Module overview
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Critically assess the value and appropriate application of a range of social theories employed to understand materials and technology in past and contemporary societies
- Critically assess past and current archaeological approaches to the study of materials and technology
- Evaluate the usefulness of a range of scientific techniques for the analysis of archaeological materials and technologies
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- Scientific techniques for the analysis of archaeological materials and technologies
- The role of social relations and networks in the creation and maintenance of technological practices and skills
- How archaeologists use social theories to explore the development of technologies and the changing use of materials in past societies
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Engage with archaeological and ethnographic objects in order to describe and understand the technology of their production, and how this is embedded in fields of knowledge and social relations
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Analyse complex written texts
- Produce independent research
Syllabus
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| External visits | 4 |
| Seminar | 22 |
| Independent Study | 124 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
Sofaer, J (2006). Pots, Houses and Metal. Technological Relations at the Bronze Age tell at Százhalombatta, Hungary. Oxford Journal of Archaeology, 25(2), pp. 127-47.
Ingold, T. (2007). Materials against materiality. Archaeological Dialogues, 14(1), pp. 1-16.
Ingold, T. (1997). Eight themes in the anthropology of technology. Social Analysis, 41, pp. 106-38.
Pfaffenberger, B. (1992). Social Anthropology of Technology. Annual Review of Anthropology, 21, pp. 491-516.
Sigaut, F (1994). Technology. Companion Encyclopedia of Anthropology, pp. 420-59.
Textbooks
Dobres, MA and Hoffman CR (eds). The Social Dynamics of Technology: Practise, Politics and World Views. Washington.
Lemmonnier, P. (ed.) (1993). Technological Choices: transformations in material culture since the Neolithic. London: Routledge.
Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the Social: an introduction to Actor-Network-Theory. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Jones, A. (2002). Archaeological Theory and Scientific Practice. Cambridge: CUP.
Adams, J. (2003). Ships, Innovation and Social Change. Stockholm: Stockholm Studies in Archaeology 24. Stockholm Marine Archaeology Reports 3.
Schlanger, N. (ed) (2006). Marcel Mauss. Techniques, Technology and Civilisation. Oxford: Durkheim Press / Berghahn Books.
Leroi-Gourhan, A (1945). Milieu et Technique. Paris.
Toren, C. (1999). Mind, Materiality and History. Essays in Fijian Ethnography. London.
Gell, A. (1998). Art and Agency: an anthropological theory. Oxford: Clarendon Press.
Conneller, C. (2011). An Archaeology of Materials: substantial transformations in early prehistoric Europe. London: Routledge.
Assessment
Assessment strategy
Assessment 1: through the hands-on, self-directed study of an individual object (either archaeological or ethnographic), this assignment helps you understand processes of making and the social relations that exist within technology. Assessment 2 provides the opportunity to develop in detail a chosen aspect of the module through a case study, decided in consultation with the module coordinator.Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay | 50% |
| Object study | 50% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External