Advanced Archaeological Theory

This course gives an overview, selective and by no means exhaustive, of what archaeological theory is currently about. You will read and reflect upon a recent handbook that provides something of a ‘state of the art’ of the philosophy of science. Note, however, that the handbook chapters are conceived here as points of departure for the individual lectures and associated readings that may wander in very different directions across the contemporary theoretical scape.

Conferences and Workshops at ARCHON

ARCHON, the Dutch research school of Archaeology, initiates, organises and supports a programme of educational activities in close collaboration with its participating institutions (University of Amsterdam, VU University Amsterdam, University of Groningen, Leiden University, and the State Service for Cultural Heritage).

The programme includes conferences, lecture series, thematic workshops, multi-and interdisciplinary courses and skill courses for RMA-students, PhD-researchers and staff members of the participating institutions. The intent is to create a platform for inspiring academic debate on current archaeological research.

Teaching Assistance

The RMA is a first step in an academic career. Besides research skills, academic positions require teaching skills as well.

In this course, you provide active assistance in the undergraduate World Archaeology course for first-year archaeology students, and in this way you gain your first teaching experience. The tutorial is characterised by blended learning: feedback is given partly during the tutorial and partly online.

Where do archaeological theories come from?

In this course, students investigate where archaeological theories come from and how they are used:

• The philosophies of science and epistemologies in which they are anchored (basics);

• The archaeological orientations and branches in which they are used (the past 50 years);

• Their strengths and weaknesses (critical debate);

• The way they are operationalized in archaeological research (examples).

RMA thesis

The RMA thesis is the final masterpiece that shows that you can write, plan and execute an innovative academic research project that may serve as a basis for ongoing PhD- research. The research is based on data derived from material culture, fieldwork, laboratory research, or historic sources and additional academic literature. It is researched and written over the course of two years and should be related to your focus area.