Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology are disciplines within the School of Human and Environmental Studies, and until 1998 formed a separate department. Archaeology is the study of the human past by analysis of the physical remains of human behaviour. Palaeoanthropology is the study of human evolution and elements of human biology. Both disciplines are strongly enmeshed with other disciplines, and their study usually involves a degree of interdisciplinary effort.

The objectives of our teaching programs are to allow for the study of Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology as elements of a professional discipline, and also to provide units which, besides being of general interest, will train students in a variety of skills. These include the following:

1) Written and oral communication (eg. Practise clear writing, archaeological report formats and publication, public speaking, compute literacy, information literacy, negotiation, communicating quantitative information).

2) Social responsibility and relevance of archaeology (practice stewardship of the resource, working with various diverse stakeholders, ways of using the past, partnerships, public involvement, codes of ethics).

3) Basic archaeological knowledge (basic sequence of human evolution both cultural and biological, basic sequence of climate change, pattern of colonisation of the world, emergence of language and writing, emergence of agriculture, emergence of rock art and other art. How Australia is part of world archaeology and palaeoanthropology).

4) Basic archaeological skills (observing, organising and assessing data, eg. recognising artefacts, describing artefact formation, describing artefact variation graphically and typologically; stone tools, pottery, art, material culture, biological remains. Basic analysis of these types, descriptive statistics, simple inferential statistics, simple illustrations. Recognising sites, basic mapping skills, field and lab photography. Excavation skills, analysis of stratigraphy, simple curation).

5) Basic archaeological theory (how archaeological arguments are constructed and their types, eg. Use of evidence of modern behaviour, experiments, other disciplines, contingent nature of knowledge and theory, how practice and theory relate, designing and assessing research).

6) Basic archaeological practice(legal and regulatory frameworks, professional responsibility, accountability and accreditation, logistics and organization, assessment practices).

7) Problem solving (eg. Teamwork, real world problem solving, work experience, site management and protection, negotiation and conflict resolution.
We have designed units aimed both at training professional archaeologists and at contributing to the education of students who will not make archaeology their career.

Students interested in other historical disciplines should note that many topics in history now study archaeological evidence. In particular many of the themes in HSC Ancient History, now, are about archaeology. Students intending to be historians or teachers will benefit from studying how archaeology contributes to the writing of history.

For students wanting to be archaeologists there is a particular emphasis on practical training, which is available most years in the form of fieldwork and work experience units organised by members of the School.

Students who are hoping to study for an honours degree in Archaeology should note that the School prefers candidates for honours to have completed a work experience unit (eg. WORK 300) during their three undergraduate years of study. Honours candidates in Palaeoanthropology are not required to complete such work, but are encouraged to do so.

Prerequisites

There are no prerequisites for students wishing to study Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology. Nor does the School require students to undertake study of specific units in other disciplines, though we would recommend some to those intent upon becoming either professional archaeologists, or palaeoanthropologists. In general there are few of the Archaeology & palaeoanthropology units that have other units as prerequisites. You are urged to make sure of this well in advance of intended study.

WHY STUDY ARCHAEOLOGY AND PALAEOANTHROPOLOGY?

Students have individual reasons for studying our disciplines. Sometimes it is the romance and excitement of discovering objects from the past that tell us something of the lives of long gone people. It may be wonder at the achievements of the people of antiquity, or a fascination with tracing the evidence of our evolution from remote ancestors.

For some students Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology provides interesting units towards their degree. Others hope to become professional archaeologists or to work in a related profession such as cultural heritage management. The School caters to both types of students, and is at pains to ensure that both gain a set of intellectual skills and training in the art of learning, which will enrich and inform their future lives, regardless of their ultimate career paths. Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology are almost unique disciplines in that they combine humanities and sciences, and call upon a great range of diverse specialists in seeking to interpret and understand what the materials from the past tell us about our ancestors. Archaeology seeks to make much of little: that is, to discover past human behaviour from material preserved and discovered that is a small sample of what existed in the past. Historically, Palaeoanthropology has been dependent upon fragments of bones and teeth to reconstruct the evolutionary history of our species. Increasingly, however, the recovery of fossil DNA has provided fresh insights into evolutionary relationships. As both disciplines depend upon maximising information from incomplete data they require a very critical and rigorous approach to data and interpretation. Training in this type of analytical rigour gives graduates an invaluable approach to whatever tasks their education opens to them.

The University of New England is a good place to do archaeology and palaeoanthropology. The Commonwealth Government surveys graduates each year about their satisfaction with their courses of study. In recent surveys Archaeology and Palaeoanthropology at New England was ranked first in Australia for Good Teaching and for Overall Satisfaction. We also scored best in providing training in general skills for people who did not necessarily want to become archaeologists or palaeoanthropologists.

POTENTIAL JOBS, AND WHAT OUR GRADUATES ARE DOING

About 15 of our graduates over the past two decades have worked or are working in academic positions. Another 50 have worked or are working as archaeological consultants, usually doing impact assessments for development projects. At least a dozen of our graduates are working in the cultural heritage management services of several states. Indeed, New England graduates are prominent in this section of the applied discipline. It is possible for dedicated and able students to become professional archaeologists, to work in permanent jobs in Australia or to do fieldwork on the type of sites overseas that fulfil the public image of archaeology. You need at least a BA (honours) degree, dedication and determination, reasonable ability, hard work, faith in your future, and a little bit of luck. You also need patience, an eye for detail, aptitude for computer work and science interests as well as the ability to work independently or as part of a team often in multicultural settings. If people tell you that wanting to be an archaeologist is a romantic dream, remember that it is also a realistic possibility.
Training in this type of analytical rigour gives graduates an invaluable approach to whatever tasks their education opens to them.