tuesday 13/1/15 Lecture Ends: Friday 17/4/15

Lecture times and venues: Day Time Location

Tuesday 12 noon – 1 pm School Lab Friday 12 noon – 1 pm School Lab

Assessment: Exam and assignment Course Weighting: 5 ECTS

N.B. AR347 includes a field class which will be held on Friday,20th February, 2015.

Module Summary The Irish landscape as we know it today is governed by what has happened in the past. Both climate change and anthropogenic factors have played significant roles in shaping the development of the landscape. The objectives of this module are to introduce the student to palaeoenvironmental methods, in particular pollen analysis, as a means of interpreting the past 15, 000 years of vegetation and environmental change in Ireland. Learning Outcomes On completion of this course the students will be able to:

understand the main principles of pollen analysis understand the key vegetation changes that have occurred in Ireland since

the end of the Ice Age have an appreciation of the role people have played in shaping the Irish

landscape have a greater understanding of the natural world interpret a pollen diagram.

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Core Texts Theory of pollen analysis

Fægri, K. and Iversen, J. (1975, 1989). Textbook of Pollen Analysis. Blackwell (3rd ed) and Wiley (4th ed by Fægri K, Kaland PE, Krzywinski K.). 581.38

Moore, P.D., Webb, J.A. and Collinson, M.E. (1991). Pollen Analysis (2nd ed). Blackwell Scientific Publications, Oxford.

Vegetation history of Ireland and north-western Europe

Hall, V. 2011. The Making of Ireland’s Landscape Since the Ice Age. Collins Press, Cork. 554.15

Mitchell, F. and Ryan, M. 1997. Reading the Irish Landscape (3rd ed.) Country House, Dublin. 551.4109415. (also previous edition useful: Mitchell, F. (1986). The Shell Guide to Reading the Irish Landscape, 2nd ed. Country House, Dublin. 911.415)

O’Connell, M. and Molloy, K. 2001. Farming and woodland dynamics in Ireland during the Neolithic. Biology and Environment (Proc R Ir Acad , Ser B), 1 01 , 99-128. NOTE: this journal article is also available in book format as follows: Mitchell,F.J.G. (Ed.) 2001. From palaeoecology to conservation: an interdisciplinary vision. Biology and Environment (Proceedings of the Royal Irish Academy, Ser. B), Vol. 101B, issues 1-2. Royal Irish Academy, Dublin. 3 copies in library at 574 BIO.

O’Connell, M. 1994. Connemara. Vegetation and Land Use since the Last Ice Age. Office of Public Works, Dublin, 64 pp. At 574.94174; 2 copies in lib.

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Active Learning– Some Practical Advice Studying at University level is quite different from being at school. You will find that it is much more up to you to plan and organise your study long term and short term, from the programme modules you choose to the weekly and daily study schedule. To benefit fully from being enrolled in a programme we strongly advise you to settle into a good study practice right from the start. While the departments and the lecturers are committed to providing you with the best possible learning experience, the outcome is ultimately dependent on your contribution and dedication to your own learning. You have chosen to come here and you have chosen the subjects you wish to study. For that reason we expect you to have significant interest in your chosen subjects. Our role is to help you to acquire the knowledge and the skills you will need in your future career. We therefore strongly recommend the following:

• Attend all lectures, tutorials, seminars, field classes and other teaching opportunities offered to you. In archaeology there are no textbooks that cover all the topics. This means that a lot of information will be provided only through lectures, tutorials and field classes. The lecturers are there to share their knowledge and experience with you for your benefit. Missing out on this will have severe negative impact on your learning.

• Start reading the suggested course literature from the beginning of semester. This will support your understanding of the presentations through lectures. In third level education you should not expect lecturers to repeat all the arguments put forward in articles. Their role is to assist you in evaluating data, methodology and theories, while you are responsible for acquiring basic information available in the course reading.

• Participate in class discussions. Lectures are much more interesting they if involve your active participation. You should not hesitate to raise and discuss points during class, or challenge and question what is being said. Feel free to be critical! The lecturer will not take offence – he/she will see this as a positive contribution to the teaching. An important skill that future employers look for is the ability to assess and discuss data and projects.

• Plan and schedule your study. It is important to apportion time to read, make notes and write throughout the semester, and it is particularly important to schedule time to complete your assignments. For recommendations please read the suggestions from Aidan Moran in the first year handbook that you find on http://www.nuigalway.ie/archaeology/documents/1st_yr_handbook__2014_2015_final.pdf

• Form small study groups. Join up with a few fellow students. You can help each other by meeting regularly to discuss the course reading and the topics covered in the lectures.

• Get involved in out-of-class discipline-related activities. It is important to recognise that you learn a great deal from fellow students, at undergraduate as well as postgraduate level. They can assist and advise you informally on many things, and we encourage you to socialise with your fellow students, for instance by joining the Archaeological Society.

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The Department Library

Rules of the Library for 2nd year, 3rd year, and

Visiting Archaeology students taking 2nd and 3rd year modules

1 The Library (Room ARC 202) in the Archaeology Dept. is open to 2nd, 3rd year and Visiting Archaeology students who wish to study and consult the collection.

2 Library opening hours can be found on the Library door. 3 When using the library each student must sign in and sign out.

See book provided. 4 All Books and Journals are on Desk Reserve and may not be

removed from the Library. 5 An index to the Books (which have a code on the spine) can be

found on top of the map cabinet. It may not be removed from the Library. Note, late additions can be found at the back of each index.

6 If consulting Books or Maps please return them to the correct shelf / drawer.

7 The library will not be open in the evenings. 8 Please ensure that windows are closed when leaving the Library

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