Archaeological Illustration – (M.A.)

Contents

Course length

Full-time: MA: 18 months (45 weeks); PGDip: 12 months (30 weeks)
Part-time: MA: 3 years (90 weeks), PG Dip: 2 years (60 weeks)

The course concentrates on acquiring a high level of the practical skills of illustration preparation within the context of the investigative and research ethos of the archaeological process, and communicating archaeological discovery to others. We also expect students to test the ‘boundaries’ of current practice and to examine and reappraise the methods, systems, cultures and appropriateness of the illustration process.

As our courses are reviewed regularly, course content and module choices may change from the details given here.

The programme of learning is centred on individual studio practice, and is informed by a mixture of formal taught components (including lectures, presentations and seminars), individual tutorials (offering reflection and formative consideration of practice), and visits to appropriate professional agencies.

The first 30 weeks (full-time) or 60 weeks (part-time) involves the following modules, constituting Part 1 of the full master’s award OR completion of the PGDip.

Module 1: Visual Studies (core) is designed to enable you to extend your understanding and/or further develop an expertise in the application of a visual language. You should be able to communicate through images with an exploration of appropriate graphic tools and media and be able to analyse the effectiveness of the results.

Module 2: Research Studies (core) focuses on your capacity to undertake intensive analysis and critical review of topics associated with archaeological visualisation. It introduces the concepts of primary and secondary sourced research and contextualised reading, interpreting historical, contemporary and theoretical material and relevant methodologies to evaluate such references, and establishing a balance between empirical, theoretical and practice-based elements.

Module 3: Recording Studies (option A)* extends your expertise in the contexts of archaeological methods and requirements and their associations with the design process. Visual recording methods (either as drawings, mapping, sectioning, surveying or photographic) are developed, with the concentration on ‘finds’ recording (where accurate and measured drawn records of artefacts are produced).

Module 4: Reconstruction Studies (option A)*: the visual interpretation of human activity based on archaeological and historical evidence forms the content of the work within this module. Projects are negotiated between staff and students which concentrate on reconstructing the past in various ways (hand-crafted, computer drafted and/or 3D) and for various end-users – for example, educational, scientific, journalistic, institutional, or those in museum display and interpretation.

Module 5: Digital Applications (option B)*: digital photography and computer-aided imaging and drafting techniques constitute a major tool and medium within archaeological research, evaluation and display. The uses of the computer and suitable software packages as an aid to archaeological illustration are investigated within this module, from digital mapping to the 3D virtual animated ‘fly-through’.

Module 6: Information Design (option B)*: in this module, you will look at the relationships between archaeological illustration and the contexts in which they are utilised, published or broadcast.

*You must undertake one option (A) and one option (B) module in addition to the core modules.

Part 2 of the full master's award requires a further 15 weeks of practice for the full MA, and one of the two options must be undertaken:

Module 7: Dissertation (option): this Part 2 option requires you to undertake a research-based study of one or more of the course themes. The topic focuses on a critical examination, through research and extended written work, of a subject, theme or issue which is significant to the representation or interpretation of human activity in the past.

Module 8: Material Practice (option): you undertake a research-based study, working with an outside agency, of one or more of the course themes. (Recent examples of agencies include English Heritage, Oxford Archeological Unit and the Corinium Museum.) The research outcome can be in the form of extended visual practice – in other words, archaeological recording and/or reconstruction in suitable media, or novel extensions of digital imaging of archaeological/historical data. Such practical work is required to add to extant knowledge, consisting of original discoveries or presentations.