This course develops practical skills in archaeological fieldwork on field schools administered or co-administered by faculty members of the School of Archaeology and Anthropology. The participants learn modern techniques in archaeological excavation, survey, building recording and applications in cultural heritage management.
For topics that require travel outside Canberra: Students will only be permitted to travel upon completion of ANU required documentation, including, where required, the travel to a high risk destination form and the approval of all documentation by the relevant delegate.
Disclaimer: Applicants are advised that due to circumstances beyond the University's control (for example, specific international security concerns and international health crises) it may not be possible for students to commence or complete topics requiring international travel.
Course Contact: Prof Tim Denham
E: tim.denham@anu.edu.au
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion, students will have the knowledge and skills to:
- understand the principles of archaeological fieldwork;
- gain familiarity with a range of archaeological fieldwork practices other than excavation;
- demonstrate competence at basic fieldwork techniques; and
- analyse data from archaeological field work in written and oral format.
Work Integrated Learning
Fieldwork
Other Information
Places are limited. In the event of over-subscription, priority is given to students in a declared Archaeology major.
In addition, some of the trip options may require students to safely traverse 2-3km over uneven and/or unconsolidated and/or vegetated ground at a moderate pace.
Indicative Assessment
- Field skills practical assessments (40) [LO 1,2,3]
- Fieldwork notebook, 2000 words (25) [LO 1,2,3]
- Short essay, 2000 words (25) [LO 1,2,3,4]
- Participation in fieldwork (10) [LO 1,2,3]
The ANU uses Turnitin to enhance student citation and referencing techniques, and to assess assignment submissions as a component of the University's approach to managing Academic Integrity. While the use of Turnitin is not mandatory, the ANU highly recommends Turnitin is used by both teaching staff and students. For additional information regarding Turnitin please visit the ANU Online website.
Workload
130 hours of total student learning time including a 3-week full-time intensive field school. All assessments except the short essay take place during these contact hours.
Inherent Requirements
To complete this course, students must participate in a field trip to an overseas and/or isolated location. In order to participate in the trip, students must have the ability to:
- Undertake autonomous travel internationally;
- Monitor and manage their own health within the associated climatic and environmental conditions while studying and living with a small group of people in an international and/or isolated field location; and
- Engage with local people, customs and practices.
Students who cannot meet these requirements will not be able to participate in the trip and therefore cannot complete the course.
For more information, please refer to the CASS trip information page.
Requisite and Incompatibility
You will need to contact the School of Archaeology and Anthropology to request a permission code to enrol in this course.
Prescribed Texts
Roskams, S. 2001. Excavation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Renfrew, C. & Bahn, P. 2016. Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice. Oxford, Thames & Hudson.
Assumed Knowledge
Recommendation includes completion of ARCH1111 or ARCH1112 or ARCH2061 or equivalent course/ skills.
Fees
Tuition fees are for the academic year indicated at the top of the page.
Commonwealth Support (CSP) Students
If you have been offered a Commonwealth supported place, your fees are set by the Australian Government for each course. At ANU 1 EFTSL is 48 units (normally 8 x 6-unit courses). More information about your student contribution amount for each course at Fees.
- Student Contribution Band:
- 14
- Unit value:
- 6 units
If you are a domestic graduate coursework student with a Domestic Tuition Fee (DTF) place or international student you will be required to pay course tuition fees (see below). Course tuition fees are indexed annually. Further information for domestic and international students about tuition and other fees can be found at Fees.
Where there is a unit range displayed for this course, not all unit options below may be available.
| Units | EFTSL |
|---|---|
| 6.00 | 0.12500 |
Offerings, Dates and Class Summary Links
ANU utilises MyTimetable to enable students to view the timetable for their enrolled courses, browse, then self-allocate to small teaching activities / tutorials so they can better plan their time. Find out more on the Timetable webpage.
Class summaries, if available, can be accessed by clicking on the View link for the relevant class number.
Spring Session
| Class number | Class start date | Last day to enrol | Census date | Class end date | Mode Of Delivery | Class Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9267 | 01 Oct 2026 | 23 Oct 2026 | 23 Oct 2026 | 31 Dec 2026 | In Person | N/A |