Department of Archaeology Dr Mike Church and Dr Pam Graves

1. Department of Archaeology Dr Mike Church and Dr Pam Graves Subject Orientation: The Value of a Degree in Archaeology

2. What use is a degree in archaeology? • one of the most varied academic subjects you can study at • university • it provides the skills for a wide variety of career opportunities

3. The archaeological skills portfolio History and Art History Numeracy and Literacy skills Team work; scientific and drawn recording skills Material culture studies Scientific lab work Ancient materials and technology Physical and Social Anthropology

4. The archaeological skills portfolio Where the Tudors trod - Castles, palaces, abbeys, and townscapes Geography and landscape analysis Evidence evaluation, advocacy and debate Sampling techniques and strategies Interpretation of maps and satellite imagery Development of agriculture and animal domestication Documentary analysis and evaluation, ancient and modern

5. The archaeological skills portfolio Architecture, civil engineering and hydrology Sociology Skeletal analysis: diet, lifestyle, disease and trauma Religion, belief and burial customs Environment, economy and ecology

6. Why Archaeology at Durham? • Excellent top-rated Archaeology department • Excellent facilities (library, laboratories) • 28 full-time members of academic staff • c.60 students per year – very favourable staff : student ratio

7. Why Archaeology at Durham? • Extremely wide range of research and teaching • Research-led teaching, fieldwork, hands-on Experimental Mesolithic hut, July 2012, 3rd year UG dissertation

8. Why Archaeology at Durham? Currently the top-rated archaeology department in the UK for research (Government Research Assessment Exercise)

9. Why Archaeology at Durham? Ranked 5th in The Times Good University Guide 2013

10. Why Archaeology at Durham?

11. What we offer at Durham We cover an extremely wide range of periods (Lower Palaeolithic to Post-Medieval) and places (Iceland to Sri Lanka) allowing the student to develop their own interests and career direction • Palaeopathology • Prehistory • Roman & Classical • Medieval & Post-Medieval • Near East/Egypt/Ancient India • Landscape studies • Environmental archaeology • Artefact studies • Ancient biomolecules • Fieldwork for every Level

12. What we are looking for Single Honours (BA & BSc) – standard offer AAB IB 36 Students apply with Ancient History, History, Geology, Geography, English, any modern language, Psychology, Drama, Art and Design, General Studies and Critical Thinking – everything! Joint Honours (BA) • with Anthropology – standard offer AAB IB 36 as above • with Ancient History – standard offer AAA IB 37 looking for Classical Civilisation, Ancient History, Ancient Greek, Latin, or History amongst the subjects. General Studies and Critical Thinking not accepted.

13. What we are looking for • Personal statement – • some understanding of the subject, • any experience of excavation, field work, museum • work, • reading of current issues in Archaeology or current text • books

14. Facets of the student experience Lectures, student presentations and debate– from lecturer-structured and -led to student-structured and -led – key skills for research, synthesis, evidence-based argument, and also for e.g. depositions at public enquiries etc.

15. Facets of the student experience Practicals– hands-on, teacher-led and supervised work with artefacts, environmental evidence, exercises in stratigraphy, and so on.

16. Field Trips – first hand experience of the location, form, scale, use and preservation of sites, monuments, landscapes, enables student to envisage their appearance in the past, and changes to their appearance and use through time.

17. Residential Field Trips – Week-long residential field classes in Europe for Level 2 Single and Joint Honours students: Rome, Burgundy, Malta

18. Fieldwork • All our Single Hons students attend our fully-funded training excavation at Level 1 (3 weeks). All Joint Hons students have the option to attend the same training excavation at Level 1 (3 weeks). • At Level 2, all our Single and Joint Hons students are offered fully-funded fieldwork accredited by the Department. • Two fully-funded residential field trips are provided at Levels 1 and 2.

19. Vicus Vicus Vicus Stanford (Ca USA)-Durham Binchester Research Project Fieldschool(County Durham, not far from Durham City) First Fort Cemetery Main Fort

20. Academic community in Durham:Museums and Activities • Oriental Museum • Festival of British Archaeology • Festival of Science • Close liaison with Cathedral

21. Academic community in Durham:Botanic Gardens experimentation • On-going research experimentation in the University Botanic Garden

22. Academic community in Durham:the home of major international text books and journals

23. Employment Graduate prospects: Career after 6 months: 72% This means that 72-78% of our graduates are either in “graduate level” (ie good quality) employment or further study six months after graduating.

24. Employment • Specific archaeological opportunities: Commercial field units & consultancies; Museums & Heritage Management; Local Government; Academic sphere; National Heritage bodies (e.g. Inspectors of Ancient Monuments, field workers, Climate Change Managers for: English Heritage, Historic Scotland, CADW, Royal Commission, The National Trust, Churches Conservation Trust); National Finds Advisors, Portable Antiquities Scheme

25. Employment • …and far beyond archaeology: The City; Management & Administration Enterprise and Entrepreneurship; Armed Forces; International charities; Conservation; Ecological and Environmental spheres (e.g. environmental impact assessments) Forensics (inc. International War Crime investigation); Publishing and journalism; Media research (yes, including Time Team); Law

26. Thank you.