1 / 15

USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY

USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY. ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES USING CAST AND VIRTUAL MATERIAL TO TEACH OSTEOLOGY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS. Dr Tim Thompson FFSSoc FRAI Reader in Biological & Forensic Anthropology tjuthompson.com. Teesside University t.thompson@tees.ac.uk

tayte
Download Presentation

USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES USING CAST AND VIRTUAL MATERIAL TO TEACH OSTEOLOGY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS Dr Tim Thompson FFSSoc FRAI Reader in Biological & Forensic Anthropology tjuthompson.com Teesside University t.thompson@tees.ac.uk T: (01642) 342535

  2. USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES IN ARCHAEOLOGY Dr Tim Thompson FFSSoc FRAI Reader in Biological & Forensic Anthropology tjuthompson.com Teesside University t.thompson@tees.ac.uk T: (01642) 342535

  3. WHAT ARE ‘ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES’? Casts vs Computer Models vs Photographs vs Videos

  4. WHY USE ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES? The problems with human remains: • Delicate, fragile, finite resource • Cultural & ethical reservations • Legal restrictions (HTA, NAGPRA) • Multiple claims/demands on their use The attraction of alternative methods: • Greater quantities • More varied range available for use • Use out of the lab • Greater interactivity

  5. WHAT IS THE PURPOSE OF THESE ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES? Kaplan, 1964 – the law of the instrument: • “Give a small boy a hammer, and he will find that everything he encounters needs pounding.” • The importance of having a clear pedagogical reason to explore these alternative methods. The Teesside challenge: • No anthropology degrees or modules – forensic sci/bio, CSS • Limited prior osteological experience • Limited lecture/lab time to cover bones • Non-standard student population demands increased flexibility • Proven challenges with the 3d comprehension of bone morphology

  6. NON-CONTACT SCANNING Radiography: • Mainly CT-based models • Living, known info samples • Surface information? Scanning: • Mainly laser or structured light • Surface detail, but not internal • Portable • Smaller file size @david_errickson: pic.twitter.com/Ea22p8ambm

  7. WHAT DOES THE POINT CLOUD ACTUALLY MEAN..? What is real and what is an artefact of the scanning process? What are the optimum scanning conditions – best practice? Does it really matter, anyway?

  8. ARTISTIC LICENCE & TECHNOLOGICAL PERSUASIVENESS Thompson, 2008 – Photography & Culture, v1(2): • “This raises an important question: at what point does the camera lose its objectivity when its output shifts from documentary to creative art?” Errickson, 2014 – • The influence of computer models of bones on juries as opposed to photographs • Will there be a similar response in students?

  9. RAPID PROTOTYPING Problems & potentials of rapid prototyping: • + Cheap mass production, bespoke models • - Still developing methods, some not so robust, some have poor detail @david_errickson: pic.twitter.com/1FQrUckyHO

  10. CASTS Problems & potentials of casts: • + Variety, robust, can do a lot of different exercises with them • - Quality, anthropological detail, cost, storage

  11. USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY OTHER EXTERNAL CONSIDERATIONS Dr Tim Thompson FFSSoc FRAI Reader in Biological & Forensic Anthropology tjuthompson.com Teesside University t.thompson@tees.ac.uk T: (01642) 342535

  12. THE QUANTIFICATION OF FORENSIC ANTHROPOLOGY The Daubert tests for forensic science are reproduced in a number of publications (such as Christensen and Crowder, 2009; Grivas and Komar, 2008; Holobinko, 2012; Sommer, 2010), but can be thought of as the following: • That the theory or technique must be falsifiable, refutable and testable, that is subject to empirical testing; • That the theory or technique has been subjected to peer-review and publication; • That error rates are known or can be calculated; • That the theory or technique is generally accepted by the relevant scientific community, and; • That standards and controls concerning the application of a given technique exist and are maintained.

  13. USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY CONCLUSIONS Dr Tim Thompson FFSSoc FRAI Reader in Biological & Forensic Anthropology tjuthompson.com Teesside University t.thompson@tees.ac.uk T: (01642) 342535

  14. ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES TO TEACH OSTEOLOGY PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS There are a number of alternative resources available… • Cheaper • Wider access • Resolve a range of classroom and teaching issues …and they all have their pros and cons. However... • Successful use in lessons often requires a conceptual shift • There is a cost to their development, maintenance and support • Need to consider that the public will have increasing access to these resources …but, there are some exciting teaching possibilities ahead.

  15. USING HUMAN REMAINS IN TEACHING & PRACTICING ARCHAEOLOGY ALTERNATIVE RESOURCES USING CAST AND VIRTUAL MATERIAL TO TEACH OSTEOLOGY: PROBLEMS AND PROSPECTS Dr Tim Thompson FFSSoc FRAI Reader in Biological & Forensic Anthropology tjuthompson.com Teesside University t.thompson@tees.ac.uk T: (01642) 342535

More Related