1. Demonstrate a critical understanding of human rights and how these principles can be used to secure and advance individual rights at a regional, national and international level
2. Apply key principles of community-based action and demonstrate the ability to anticipate and evaluate problems as they arise to find an appropriate solution
3. Demonstrate an ability to identify and critically evaluate the role of archaeology in social action projects.
4. Apply appropriate research skills and demonstrate communicative and evidencing skills appropriate to undergraduate level of study.

Group Symposium.

The students will be divided into groups mid-semester and asked to research, plan and successfully organise a full-day symposium. At the event, each group will be asked to plan a session. Each session could be conference style presentations, workshops style interactions, a debate, or other alternative interactive session. All of the above will be on a key theme of Archaeology as a Tool for Change. The student will be graded on A) their written submission (LO 1 and 2) and b) on their presentation and performance during the symposium (LO 3 and 4).

Formative assessment opportunities are available throughout the module - structured class activities will allow students to discuss ideas introduced in the module and relate them to the module assessments providing them with the opportunity to self-evaluate their understanding of module materials. Students will also be provided with the opportunity to discuss their ideas for the module assignments and receive feedback on their plans.

In this module, we will explore how archaeology has been used as a catalyst for social change and demonstrate how humanitarian archaeology can drive change in modern society. How can archaeologists use their work to forge new partnerships with the past and to open new dialogue between modern, contemporary groups and nations. Through case studies, we will cover themes such as myths and ideologies, archaeology and the media, conservation, public archaeology, the industrial revolution, and archaeology and religion. The module demonstrates how modern society is often inextricably linked to ancient and historic beliefs, traditions, and emotions that can be used to help enact social action and change through community engagement and social media. However, the module will also demonstrate how archaeology can be misused to add credence to political agendas that lead to persecution, intolerance and genocide. Topics will include (but due to the nature of current events, won’t be limited to):

-Media Archaeology
-Archaeology and education
-Religion
-Public archaeology
-Myths and ideologies
-The Industrial Revolution
-Conservation and heritage protection
-Community cohesion
-The S.H.A.R.E Project
-Shared cultural heritage
-Archaeology in the borderlands

In this module, we will explore how archaeology has been used as a catalyst for social change and demonstrate how humanitarian archaeology can drive change in modern society. Through case studies, we will cover themes such as myths and ideologies, archaeology and the media, conservation, public archaeology, the industrial revolution, and archaeology and religion. The module demonstrates how modern society is often inextricably linked to ancient and historic beliefs, traditions, and emotions that can be used to help enact social action and change through community engagement and social media.

This module will be delivered through a combination of independent and online learning, scheduled class sessions, and planning, researching, and producing the module assessments. Weekly content will be delivered throughout the course by specialists in their fields.

Materials and resources that introduce the main themes and key concepts covered in the module, as well as supporting the development of the key skills required to complete the assessment will be made available via the VLE. These may be on the form of pre-recorded lectures, a set of directed readings, links to videos or appropriate micro-certification packages, or a mixture.

Workshops and seminars will provide students with the opportunity to: (i) debate and further explore the ideas introduced in the learning materials; (ii) discuss how they will use them to address the module assessment; and (iii) receive guidance on completing the assessment.

Students should spend the independent learning hours working through the learning resources and self-instructional materials provided in the VLE, completing preparatory and follow-up activities for the class sessions, and completing the module assessments.

Atalay, S., Clauss, L.R., McGuire, R.H. and Welch, J.R. eds., 2016. Transforming archaeology: Activist practices and prospects. Routledge.
Stottman, M.J., Stahlgren, L.C., Prybylski, M.E., Miller, S.E., McDavid, C., McBride, W.S., McBride, K.A., Little, B.J., Jeppson, P.L., Henderson, A.G. and Gadsby, D.A., 2010. Archaeologists as activists: Can archaeologists change the world?. The University of Alabama Press.
Edmiston, D. (2018) Welfare, Inequality and Social Citizenship: Deprivation and Affluence in Austerity Britain, (1st Ed), Bristol: Policy Press: A guide to the macroscopic study of human skeletal remains. Academic Press.
Heywood, A. 2014, Global politics, (2nd ed), Palgrave Macmillan, Basingstoke. (Martin)
Wyatt, N., 2017.¿The Archaeology of Myth. Routledge.
González-Ruibal, A., González, P.A. and Criado-Boado, F., 2018. Against reactionary populism: towards a new public archaeology. Antiquity, 92(362), pp.507-515.
Van der Heijden, T. and Kolkowski, A., 2022. Doing Experimental Media Archaeology: Practice. Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG.

VLE to access on-line learning resources
High quality teaching space for face-to-face seminars where appropriate with usual audio-visual facilities
Library resources both online and physical to support research.