Module overview
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- present information clearly and concisely
- evaluate and critique the methods and results of bioarchaeological analyses and studies
- observe and visually identify human bones
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- evaluate and critique arguments and material
- write clear and concise reports
- select appropriate means for recording and analysing data
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- identify and sort fragments of human bone
- undertake and report basic osteological analysis of human skeletons
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- varying approaches to the analysis of human skeletal remains
- the use of human skeletal remains as a resource for studying past variability in diet and subsistence, health and disease, social structure and organisation, and population history and migration
- the ethical issues surrounding working with human remains
Syllabus
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Wider reading or practice | 50 |
| Practical classes and workshops | 32 |
| Seminar | 5 |
| Completion of assessment task | 52 |
| Lecture | 11 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
Brickley, M. and McKinley, J.I. (2004). Guidelines to the Standards for Recording Human Remains. IFA Paper, 7.
Textbooks
Roberts, C. and Manchester, K. (2010). The Archaeology of Disease. London: History Press.
White, T.D. & Folkens, P.A. (2005). The Human Bone Manual. London: Academic Press.
Iscan, M.Y. and Kennedy, K.A.R. (eds.) (1989). Reconstruction of Life from the Skeleton. New York: Alan R. Liss.
Mays, S. (1993). The Archaeology of Human Bones. London: Routledge.
Larsen, C.S. (1997). Bioarchaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Pinhasi, R. and Mays, S. (2008). Advances in Human Palaeopathology. Chichester: John Wiley.
Bass, W. (1987). Human Osteology. Missouri Archaeological Society.
Brothwell, D. (1987). Digging Up Bones. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Ortner, D. and Putschar, W. (1985). Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. Washington: Smithsonian University Press.
Buikstra, J. E. and Beck, L.A. (eds.) (2006). Bioarchaeology. London: Academic Press.
Agarwal, S.C. and Glencross, B.A. (eds.) (2011). Social Bioarchaeology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Katzenberg, M.A. and Saunders, S.R. (eds) (2008). Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Roberts, C. (2009). Human Remains in Archaeology: A Handbook. London: Council for British Archaeology.
White, T.D.; Black, M.T. and Folkens, P.A. (2012). Human Osteology. London: Academic Press.
Hillson, S. (1997). Dental Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Buikstra, J and Ubelaker, D. (1994). Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains. Fayetteville: Arkansas Archaeological Survey.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Bone tests | 40% |
| Report | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Report | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal