Professor Richard Bradley’s influential book ‘An Archaeology of Natural Places’ (2000) explored why natural places such as caves, mountains, springs and rivers assumed a sacred character in European prehistory. It is a text and way of thinking that has inspired archaeological research and interpretation since its publication 25 years ago. In this course, we revisit the idea of an archaeology of natural places and take a closer look at archaeological projects, research and engagement that have taken place since Bradley’s text. This includes global ethnographic and anthropological research which we contextualise with a focus on the prehistoric archaeological record of Europe. Our coverage includes votive deposits, rock art, burials, monuments and material culture, while also exploring evidence for a nuanced engagement with the environmental world such as colour, sound, texture and experience. We will also explore the techniques archaeologists use in their application of such an approach and of the innovative and nuanced interpretations this offers for our understanding of the prehistoric past and its perceptive connection to natural places. We contextualise our coverage with a one-day fieldtrip to the natural and cultural landscape of Avebury (Wiltshire).
An Archaeology of Natural Places
This is an In-person course which requires your attendance to the weekly meetings which take place in Oxford.
Overview
Programme details
Course starts: 1 Oct 2024
Week 1: Course Introduction: An Archaeology of Natural Places
Week 2: Hard Places: Landscapes of Stone
Week 3: Soft Places: Fluid Locales
Week 4: Sheltered Places: Nested Landscapes
Week 5: Textured Places: An Archaeology of Soil and Colour
Week 6: Living Landscapes: Natural Places in Anthropology and Ethnography
Week 7: Fieldtrip to Avebury on Saturday 16th November (no class Tuesday 12th November)
*Meeting in Avebury 10:30 for 11:00 start, ending between 15:30-16:00. Full details will
be given*
Week 8: Review of Fieldtrip to Avebury
Week 9: Sensory Locales: Experiencing Landscapes
Week 10: Course Summary: Natural Places in the Archaeological Record
Recommended reading
All weekly class students may become borrowing members of the Rewley House Continuing Education Library for the duration of their course. Prospective students whose courses have not yet started are welcome to use the Library for reference. More information can be found on the Library website.
There is a Guide for Weekly Class students which will give you further information.
Availability of titles on the reading list (below) can be checked on SOLO, the library catalogue.
Preparatory reading
- An Archaeology of Natural Places / Bradley, Richard
Certification
To complete the course and receive a certificate, you will be required to attend at least 80% of the classes on the course and pass your final assignment. Upon successful completion, you will receive a link to download a University of Oxford digital certificate. Information on how to access this digital certificate will be emailed to you after the end of the course. The certificate will show your name, the course title and the dates of the course you attended. You will be able to download your certificate or share it on social media if you choose to do so.
Fees
| Description | Costs |
|---|---|
| Course Fee | £285.00 |
| Take this course for CATS points | £30.00 |
Funding
If you are in receipt of a UK state benefit, you are a full-time student in the UK or a student on a low income, you may be eligible for a reduction of 50% of tuition fees. Please see the below link for full details:
Tutor
Ms Fay Stevens
Fay Stevens is an award winning and experienced lecturer. She has wide experience of teaching in UK and International Universities and is currently completing a PhD in archaeology. Her expertise is in theoretical and landscape archaeology, material culture studies and pedagogy in education. Fay currently teaches at Oxford University Department of Continuing Education on a range of programmes, is Adjunct Associate Professor, University of Notre Dame (U.S.A.) in London, Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries London and Director of the Oxford Berkeley Programme, University of Oxford (2024).
BA (Hons), MA, PGCTLL, FSA
Course aims
The course offers an introduction to an archaeology of natural places.
Course objectives:
- To familiarise students with the archaeological evidence of natural places.
- To contextualise their archaeological understanding of key issues and approaches to an archaeology of natural places.
- To encourage and equip students with the skills and resources required to explore their own interests in natural places in the archaeological landscape.
Teaching methods
The course will be taught using a range of teaching strategies and methods. This includes lectures, question and answer sessions, discussion, practical sessions, a field trip, as well as encouraging reflection, independent study and coursework participation. You will be inspired and encouraged to develop the ability to process and apply information through discussion as well as through written work, in order to cultivate skills in critical thinking, as well as your own interests in the subject through independent study.
Learning outcomes
By the end of the course students will be expected to:
- demonstrate introductory knowledge of the distinct archaeological record of natural places.
- possess critical awareness of the key issues relevant to the study of natural places in the landscape.
- be aware of how archaeological analytical techniques and interpretations can be used to understand an archaeology of natural places.
Assessment methods
Assessment will be both formative and summative.
Formative: You have the option of submitting a short piece of writing for feedback. This is not a graded assignment but an opportunity to obtain feedback and direction in your scholarly work. It might, for example, be on the thinking behind an essay, or a book review that might form the basis of one of the three short written pieces. This work should be submitted mid-way in the term.
Summative: Submission of work for feedback and grading. You have a choice as to the assessment format and there are two options.
1. A collection of three several short written pieces (e.g. book/site/artefact reviews of 500 words each, totalling c.1500 words) that can be spread throughout the term or submitted as a portfolio of works at the end of the course.
2. An essay or fieldtrip review (c.1500 words). The tutor will provide a list of topics, although you may select your own relevant topic. Guidance will be provided throughout the term.
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Coursework is an integral part of all weekly classes and everyone enrolled will be expected to do coursework in order to benefit fully from the course. Only those who have registered for credit will be awarded CATS points for completing work at the required standard.
Students must submit a completed Declaration of Authorship form at the end of term when submitting your final piece of work. CATS points cannot be awarded without the aforementioned form - Declaration of Authorship form
Application
Please use the 'Book' or 'Apply' button on this page. Alternatively, please complete an Enrolment Form (Word) or Enrolment Form (Pdf)
Level and demands
The Department's Weekly Classes are taught at FHEQ Level 4, i.e. first year undergraduate level, and you will be expected to engage in a significant amount of private study in preparation for the classes. This may take the form, for instance, of reading and analysing set texts, responding to questions or tasks, or preparing work to present in class.
Credit Accumulation and Transfer Scheme (CATS)
To earn credit (CATS points) you will need to register and pay an additional £30 fee per course. You can do this by ticking the relevant box at the bottom of the enrolment form or when enrolling online. Students who register for CATS points will receive a Record of CATS points on successful completion of their course assessment.
Students who do not register for CATS points during the enrolment process can either register for CATS points prior to the start of their course or retrospectively from the January 1st after the current full academic year has been completed. If you are enrolled on the Certificate of Higher Education you need to indicate this on the enrolment form but there is no additional registration fee.