Course Details in 2024/25 Session

Module Title	LI Material Culture and Heritage
School	History and Cultures
Department	Classics, AH and Archaeology
Module Code	09 38275
Module Lead	Henry Chapman
Level	Intermediate Level
Credits	20
Semester	Semester 1
Pre-requisites
Co-requisites
Restrictions	None
Exclusions
Description	Material culture provides us with insights into other ways of life, art, cognition, technology and the materiality of human existence - practically and in terms of symbolic expression and sensory experience. Material culture includes both the artefacts that represent the primary media for representing the past in museums, in addition to the non-portable structures and places, which both provide the key points of contact for public engagement with cultural heritage. Archaeology is at the cutting edge of material culture studies, heavily influencing – and being influenced by – new approaches in anthropology, art history, heritage conservation and museology. The module is divided into two sections. The first part explores the collection, curation, interpretation and presentation of material culture in museum displays, repositories and heritage sites. The second part of the module examines current approaches to the interpretation of material culture, focusing on social life in the material world, relationships between beliefs, knowledge, action and artefacts, and fundamental aspects of human existence such as technology, ritual, gender, age, cult, ethnicity and power.
Learning Outcomes	By the end of the module students should be able to: Understand what constitutes material culture, and how it is represented as heritage. Research different classes of evidence and the different approaches to its interpretation. Interpret material culture from a range of perspectives, Critically evaluate how past material worlds are recovered, curated, displayed and interpreted for modern audiences.
Assessment
Assessment Methods & Exceptions	Assessment: 1 x 1,000-word coursework (30%)
Other	This module was formerly 'LI Artefacts and Material Culture' (27312)
Reading List