Module overview
Aims and Objectives
Learning Outcomes
Subject Specific Practical Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- undertake and report basic osteological analysis of human skeletons
- identify and sort fragments of human bone
Knowledge and Understanding
Having successfully completed this module, you will be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:
- the ethical issues surrounding working with human remains
- varying approaches to the analysis of human skeletal remains
- the use of human skeletal remains as a resource for studying past variability in diet and subsistence, health and disease, social structure and organisation, and population history and migration
Subject Specific Intellectual and Research Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- observe and visually identify human bones
- present information clearly and concisely
- evaluate and critique the methods and results of bioarchaeological analyses and studies
Transferable and Generic Skills
Having successfully completed this module you will be able to:
- select appropriate means for recording and analysing data
- write clear and concise reports
- evaluate and critique arguments and material
Syllabus
Learning and Teaching
Teaching and learning methods
| Type | Hours |
|---|---|
| Wider reading or practice | 50 |
| Seminar | 5 |
| Practical classes and workshops | 32 |
| Lecture | 11 |
| Completion of assessment task | 52 |
| Total study time | 150 |
Resources & Reading list
Journal Articles
Brickley, M. and McKinley, J.I. (2004). Guidelines to the Standards for Recording Human Remains. IFA Paper, 7.
Textbooks
Iscan, M.Y. and Kennedy, K.A.R. (eds.) (1989). Reconstruction of Life from the Skeleton. New York: Alan R. Liss.
Agarwal, S.C. and Glencross, B.A. (eds.) (2011). Social Bioarchaeology. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.
Ortner, D. and Putschar, W. (1985). Identification of Pathological Conditions in Human Skeletal Remains. Washington: Smithsonian University Press.
Mays, S. (1993). The Archaeology of Human Bones. London: Routledge.
White, T.D.; Black, M.T. and Folkens, P.A. (2012). Human Osteology. London: Academic Press.
Roberts, C. (2009). Human Remains in Archaeology: A Handbook. London: Council for British Archaeology.
Pinhasi, R. and Mays, S. (2008). Advances in Human Palaeopathology. Chichester: John Wiley.
Larsen, C.S. (1997). Bioarchaeology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Buikstra, J. E. and Beck, L.A. (eds.) (2006). Bioarchaeology. London: Academic Press.
Brothwell, D. (1987). Digging Up Bones. Ithaca: Cornell University Press.
Buikstra, J and Ubelaker, D. (1994). Standards for Data Collection from Human Skeletal Remains. Fayetteville: Arkansas Archaeological Survey.
White, T.D. & Folkens, P.A. (2005). The Human Bone Manual. London: Academic Press.
Katzenberg, M.A. and Saunders, S.R. (eds) (2008). Biological Anthropology of the Human Skeleton. New York: Wiley-Liss.
Hillson, S. (1997). Dental Anthropology. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Roberts, C. and Manchester, K. (2010). The Archaeology of Disease. London: History Press.
Bass, W. (1987). Human Osteology. Missouri Archaeological Society.
Assessment
Summative
This is how we’ll formally assess what you have learned in this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Bone tests | 40% |
| Report | 60% |
Referral
This is how we’ll assess you if you don’t meet the criteria to pass this module.
| Method | Percentage contribution |
|---|---|
| Report | 100% |
Repeat Information
Repeat type: Internal