Students of the Graduate Certificate in Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (Online/Distance Learning) will be introduced to the principles behind the identification, description, analysis and methods of experimental archaeological investigations, with a particular emphasis on the role of experimental archaeology in the investigation of past material culture and the properties of materials and objects, their manufacture, use and discard, and how this is communicated to the wide world.
On completion of this programme, a student will have been provided with:
• An introduction to the role of experimental archaeology in the investigation of the character and diversity of materials and material culture in the past, so as to create and communicate knowledge of the past in modern society.
• An introduction to the knowledge and skills required in designing original experimental archaeological projects, including the critique of project research questions, the application of methodologies to materials, the gathering and collation of data, the analysis of data and its interpretation.
• An introduction to the potential different means of communicating knowledge, using presentations, photography, videos, online websites and other means, with a particular emphasis both on scientific communication, but also public outreach.
• Develop an appreciation of how cultural heritage, craft and archaeological knowledge is communicated through scientific and archaeological publication, through Living History and Re-enactment communities, and in Europe’s and the world’s best traditional museums and Archaeological Open Air Museums (AOAMs).
• Ability to apply the skills and knowledge acquired to promote an interdisciplinary approach to studying past material culture.
• Ability to apply the research and scientific writing skills required in professional report writing.
It links with Research projects at CEAMC, which are essentially driven by Principal Investigators, including academic staff, Postdoctoral Fellows, and also PhD and MA scholars, who design and carry out their own specific projects. Current and ongoing research projects include work on Mesolithic, Bronze Age, Early Medieval and Viking Age houses, on foods and cooking, on living environments, on pottery manufacture, on the use of stone, flint, chert and quartz technologies, on bronze, iron and glass-working, and on various aspects of early medieval/late medieval food technologies, production and processing. Multidisciplinary collaborations are also being established with other UCD Schools, including the Earth Institute, Engineering, Folklore, and Education, and there are also international academic collaborations through the Centre’s established connections with EXARC (the global network for Archaeological Open-Air Museums and experimental archaeology. The UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture has already successfully attracted several Marie Sklodowska-Curie Postdoctoral Fellowships, Irish Research Council PhD scholarships and Teagasc Walsh PhD Fellowship, as well as external funding for various research projects.
It also benefits from CEAMC’s distinctive Teaching and Learning philosophy, where since 2012, there have been a range of innovative undergraduate and taught graduate experimental archaeology modules. These include the Level 3 module, “ARCH30500: Experimental Archaeology and Ancient Technologies” module, where students are taken through a week-long intensive module, and then design, implement and analyze the results of their own original project.
Graduate Certificate students would also access modules in the existing MSc/Grad Dip in Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture programmes, which have been transformative of UCD students’ practical experience of material culture, and are also innovative in their use of Problem-Based, Enquiry-Based and Peer Learning, encouraging project design skills, originality, creativity, resourcefulness, teamwork, and also facilitate multiple- intelligence learning experiences. The Graduate Certificate in Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (Online/Distance Learning students, build on these past teaching experiences.
CEAMC’s third activity is Public Outreach, Engagement and Communications, whereby we communicate the research activities of CEAMC and UCD School of Archaeology to local, national and international audiences. CEAMC has organized 2 major international conferences (including EAC9, 9th Experimental Archaeology Conference, the largest ever); as well as numerous schools and community outreach activities.
We have an active social media strategy (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram). CEAMC is often used by UCD in its own websites and publications, for visiting dignitaries and groups, and it has also figured in television (e.g. RTE News), on newspaper (Irish Times, etc) and in websites internationally. We see public outreach and engagement as part of students training at UCD, and would expect students to be actively involved in communication of archaeology to the public.
Website for UCD Centre for Experimental Archaeology and Material Culture (CEAMC)
http://www.ucd.ie/archaeology/ceamc