Postgraduate

Department of Archaeology

MRes Archaeologyat ReadingMasters’ programmes

What’s special about the Reading MRes in Archaeology?

Our MRes provides you with the flexibility to develop your personal research interests while working with academics of your choice. You will be guided by tutorials with leading archaeologists in their field, and join an open and friendly department with an international reputation for excellence in teaching and state-of–the-art facilities. Successful completion of the MRes allows you to transfer to and complete a PhD programme after a further two years of study.

You will be supervised by highly successful and research-active staff who are internationally renowned in their subject areas. We have an established reputation for integrating social and scientific approaches, inspired by our research projects, and you will have the opportunity to develop and benefit from such approaches.

The MRes is skills-focussed and the core modules will allow you to develop your critical skills such as analytical writing and argument; evaluation of complex data; identification of key issues and concepts; research design and management; preparing grant applications; writing reports and papers for publication; and enhancing your knowledge of ITC and quantitative applications in archaeology. These modules, as well as seminars and the Masters’ Conference, will also help you to develop oral and presentation skills.

Archaeology at Reading

By choosing the MRes at Reading you will become part of a world-leading department that has an international reputation for its teaching and research in a wide range of aspects of Prehistoric, Roman and Medieval archaeology; and in environmental archaeology and bioarchaeology. You will be joining a department ranked top in the UK for world-class research (RAE 2008) with additional leadership in Teaching and Enterprise as recognised by the Queen’s Anniversary Prize and a consistent score of 100% student satisfaction (NSS 2010-13). You will be welcomed in to a department where research, teaching and professional training is provided by researchers with international expertise on a programme which will increase your knowledge, skills and employability.

Advanced research on topics of your choice…

Recording a post-hole at Silchester, our training excavation A Masters presentation session in the atrium of our department

Periods and topicsOur particular areas of expertise range from human origins to the middle ages, in regions as widespread as Jordan, Turkey, Iran, Italy, France, the British Isles, Scandinavia and the Baltic countries.

These are some of the themes and topics you can study:•Prehistoric landscapes

•Social complexity

•Historic settlement, urban and rural

•Religious landscapes

•Gender, the body and material culture

•Diaspora and colonization

•Human-animal-environment relationships

•Bioarchaeology

•Geoarchaeology

•Environmental and experimental archaeology

•Micromorphology

•Ancient Diet

•Building stone archaeology

•Archaeological geophysics

•Forensic archaeology, anthropology and palynology

•Environmental radioactivity, dating and climate change

•Ice age and Holocene hunter-gatherers

•The origins of farming in Western Asia

StructureYou can study this programme full-time (one year) or part-time (two years). There are four core modules with a further 20-credit optional element. The research paper and optional elements allow you to explore and develop interdisciplinary research directions by combining topics both for these modules and for your dissertation.

About usThere are twenty members of staff and two technicians in the Department and we are part of the School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Sciences (SAGES) which provides collaborative opportunities and further technical and laboratory support. There are specialised facilities for skeletal and isotope analysis; geoarchaeology; soils; geophysics; paleoenvironment; dating; and artefact and building materials analysis. Archaeology’s research environment is congenial, stimulating and productive, with seminars and workshops that underpin the interdisciplinary character of our research and teaching: these are often organized by our Postdoctoral fellows (12) or our PhD students, currently 44.

The Department is based in modern premises with a large MA room and many other seminar and study rooms and laboratories. The School also has a very wide range of laboratory and analytical facilities. Your studies will be strongly supported by our libraries, artefact and palaeoenvironmental reference collections, and museums. Specialised libraries in London and Oxford are easily reached by train.

Modules

Core Modules (160 credits)

Seminar Presentation (10) Develop key skills in debating and oral presentation

Research Skills and Careers Learning (10) Provides resources and skills required for future careers and research development

Research Paper 1 (20) Gain in-depth knowledge and understanding of issues and approaches in a particular archaeological subject

Dissertation (120)Explore your own research interests in-depth through a 25,000 word dissertation, guided by workshops and leading experts in archaeology

Optional Modules (20)

Research Paper 2 (20) orGain in-depth knowledge and understanding of issues and approaches in a particular archaeological subject

Period option of your choice (20) orChoose from our wide range of M level period options, which you can tailor to your own research interests

Two 10-credit options (20) Choose from a wide range of vocational 10-credit options

Further information Please check our website for dates of our Departmental Postgraduate Open Day where you can visit us and meet our current students, tour our facilities, and ask our staff any questions. We also have university-wide Open Days in September and October.

www.reading.ac.uk/archaeologywww.reading.ac.uk/pgwww.facebook.com/ArchaeologyReadingwww.twitter.com/UniRdg_Archwww.youtube.com/user/SHESvideos

Masters students have participated in our outstanding fieldschool and there are further opportunities to participate in other major research projects run by Reading staff in the UK, Europe and the Middle East.

The programme is ideal for students with professional or family commitments as the teaching is flexible and can be tailored to your personal interests.

FundingA limited number of competitive bursaries are available. Please see the website and contact the MA Programme Director for more details.

Who we are looking forOur MRes is for students committed to archaeology and who already have a good degree from a UK university (normally at least a 2.1 standard and in Archaeology) or have equivalent qualifications or experience from elsewhere.

The UniversityThe University of Reading, one of the top 1% of worldwide universities, offers high-quality teaching and rich research opportunities set within a beautiful parkland campus. In addition to its academic facilities, the University provides excellent opportunities for sport and cultural activities. It has always welcomed students from other countries and we currently cater for around 3500 international students from 130 countries. The campus is located a short journey from Reading station and town centre. The town itself has excellent communications to Oxford and London, just 30 minutes away by train, and has fast, direct bus and train links to London’s international airports at Heathrow and Gatwick.

About you and your careerOur MRes is designed to prepare you for doctoral research; with a successful completion of your postgraduate degree it is possible to transfer to and complete a PhD programme after a further two years of study.

Moreover the programme also provides skill training which will assist you with mid-career continuing professional development and for new careers in:

•professional archaeology

•museums

•publishing

•journalism, radio and television

•the heritage and leisure industries

•the fields of conservation including the natural and built environment

•government office

•teaching and higher education

©Kevin Standage

The University of Reading is committed to equal opportunities and diversity.Whilst the University of Reading makes every effort to ensure that the contents and statements made in this publication are fair and accurate, it can accept no liability for omissions, errors or subsequent changes.The statements made and information provided are a general guide and there may be changes following publication which affect the contents. Programmes or modules may be altered or withdrawn without notice and assessment arrangements may be changed. For details of any changes made since publication, please refer to the website address at the bottom of this page.This document was last updated November 2013.

Archaeology at Reading For more information or a Skype chat, please contact:

Professor Grenville Astill Programme DirectorDepartment of Archaeology School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science University of Reading Whiteknights PO Box 227 Reading, RG6 6AB

pgarchaeology@reading.ac.uk g.g.astill@reading.ac.uk 44 (0)118 378 7363/8132

dps code: SL-V2-12.12.13