New distance-learning historic landscapes short course

A new distance-learning course by the University of the Highlands and Islands Archaeology Institute, examining the historic landscapes of the UK, is now enrolling for January 2020.

The course is aimed at people who are interested in the history and archaeology of Scotland and is designed to be an introduction to the fascinating landscape of the British Isles.

Students will not only study how landscapes have changed over time but also investigate an area of landscape in detail and learn how to conduct a desk-based assessment (DBA) on an area of landscape of their choice – a key employment skill in archaeology.

The course will be delivered through a series of weekly lectures given on a Monday 11:00 – 13:00 GMT via video conferencing or by attending Orkney College UHI or any of the UHI partner colleges across the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Additional support sessions will also be made available through the Virtual Learning Environment.

This introductory module is designed to demonstrate the great complexity of landscapes using a series of case studies from across the British Isles and students will examine how the landscape evolution is influenced by the interplay of historical processes, physical constraints and human social, economic and political factors.

The student will develop an historical perspective on the landscape, the people who have inhabited it, and those who continue to do so.

The student will also be encouraged to consider the major forces in operation in the formation of a landscape from prehistory to the present, e.g. agricultural practice, afforestation, access and routeways.

This module will also address the practicalities of how goods and people (and thus ideas) moved across landscapes, the constraints on those movements imposed by available technology, and the efforts made to overcome those constraints.

Other themes to be explored in relation to the landscape including politics, religion and mythology. The student will develop a clearer vision of present-day problems and ongoing trends, and will be set thinking about concepts of “history”, “inheritance” and “heritage” – a topic that runs as a theme through the course.

For more information and to apply please e-mail Dr. Scott Timpany at scott.timpany@uhi.ac.uk