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Module

ARA3021 : Frontier Communities of Roman Britain

  • Offered for Year: 2024/25
  • Module Leader(s): Dr Rob Collins
  • Owning School: History, Classics and Archaeology
  • Teaching Location: Newcastle City Campus
Semesters

Your programme is made up of credits, the total differs on programme to programme.

Semester 2 Credit Value: 20
ECTS Credits: 10.0
European Credit Transfer System

Aims

The sheer quantity of information available for the frontiers of Roman Britain allows unparalleled opportunities for archaeological analysis.

This module aims to:

1. Introduce students to the archaeology of frontiers and Romano-British society.
2. Develop students’ ability to work with archaeological evidence from the frontier zone.
3. Explore and assess the degree to which theories of community, ethnicity and identity can illuminate the archaeological record.

Outline Of Syllabus

This course will not only examine the fascinating structures and settlements that formed Rome’s frontier systems, the Gask Line, Stanegate, Hadrian’s Wall and the Antonine Wall, it will also investigate the remarkably diverse communities which lived and worked in their vicinity. We will ask what archaeology can tell us of these different groups. In each case, whether discussing the diverse contingents of successive Roman garrisons or the varied civilian populations that interacted with them, we will gain rich insight into life in Northern Britain under imperial rule.

Teaching Methods

Teaching Activities
Category Activity Number Length Student Hours Comment
Guided Independent StudyAssessment preparation and completion641:0064:00for 2 assessments, 30 hours toward the essay and 34 hours toward the research paper
Structured Guided LearningLecture materials111:0011:00part of student contact hours consisting of on-line lecture materials (est. 1 hour/week)
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesLecture111:0011:001 lecture per week
Guided Independent StudyDirected research and reading331:0033:003 hours reading per week supporting lectures
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesPractical18:008:00A full-day fieldtrip practical.
Structured Guided LearningStructured research and reading activities271:0027:003 hours per week for seminar preparation
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesSmall group teaching91:009:001 seminar per week, except for the first and last weeks
Guided Independent StudyIndependent study351:0035:00general consolidation activities
Scheduled Learning And Teaching ActivitiesModule talk21:002:00One talk for the first and final weeks of the module.
Total200:00
Jointly Taught With
Code Title
ARA8030Frontier Communities of Roman Britain
Teaching Rationale And Relationship

The structure of the course ensures that students acquire detailed knowledge of sites, with extensive experience of finds materials, with an appreciation of wider synthesis.

Lectures and non-synchronous lecture materials will introduce topics and provide expert orientation and exposition on a broad range of themes and issues, supplemented by the module reading list, imparting core knowledge. In-person lectures will provide opportunities for dialogue, while lecture materials can be reviewed at any time across the week and revisited numerous times afterwards. In the event that on-campus sessions need to be reduced, there is the capacity to present recorded materials asynchronously and retain timetabled slots for live discussion of these materials.

Seminars will also consolidate the learning progress from lectures, lecture materials, and weekly readings by
enabling students to focus on connected issues and material in greater depth. Seminars will be student-led and
facilitated by teaching staff, and will hinge upon group discussion and debate about materials circulated in advance (for example, sets of evidence, scholarship, and questions). In the event that on-campus sessions need to be reduced, there is the capacity to hold live seminar discussions online and retain timetabled slots.

Assessment Methods

The format of resits will be determined by the Board of Examiners

Other Assessment
Description Semester When Set Percentage Comment
Essay2A602,500 words
Portfolio2M401,500 words
Assessment Rationale And Relationship

The Portfolio and Essay examine students’ understandings of key concepts, and allows students to develop expertise in one particular area (building knowledge in outcomes 1, 2, and 3).

The Portfolio is set mid-module (1,500 words, 40%), an acts as a feed-forward formative development to further underpin skills and knowledge required for the final module assessment (Essay at 2,500 words worth 60%).

Submitted work tests intended knowledge and skills outcomes, develops key skills in research, reading and writing.

All of the assessments for this module will be submitted and marked online.

Reading Lists

Timetable