Module overview
The module comprises 2 sections; the first comprises seminars based upon current theoretical and methodological developments within palaeopathology and bioarchaeology, whereas the second portion comprises development of detailed skeletal and palaeopathological methods, knowledge and understanding. The topics considered in the seminar portion of the module will vary depending upon the research interests and foci of the academic staff, and will always be fully linked to major current research topics in palaeopathology and bioarchaeology.
Linked modules
ARCH6126
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- integrate theoretical issues and archaeological questions with empirical data derived from bioarchaeology
- skeletal remains as a resource for studying past variability in diet and subsistence, health and disease, social structure and organisation, speciation and extinction, ideology and religious belief, and population history and migration
- undertake palaeopathological analyses and the methods for differential diagnosis of skeletal disorders and pathology
- write skeletal reports to the standard required by English Heritage, Historic England and archaeological contractors
- pose and tackle archaeological questions using skeletal and pathological data
- critique specific techniques and methods of osteological analysis
- pose and tackle archaeological questions using skeletal data
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- critique data and the interpretations derived from such data
- evaluate results of analyses and studies
- the varying theoretical approaches to the analysis of both human and faunal skeletal remains
- the ethical issues surrounding working with human remains
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- demonstrate awareness of ethical issues
- undertake analysis and presentation of quantitative data including the writing of detailed reports (suitable for publication)
Syllabus
The organisation of the syllabus will vary from year to year depending upon staff availability. The following topics will normally be included:
Human bone assessment and reporting
Roles of human osteologists in a commercial environment
Assessment of skeletal material and purposes of an assessment
Identification and scoring of joint disease
Skeletal ageing techniques in bone reporting & links with disease prevalence
Metric and non-metric variation
Skeletal anomalies
Diagnosis and recording of unusual skeletal pathology
Differential diagnosis & problematic cases.
Medical Imaging in osteoarchaeology & palaeopathology
Themes to be covered in the seminars will be based upon the latest issues in bioarchaeology & palaeopathology research, but will commonly include:
Urbanisation, the Industrial Revolution, social inequality & disease
Bioarchaeology, pathology & identity
Ethics and the dead
Diet & disease interactions
Bioarchaeology of disability & care
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
Teaching sessions will comprise lectures, guided practicals and student-led group seminars.
Type | Hours |
---|---|
Independent Study | 126 |
Seminar | 12 |
Practical classes and workshops | 6 |
Lecture | 6 |
Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Textbooks
Katzenberg, M.A. and Saunders, S.R. (eds) (2008). Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Aufderheide, AC & Rodriguez-Martin, C (1998). The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Human Paleopathology. Cambridge: CUP.
White, T.D.; Black, M.T. and Folkens, P.A. (2012). Human Osteology. London: Academic press.
Agarwal, S.C. and Glencross, B.A. (eds.) (2011). Social Bioarchaeology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Buikstra, J. E. and Beck, L.A. (eds.) (2006). Bioarchaeology. London: Academic Press.
Ortner, DJ (2003). Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. New York: Academic press.
Larsen, CS (2015). Bioarchaeology. Cambridge: CUP.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Assessment | 30% |
Case study report | 70% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
Method | Percentage contribution |
---|---|
Case study report | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal