To be read in conjunction with the program of study requirements for the degree in which you are enrolled:

A student may complete a major sequence of 36 units in Archaeology by completing two Year 1 topics (9 units), two Year 2 topics (9 units) and two Year 3 topics (9 units) plus two additional topics (9 units) from the Year 2 or Year 3 topics listed in the program of study below.

A student may complete a minor sequence of 22.5 units in Archaeology by completing two Year 1 topics (9 units), two Year 2 topics (9 units) plus and additional topic (4.5 units) from the Year 2  or Year 3 Topics listed in the program of study below.

A student may complete an extended major sequence in Archaeology by completing the prescribed major topics (36 units), plus an additional two topics (9 units) from the Year 2 or Year 3 topics listed below.

An extended major in Archaeology is not available to students enrolled in the double Bachelor of Education, Bachelor of Arts degrees.

Course aims

The major in Archaeology is designed:

  • to provide students with a general grounding in archaeology as it is practiced globally and how the study of archaeology interrelates with human behaviour and society - past and present.
  • to provide students with an opportunity either to concentrate on a particular area of archaeology or to sample a range of areas
  • to achieve a balance in the methodological, theoretical and practical aspects of archaeology.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the major students will:

  • be able to demonstrate a general understanding of archaeology as it is practiced globally
  • have gained basic knowledge regarding the development of archaeology including broad understanding of how theoretical and methodological aspects of the discipline relate to the historical establishment of archaeology worldwide
  • be able to demonstrate a sound understanding of how studies of material culture can provide an additional source of data to improve knowledge about human behavioural variability in past and contemporary societies
  • be able to demonstrate a general understanding of a particular area of archaeology or a broad range of areas of archaeology.

Program of study

The following is the program of study for a 36 unit major sequence in Archaeology and should be read in conjunction with the course rule for the degree in which you are enrolled.

Major - Archaeology

Year 1 topics 

Select 9 units from the year 1 topics listed below

 ARCH1001  Discovering Archaeology  (4.5 units)
 ARCH1002  From the Palaeolithic to Pompeii: An Exploration of World Archaeology  (4.5 units)
 ARCH1005  Cultural Anthropology: Human Diversity through Film  (4.5 units)
 ARCH1006  Sex, Death and Ritual in the Ancient World  (4.5 units)

Year 2 topics

Select 9 units from the year 2 topics listed below

 ARCH2106  Archaeological Field Methods  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2202  Archaeology of the First Australians  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2203  Australian Historical Artefacts  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2204  Australian Maritime Archaeology  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2207  The Archaeological Imagination: Fact, fantasy and fiction in archaeological interpretation  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2209  The Archaeology of Art  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2211  Ships and Seafaring in the Indian Ocean  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2212  The Archaeology of Modern Society  (4.5 units)
 ARCH2213  Human Evolution and the Fossil Record  (4.5 units)
 
Year 3 topics

Select 9 units from the year 3 topics listed below

 ARCH3107  History of Archaeological Thought  (4.5 units)
 ARCH3109  Society and Environment in Prehistory: The Archaeology of Human-environment Relations  (4.5 units)
 ARCH3204  Archaeology of Native North America  (4.5 units)
 ARCH3207  Frameworks in Historical Archaeology  (4.5 units)
 ARCH3208  History and Issues in Maritime Archaeology  (4.5 units)
 ARCH3313  Archaeology in the Field  (4.5 units)

plus an additional two topics (9 units) from the year 2 or 3 topics listed above.

For admission to the Honours program in Archaeology, students will normally be required to have included the following topics in their program

 ARCH2106  Archaeological Field Methods  (4.5 units)
 ARCH3107  History of Archaeological Thought  (4.5 units)

Honours

Refer to Honours - Archaeology