ARCHAEOLOGY

Archaeology is a dynamic worldwide discipline that draws on the sciences (chemistry, mathematics and biology) and humanities (anthropology, sociology, geography and history) to infer past human behavior from material remains. Archaeology is not just about interpreting the past, for the analysis of past human behaviour allows contemporary humans to understand our own complex society. Notre Dame’s Archaeology program aims to provide students with comprehensive training in broad Archaeology components like method and theory, statistics, field survey and excavation, and the specific archaeology sub-disciplines of Indigenous, historical and maritime. The course offers an engaging and coordinated curriculum of real use to students in their professional lives.  Students can apply skills learned in this course to gain employment in State and Federal government departments like the Department of Indigenous Affairs, Department of Conservation and Land Management, Native Title Tribunal and Department of Environment and Heritage provide increasing career pathways for archaeology graduates in Western Australian and Australian contexts.  The Archaeology program also provides an excellent pathway to postgraduate research opportunities, including a Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD). Archaeology is available as a Minor within the degrees of Arts and Sciences on the Fremantle campus.		Back to Arts and Sciences Fremantle
		Units eligible
		Unit descriptions
		Degree Planner
		Internships
		Study Abroad
		Experience the World
		Honours
		Double Degrees available
		Postgraduate Study

ARCHAEOLOGY UNITS

Archaeology units are run on a two-year rotation cycle and are streamed into the key areas of:

• general archaeological principles;
• Australian archaeology (historical and Indigenous); and
• maritime.

Six approved units are required for the completion of a Minor in Archaeology.  For full requirements of this program, please consult the Majors and Minors lists published on the School of Arts and Sciences webpage.

Popular units within the Archaeology Minor include the following:

AB100 Aboriginal People
AY101 The Archaeology of Western Civilisation
AY200 Introduction to Archaeology
AY3001 Western Perspectives:  The history and archaeology of WA
AY3008 Arts Internship
AY301 Maritime Archaeology: Ships and Harbours
AY3020 Cities to Empire: Athens and Rome
SG111 Physical Geography

UNIT DESCRIPTIONS, UNITS ON OFFER and DEGREE PLANNERS

The following resources are published on the School’s homepage and provide information regarding unit availability, unit content and program requirements:

• Units on Offer
• Majors, Minors and Specialisations lists
• Degree Planners
• Unit Descriptions

INTERNSHIPS

Students of a range of Arts majors, including Archaeology, Politics, History, Communications, Legal Studies and Theatre Studies, may be eligible to conduct an Internship as part of their degree.  Offered in Semester Two each year, the Internship takes the place of one unit and places the student on location with government or private industry. Students can hope to acquire helpful professional skills as part of the Internship, apply the learning they have so far gained in their discipline area at University, and develop personal and professional networks which may assist them in future employment. It is recommended that you undertake your internship in a workplace environment which is related to your major.

STUDY ABROAD

The Study Abroad program allows Notre Dame’s Archaeology students to spend one semester of their degree at an overseas university in North America, the United Kingdom, Europe or Asia while gaining full credit in their degree at home.  Some students may be eligible for a Student Exchange Scholarship to help reduce the cost of airfares, accommodation and other expenses.

Archaeology students may be particularly interested in The Catholic University of America in Washington DC, or St Mary’s College in Indiana (female students only) at which Notre Dame students may participate in archaeology programs.

For more information please contact Notre Dame’s Study Abroad office.

EXPERIENCE THE WORLD

A variety of opportunities for extended scholarly and service learning exist for those students conducting a degree in Notre Dame’s School of Arts and Sciences.  Participation in these programs will provide students with additional professional and life skills that will not only enrich their learning experience at University, but will make their degree more marketable and attractive on completion.

Overseas study tours
Students of Archaeology can take advantage of Notre Dame’s overseas study tours and count the unit towards their degree. 

Notre Dame’s own lecturers take students to such overseas locations as New York, Spain and Washington for up to four weeks where an intensive study program is conducted regarding the History and Politics of the city or country being visited.  This program is often done in partnership with overseas universities and provides an amazing opportunity to combine study and travel.

East Kimberley community immersion
Students of such Arts and Sciences subjects like Archaeology, Social Justice, Politics, History, Communications, English Literature, Legal Studies, Sociology and Theatre Studies may be eligible to participate in our East Kimberley immersion program.  This unique and often life-changing educational experience sees small teams of students travel to remote communities of Australia’s north-west twice a year.  In such towns as Wyndham and communities as Oombulgurri, Notre Dame students spend four weeks living and working with local young people in a project designed to achieve meaningful reconciliation and greater engagement between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australia.

This program is normally available as an elective within a degree program and may, on approval of the Dean, be eligible to be counted towards a major or minor.

Caritas Australia development program
We believe that university education should be about more than training for a profession.  Rather, we want Notre Dame students to be ready to change the world.
Students of Arts and Sciences at Notre Dame are eligible to participate in an overseas program we conduct each year in partnership with the aid organisation, Caritas Australia.  Teams of Notre Dame staff and students visit an overseas location such as Cambodia, Uganda or India. In an immersion experience of up to four weeks, the team explores the development work conducted by Caritas and studies, among other things, the intersection of poverty, development, politics and globalisation.
The Caritas program may be available as an elective within a degree program and may, on approval of the Dean, be counted towards a major or minor.

HONOURS

Students who have completed an Arts, Behavioural Science, Communications or Science degree, with at least a distinction average in their major, may be eligible to undertake a fourth year in the School’s Honours program.

Honours in Archaeology provides a professional finish to your undergraduate degree and should make your educational qualifications more competitive in the industry in which you hope to building your career.  Honours in Archaeology is also the normal pathway for higher degree research, including a Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD).

Because of the unique nature of Notre Dame’s School of Arts and Sciences, students completing an Honours degree in Archaeology have the opportunity to develop an inter-disciplinary research project which may combine their work in Archaeology with such other disciplines as Politics, History and Environmental Studies.

Students completing an Honours program in Archaeology will undertake a major research project under supervision, complete coursework in Archaeology or related units, participate in a regular interdisciplinary seminar series and contribute to a conference program regarding their research activities.

For further information on Honours please speak with any academic member of staff or contact the Honours coordinators, Dr Dawn Darlaston-Jones or Dr Shane Burke.

DOUBLE DEGREES

Archaeology combines well with the study of other degrees at Notre Dame.  A Bachelor of Arts, Arts (History), Behavioural Science or Communications is often studied in combination with such professional degrees as Law, Education or Business.

Adding an Archaeology specialisation, or other Arts and Sciences discipline areas, to your professional degree will add to your graduate employment opportunities, increase your learning experience at university and provide you with enhanced writing and research skills.

POSTGRADUATE DEGREES

History, Politics, International Relations, Social Justice, Archaeology, English Literature and a range of other discipline areas are available for postgraduate study at Notre Dame.  A Master of Arts (MA) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) are available as postgraduate research degrees by thesis and are completed under supervision by an academic member of staff.