Undertake basic human and animal bone reports. Demonstrate an understanding of the biomolecular science applied in osteoarchaeological analysis. Make well-founded decisions for effective use of statistical methods for analysis and measurement. Critically understand the potential and limitations of osteoarchaeological analysis. Demonstrate an understanding of the legal framework applying to the excavation, curation and disposal of human remains.
Formal teaching takes place in two ten-week terms during the autumn and winter.
Students without an appropriate qualification in archaeology will be required to take the four-day Introduction to Field Archaeology, unit offered on the MSc Forensic Archaeology programme. This unit provides an important underpinning of the course in terms of research and analytical skills. It will reinforce students' understanding of library and information sources and will also provide grounding in the principles of recording and analysing data and report writing. Students will learn appropriate uses of electronic databases and the effective use of statistical techniques in the study of archaeological data. OA2 Anatomical and Bone Science Students are provided with a good basic understanding of human biology, both at a macroscopic and microscopic level, in order to fully understand concepts and uses of biological data in archaeology through the medium of human skeletal remains.