The Bachelor of Archaeology requires three years of full-time study (or the equivalent part-time) and the honours program an additional year (or the equivalent part-time). The course is offered by the Faculty of Education, Humanities and Law.
Enrolment in the honours program may be offered to a student who meets certain academic criteria and subject to the school/department being able to provide appropriate resources and staff to supervise the program of study.
Some option topics are provided by the University of Adelaide or the University of South Australia and require students to attend lectures at those institutions.
Admission requirements
The minimum requirements for consideration for entry to all undergraduate courses are specified in detail in the University Entry Requirements.
Course aims
The Bachelor of Archaeology aims to:
- provide students with a substantial grounding in all aspects of archaeology as part of a preparation for a professional career
- provide a particular focus on The Archaeology of Australia and how the study of archaeology interrelates with Australian society- past and present
- achieve a balance in the methodological, theoretical and practical aspects of archaeology
- provide students with a sound background in relation to general and specific issues of Cultural Heritage management within an Australian context.
Learning outcomes
On completion of this course students will:
- be able to demonstrate a substantial understanding of archaeology as it is practised in Australia
- be able to communicate archaeological knowledge and practice, both in writing and verbally, to a range of audiences
- possess a detailed knowledge of the development of archaeology in Australia including how theoretical and methodological aspects of the Australian discipline relate to the historical establishment of archaeology worldwide
- possess the ability to apply problem solving skills in a range of archaeological and heritage management contexts
- possess the ability to assess how material culture can provide an additional source of data to improve knowledge about human behavioural variability in past and contemporary societies
- have developed a sound knowledge of Cultural Heritage management and consultancy-based archaeology.
Program of study
To qualify for The Bachelor of Archaeology, a student must complete 108 units with a grade of P or NGP or better in each topic, according to the following program of study:
- 40.5 units of Core topics;
- 31.5 units of designated Archaeology option topics; and
- 36 units of designated non-Archaeology option topics, comprising 18 units at First Level and 18 units at Upper Level.
Students will be provided with a list of option topics related to the following specialist areas:
- Archaeological Science
- Classical Archaeology
- Forensic Archaeology
- Historical Archaeology
- Indigenous Archaeology
- Maritime Archaeology
There is no restriction of choice of option topics from any one of these specialist areas.
Core - Year 1 topics
COMS1001 Academic and Professional Communication (4.5 units)
ARCH1001 Introduction to Archaeology (4.5 units)
ARCH1002 World Archaeology (4.5 units)
ARCH1005 Cultural Anthropology (4.5 units)
Option - Year 1 Non-Archaeology topics
plus 18 units of First Level designated option topics listed below:
Any first year AUST topics
Any first year BIOL topics
Any first year CHEM topics
Any first year CRIM topics
Any first year EASC topics
Any first year ENVS topics
Any first year GEOG topics
Any first year HIST topics
Any first year LEGL topics
Up to 9 units of option topics may be taken from the following:
ANTH1104 Culture and Society: Foundations of Anthropology (4.5 units)*
ANTH1105 Anthropology of Everyday Life (4.5 units)*
CLAS1001 From Egypt to Greece: Divine Rulers and Popular Tyrants (4.5 units)*
CLAS1002 Citizens, Cults and Emperors: Power and Status in Greece and Rome (4.5 units)*
CLAS1003 Games, Festivals and Leisure in Greece and Rome (4.5 units)*
CLAS1004 The Ancient World in Film (4.5 units)*
HUMS1034 Contemporary Aboriginal Issues (4.5 units)#
HUMS1035 Aboriginal Cultures (4.5 units)#
HUMS1051 Indigenous Australians: Culture and Colonisation (4.5 units)#
Core - Year 2 topics
ARCH2106 Archaeological Field Methods (4.5 units)
ARCH2107 Laboratory Methods and Data Analysis (4.5 units)
ARCH2108 Cultural Heritage Management (4.5 units)
Option - Year 2 Archaeology topics
plus 13.5 units of topics from the following:
ARCH2202 Australian Indigenous Archaeology (4.5 units)
ARCH2203 Australian Historical Archaeology (4.5 units)
ARCH2204 Australian Maritime Archaeology (4.5 units)
ARCH2206 Archaeological Science (4.5 units)
ARCH2207 The Archaeological Imagination: Fact, fantasy and fiction in archaeological interpretation (4.5 units)
ARCH2208 The Museum (4.5 units)
ARCH2209 The Archaeology of Art (4.5 units)
ARCH2211 Ships and seafaring in the Indian Ocean (4.5 units)
Option - Year 2 Non-Archaeology topics
plus 9 units of topics selected from the following:
Any second year AUST topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year BIOL topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year CHEM topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year CLAS* topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year CRIM topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year EASC topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year ENVS topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year GEOG topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year HIST topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any second year LEGL topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
INTR2012 Food, Frontiers and International Relations (4.5 units)
ANTH2040 Ethnography: Engaged Social Research (4.5 units)*
ANTH2052 Australia: Communities, Connection, Contestation (4.5 units)*
ANTH2053 Life, Death and Culture (4.5 units)*
HUMS2010 Aboriginal People, History and Colonialism# (4.5 units)
HUMS2017 Comparative Indigenous Studies# (4.5 units)
Core - Year 3 topics
ARCH3107 Archaeological Theory and Method (4.5 units)
Plus 4.5 units selected from:
ARCH3308 Historical Archaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3309 Maritime Archaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3310 Indigenous Archaeology Field School A (4.5 units)
ARCH3311 Ethnoarchaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3312 Rock Art Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3313 Archaeology in the Field (4.5 units)
ARCH3314 Indigenous Archaeology Field School B (4.5 units)
ARCH3315 Community Archaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3316 Rock Art Field School B (4.5 units)
Option - Year 3 Archaeology topics
plus 18 units of topics selected from the following:
ARCH3204 Archaeology of Native North America (4.5 units)
ARCH3205 Indigenous Heritage Management (4.5 units)
ARCH3206 Australian Rock Art (4.5 units)
ARCH3207 Historical Archaeology in Global Perspective (4.5 units)
ARCH3208 History, Theory and Issues in Maritime and Underwater Archaeology (4.5 units)
ARCH3209 Modern Material Culture (4.5 units)
ARCH3210 The Politics of Archaeological Practice (4.5 units)
ARCH3212 Archaeological Research Methods (4.5 units)
ARCH3214 The Human Skeleton (4.5 units)
ARCH3308 Historical Archaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3309 Maritime Archaeological Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3310 Indigenous Archaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3311 Ethnoarchaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3312 Rock Art Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3313 Archaeology in the Field (4.5 units)
ARCH3314 Indigenous Archaeology Field School B (4.5 units)
ARCH3315 Community Archaeology Field School (4.5 units)
ARCH3316 Rock Art Field School B (4.5 units)
Option - Year 3 Non-Archaeology topics
plus 9 units of topics selected from the following:
Any third year AUST topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year BIOL topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year CHEM topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year CLAS* topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year CRIM topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year EASC topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year ENVS topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year GEOG topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year HIST topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
Any third year LEGL topics where pre-requisites are met (4.5 units)
ANATSC3101 Anthropological and Forensic Anatomy 3 (4.5 units)*
ANTH3100 Anthropology Today: Experience, Power, Practice (4.5 units)*
HUMS3045 Things that Matter: The Material Culture of Australia’s Past (4.5 units)#
* University of Adelaide topics
# University of South Australia topics
Honours
A student who has completed all the requirements of The Bachelor of Archaeology, or another qualification which the Faculty Board agrees is equivalent, may be accepted as a candidate for the honours degree providing a sufficiently high standard has been achieved in fulfilling the requirements for The Bachelor degree.
Refer to Bachelor of Archaeology (Honours)
