Bachelor of Archaeology
Course code/s: ABAR Melbourne
The Bachelor of Archaeology provides a global perspective on human history from our earliest ancestors in Africa through the key developments of farming and city life to the modern world. The course includes core archaeology subjects and subjects from a list of archaeology electives.
Students will be encouraged to plan their enrolment around a particular area of interest and students are recommended to select subjects within one of the following three streams:
- Australian stream - includes Indigenous and Historic Australian Archaeology
- Civilisations stream - includes Mesoamerican, Middle Eastern and Mediterranean Archaeology
- Palaeolithic or hunter-gatherer stream - includes African, Australian and Euroasian Archaeology
The pass degree will require completion of 360 credit points (120 at each year level). Students must complete 225 credit points of archaeology subjects, made up of 45 credit points at first-year level, 75 credit points at second-year level and 105 credit points at third-year level.
Elective subjects (75 credit points at first year, 45 credit points at second year and 15 credit points at third year) can be chosen from appropriate subjects in (for example) History, Art History, Anthropology, Greek studies or Geology and should be selected on advice from the Archaeology Program.
Students are required to achieve a 70% (B) average in all Archaeology subjects at each year level to progress to the next level.
Please note that subject availability will vary from year to year, please see the Archaeology disciplines and areas of study handbook page for 2012 availability.
First year (120 credit points)
Students complete the three first year core subjects (15 credit points each) listed below and five first year elective subjects, 3 of which must be from anywhere in the faculty or from elsewhere in the university.
Students are required to achieve a 70% (B) average in all Archaeology subjects at first year level to progress to the second year level.
| Teaching period | First year core subject name | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Discovering Archaeology | ARC1DAR |
| TE-SEM-2 | Dawn of Humanity | ARC1DOH |
| TE-SEM-2 | The Archaeology of Ancient Civilisations | ARC1AAC |
Second year (120 credit points)
Students complete the core subject ARC2AIA (15 credit points), one of the subjects in List A (15 credit points) and a minimum of three other second year Archaeology subjects (45 credit points) from List B below.
The remaining 45 credit points can be additional Archaeology subjects or can be from elsewhere in the faculty or the University, subject to students having successfully completed any prerequisites for those subjects. At least one of these subjects must come from the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
| Teaching period | Second year core subject name | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Australian Indigenous Archaeology | ARC2AIA |
Third year (120 credit points)
Students complete the core subjects ARC3HAA (15 credit points),ARC3AAR (30 credit points), the subjects in List A that has not already been completed and a minimum of three third-year level subjects (45 credit points) from List B below. The remaining 15 credit points can be additional Archaeology subjects or can be from elsewhere in the faculty or the university, subject to students having successfully completed any prerequisites for those subjects.
| Teaching period | Third year core subject name | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-2 | Approaches to Archaeological Research 30 credit points) | ARC3AAR |
| TE-SEM-2 | Historical Archaeology in Australia | ARC3HAA |
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-2 | Ancient Technologies | ARC2ANT/ARC3ANT |
| TE-SEM-2 | Applied Cultural Heritage Management | ARC2ACH/ARC3ACH |
| TE-SEM-2 | Archaeology of Animals1 | ARC2ZOO |
| TE-SEM-2 | Managing Archaeology1 | ARC2MAN |
Key: 1 Not available in 2012
List B (15 credit points)
| Second year subjects | ||
|---|---|---|
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code |
| TE-SEM-1 | African Archaeology1 | ARC2AFR |
| TE-SEM-1 | Ancient Maya Civilisation of Mexico and Guatemala1 | ARC2ANM |
| TE-SEM-1 | Archaeology of Ancient Mexico, Culminating with the Aztec Empire | ARC2AZT |
| TE-SEM-1 | Archaeology of the Middle East | ARC2AME |
| TE-SEM-1 | Archaeology of the Modern World1 | ARC2AMW |
| TE-SEM-1 | Art and Symbolism of the Ancients | ARC2ASA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Emergence of Chinese Civilisation1 | ARC2ECC |
| TE-SEM-1 | Palaeolithic Archaeology1 | ARC2PAL |
| TE-SEM-2 | Archaeology of East Asia | ARC2AEA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Archaeology of Indigenous Victoria1 | ARC2AIV |
| TE-SEM-2 | From Foraging to Farming1 | ARC2FFF |
| TE-SEM-2 | Geographic Information Systems | ARC2GIS |
| TE-SEM-2 | Ice Age Australia | ARC2ICE |
| TE-SEM-2 | Maya Hieroglyphic Writing | ARC2MHW |
| TE-SEM-2 | Rise and Fall of Civilisations1 | ARC2RFC |
| TE-SEM-2 | World of the Pharaohs: The Archaeology of Ancient Egypt | ARC2EGY |
| TE-SEM-2 | World Writing Systems: Survey and Analysis1 | ARC2WRS |
| Third year subjects | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Archaeology of the Middle East | ARC3AME |
| TE-SEM-1 | Art and Symbolism of the Ancients | ARC3ASA |
| TE-SEM-1 | Palaeolithic Archaeology | ARC3PAL |
| TE-SEM-1 | Reading Course A* | ARC3RCA |
| TE-SEM-1 | The Archaeology of Ancient Mexico, Culminating with the Aztec Empire | ARC3AZT |
| TE-SEM-2 | Geographic Information Systems | ARC3GIS |
| TE-SEM-2 | Reading Course B* | ARC3RCB |
| TE-SEM-2 | World of the Pharaohs: The Archaeology of Ancient Egypt | ARC3EGY |
| TE-SEM-2 | World Writing Systems: Survey and Analysis1 | ARC3WRS |
* Approval from an Academic staff member in Archaeology required
Key 1 Not available in 2012
Compatible subjects from other schools
The following subjects are particularly suitable for study in conjunction with archaeology, they are not normally credited towards an archaeology major. Please click on subject code for information about subject availability.
| Teaching period | Subject name | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| First year subjects (15 credit points) | ||
| TE-SEM-1 | Animal Diversity, Ecology and Behaviour | BIO1AD |
| TE-SEM-1 | Culture and Globalisation: introduction to anthropology | ANT1CAG |
| TE-SEM-2 | Our Global Village: introduction to anthropology | ANT1FET |
| TE-SEM-1 | Processes that Shape the Earth | GEO1PRO |
| TE-SEM-1 | The Nature of Language and Communication A1 | LIN1NLA |
| Third year subjects | ||
| TE-SEM-2 | Doing Anthropology (30 credit points) | ANT3MQA |
Key 1 Not available in 2012
Honours degree
For entry to the Honours year, La Trobe undergraduate students are normally required to have completed a Bachelor of Arts majoring in Archaeology or a Bachelor of Archaeology and have (as a minimum requirement) maintained a B (70%+) average in Archaeology subjects. Completion of ARC3AAR with at least a B (70%+) average is also required, along with 4 weeks fieldwork or laboratory experience.
To complete an honours year, students must pass two coursework subjects and a thesis component:
| Teaching period | Subject title | Subject code |
|---|---|---|
| TE-SEM-1 | Issues in Contemporary Archaeology | ARC4ICA |
| TE-SEM-2 | Practical Archaeology | ARC4PRA |
Honours Coordinator: Dr Richard Cosgrove.
For further information about Archaeology, please contact the Archaeology Program office either by email at archaeology@latrobe.edu.au or telephone on (03) 9479 2385.