ARCH6417 Materials, Technology and Social Life
Module Overview
This module examines the central role of technology in archaeological constructions of social life. It integrates techniques for the investigation of materials in archaeological science with discussions of social theory. Case studies from a range of different forms of material culture, places and periods are examined. You are encouraged to read widely and to explore inter-disciplinary approaches to materials and technology including those derived from archaeology, anthropology, sociology, technology studies and materials science.
Aims and Objectives
Module Aims
This module aims to develop your knowledge and understanding of social aspects of technologies and materials in past societies.
Learning Outcomes
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- How archaeologists use social theories to explore the development of technologies and the changing use of materials in past societies
- 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
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Critically assess past and current archaeological approaches to the study of materials and technology
- Critically assess the value and appropriate application of a range of social theories employed to understand materials and technology in past and contemporary societies
- Evaluate the usefulness of a range of scientific techniques for the analysis of archaeological materials and technologies
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- Analyse complex written texts
- Produce independent research
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
Syllabus
Typically the syllabus will cover: - Introduction to the module: material worlds - Making things, making relations: technological processes and choices - Embedded technologies - Art and technologies of enchantment - Materials - Fieldtrip (Pitt Rivers Museum) - Project presentations - Technologies of remembrance and forgetting - Wayfaring and mapping: technologies of travel and space - Building - Feedback on assessed work
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
This is primarily a seminar-based course, although fieldtrips will be incorporated where practical and relevant. Discussions in seminars will enable you to develop your knowledge, understanding, intellectual skills and critical abilities. The seminar sessions will also include hands-on study of archaeological and ethnographic objects as a focus for discussion. Teaching methods include: - Seminars Group work Tutorials Learning activities include: - Individual study Artefact study - Preparing and delivering student-led seminars Discussion groups
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| External visits | 4 |
| Seminar | 22 |
| Independent Study | 124 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Latour, B. (2005). Reassembling the Social: an introduction to Actor-Network-Theory.
Gell, A. (1998). Art and Agency: an anthropological theory.
Sofaer, J (2006). Pots, Houses and Metal. Technological Relations at the Bronze Age tell at Százhalombatta, Hungary. Oxford Journal of Archaeology. ,25 , pp. 127-47.
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.
Ingold, T. (2007). Materials against materiality. Archaeological Dialogues. ,14 , pp. 1-16.
Leroi-Gourhan, A (1945). Milieu et Technique.
Toren, C. (1999). Mind, Materiality and History. Essays in Fijian Ethnography.
Jones, A. (2002). Archaeological Theory and Scientific Practice.
Adams, J. (2003). Ships, Innovation and Social Change.
Conneller, C. (2011). An Archaeology of Materials: substantial transformations in early prehistoric Europe.
Lemmonnier, P. (ed.) (1993). Technological Choices: transformations in material culture since the Neolithic.
Schlanger, N. (ed) (2006). Marcel Mauss. Techniques, Technology and Civilisation.
Dobres, MA and Hoffman CR (eds). The Social Dynamics of Technology: Practise, Politics and World Views.
Sigaut, F (1994). Technology. Companion Encyclopedia of Anthropology. , pp. 420-59.
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
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Essay (2500 words) | 50% |
| Object study (1500 words) | 50% |
Referral
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Coursework | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal & External
Costs
Costs associated with this module
Students are responsible for meeting the cost of essential textbooks, and of producing such essays, assignments, laboratory reports and dissertations as are required to fulfil the academic requirements for each programme of study.
In addition to this, students registered for this module typically also have to pay for:
Other
There are no particular student costs associated with this module.
Please also ensure you read the section on additional costs in the University’s Fees, Charges and Expenses Regulations in the University Calendar available at www.calendar.soton.ac.uk.