Osteology
| Code | School | Level | Credits | Semesters |
| CLAR3086 | Classics and Archaeology | 3 | 20 | Autumn UK |
- Code
- CLAR3086
- School
- Classics and Archaeology
- Level
- 3
- Credits
- 20
- Semesters
- Autumn UK
Summary
This module will examine what we can learn from human and non-human skeletons, and therefore the lives of people and animals who lived in the past. The module will involve handling real archaeological human and non-human skeletons, learning how to identify their age, sex, stature, pathologies and taphonomy. We will also examine the demography of 19th century Nottingham on a fieldtrip to one of the city’s largest cemeteries.
Target Students
Year 2 and Year 3 students in the Department of Classics and Archaeology, Liberal Arts, subsidiary and exchange students and Natural Sciences students on the Archaeology pathway.
Classes
- One 2-hour workshop
- One 1-hour practicum each week for 9 weeks
- One 1-hour lecture each week for 10 weeks
- One 4-hour field studies
Depending on student numbers, practicals may have to be held multiple times. The lab takes a max of 15 students.
Assessment
- 20% Inclass Exam (Written) 1: 45 minutes lab test
- 20% Inclass Exam (Written) 2: 45 minutes lab test
- 60% Laboratory 1: 2000 word lab report
Assessed by end of autumn semester
Educational Aims
This module will introduce students to human and non-human skeletons, and the information that can be gained from them, including aging, sexing, stature, pathology and isotope analysis. Sampling strategies, data collection and analysis will also be covered using data collected by the students themselves on a fieldtrip. The aim of the module is to make students confident in handling human and zooarchaeological remains, to have the background necessary to undertake final year dissertations on either human remains or zooarchaeology, and to teach some basic data visualisation and analysis.Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and understanding
By the end of the module, students should be able to:
(a) Identify the bones of the human skeleton
(b) Demonstrate knowledge of recording methods used for both human osteology and zooarchaeology
(c) Apply appropriate methods of analysis and data presentation to osteological and demographic data.
Intellectual
By the end of the module, students will:
(a) Have gained an understanding of the challenges of collecting and integrating different sources of data.
(b) Be able to critique methods of data presentation, and apply appropriate methods to their data.
Practical and professional
During the module, students will:
(a) Gain practical experience from handling human and non-human remains.
(b) Write a report based on their own data collection and analysis.
Transferable (Key) skills
By the end of this module, students will be able to demonstrate:
(a) Independent research and writing skills (lab report)
(b) Ability to think critically about information presented in the literature