Course Details in 2026/27 Session

Module Title	LM Palaeontology Field and Museum Skills
School	School of Geog Earth & Env Sci
Department	Earth and Environ Sciences
Module Code	03 33878
Module Lead	Richard Butler
Level	Masters Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites	LI Field Skills and Project Planning for Independent Projects - (03 33764) LI Field Skills and Project Planning for Geological Field Research - (03 33767)
Co-requisites	LM Evolutionary Palaeobiology - (03 29235) LM Evolution of Vertebrates - (03 18108)
Restrictions	None
Contact Hours	Lecture-5 hours Practical Classes and workshops-15 hours Fieldwork-48 hours Guided independent study-132 hours Total: 200 hours
Exclusions
Description	Palaeontology Field and Museum Skills includes an overseas field course to examine fossiliferous deposits in a field context. Students will develop palaeontological field skills including discovering and identifying fossils and fossiliferous deposits, understanding and describing depositional environments, recording sedimentary sequences and interpreting taphonomic and fossilisation processes. Modern techniques for the documentation of fossils in the field will be employed. Students will gain a detailed understanding of how fossils are preserved, discovered, collected and conserved, and the significance of key fossiliferous deposits and sites for evolutionary palaeobiology. From a museum perspective, students will learn about the roles and organisation of museums and collections, compare and contrast the different ways in which geological museums curate, display and conserve palaeontological collections, engage with ethical issues around the collection, curation and study of fossils, and develop their own museum skills.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Develop a wide range of palaeontological field skills Explain the geological (sedimentary) context of fossiliferous deposits Explain the taphonomy and fossilisation processes of fossiliferous deposits Explain the significance of fossiliferous deposits for evolutionary palaeobiology Critically evaluate the approaches of different geology museums to curation, display, interpretation and conservation of palaeontological collections. Critically evaluate the history and modern roles of museum collections, and the ethical issues around the collection, acquisition and study of fossil specimens Design a concept for a museum exhibition to a professional standard
Assessment	33878-01 : Assessment 1 : Coursework (50%) 33878-02 : Assessment 2 : Coursework (50%)
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: Fieldwork blog/podcast (50%) and Museum exhibition design (50%) Reassessment: N/A
Other
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