University of Edinburgh
Archaeology,
School of History, Classics, and ArchaeologyVacation Practical Work and Vacation Grants
Notes for Archaeology Single and Joint Honours Students, 2008-09
1. The Practical Work Requirement
The practical archaeological work requirement is as follows:
First-Year Students
All students registered for an Archaeology Single or Joint Honours degree are required to attend a one-week practical course during the Easter Vacation and undertake a minimum of two weeks approved fieldwork during the Easter or Summer Vacations, regardless of which degree they are registered for. The course will be held during the first week of the Easter Vacation, i.e. Monday, 24 March – Friday, 28 March 2008 inclusive. Further information about this course and a registration form will be circulated separately at the beginning of March to students currently in first year and registered for, or intending to transfer into, one of the archaeology degrees. A preliminary email about the practical work requirement and the Easter course will be sent to all students taking Archaeology 1/1A/1B in late January explaining the arrangements for students wishing to transfer into or out of an archaeology degree. This information will also be available as an Announcement in the Archaeology 1B WebCT.
For their fieldwork requirement, students should make their own arrangements but must seek approval of the project they wish to attend before committing themselves (see below, Practical Archaeological Work Approval Form (doc pdf). Approval will not normally be given for first-year students to work on fieldwork projects outside the UK unless the project is being led by a member of Archaeology teaching staff, or, in the case of overseas students, the project is in the student’s home country.
Students should ensure that they take a Certification of Practical Work form (doc pdf)with them, which they should ask their supervisor to complete and either return to them for handing-in or send direct to the Archaeology Secretary (see section 3 below).First-year students are also required to write a report on their fieldwork experience which should be handed in to the Archaeology Office no later than the beginning of the first term of their second year (i.e. this year, no later than Monday, 22 September 2008). A copy of the Guidelines for writing such reports is enclosed.
First-year students currently registered for an Archaeology single/joint honours degree who intend to transfer to a non-Archaeology degree, or students taking Archaeology as an outside course, are not required to undertake practical work during the vacations, even if they intend taking Archaeology 2A and/or 2B as an outside course next year.
Second and Third Year Students:
After first year, students are free to decide whether, or not, they wish to undertake further practical archaeological work and take the fourth year option, Archaeological Fieldwork.
(a) students intending to take Archaeological Fieldwork in their fourth year are required to undertake a total of TEN weeks approved practical archaeological work between the end of the summer term of their second year and the start of their final year. The final lecture in Archaeology 2B on Monday, 17 March, consists of a briefing meeting for second year prospective honours students intending, or considering, taking Archaeological Fieldwork as an option in their fourth year. At this class, the coursework requirements for Archaeological Fieldwork will be explained and questions answered. Third year students are welcome to attend this meeting if they wish.
(b) students who do not intend to take Archaeological Fieldwork in their fourth year are not required to undertake any practical work other than the first-year requirement. However, any student who has for whatever reason (e.g. change of degree) not done any practical work in first year, should catch up with the first-year requirement in second year before proceeding to the third year of a single or joint degree in archaeology (N.B. students catching up with the first-year requirement in second year should consult with the Practical Work Adviser (Mr C. Bonsall) regarding their entitlement to Vacation Grant)
2. Choice of Practical Work
Practical work is classified under the following headings: Fieldwork, Laboratory Work, Museum and Archive Work, Public Archaeology. The areas covered by each group are:
Fieldwork: archaeological field survey; standing monument/building survey; environmental survey; environmental sampling (on- or off-site); non-invasive investigation (e.g. resistivity and magnetometry); trial excavation (“test pitting”); excavation; trench or site supervision (management experience)
Laboratory Work: post-excavation work; artefact analysis; environmental analysis; laboratory supervision (management experience)
Museum and Archive Work: curation/cataloguing of archaeological records (e.g. SMR); curation/cataloguing of archaeological materials (artefacts or ecofacts); archival research; preparation of displays; preparation of publication materials
Public Archaeology: planning and heritage management (e.g. with HS, Local Authorities, etc); design of interpretative displays or materials; public understanding of archaeology (e.g. work as guide/interpretation officer)
Any other projects not falling under the above headings should be discussed with the Practical Work Adviser, Clive Bonsall, in advance of formal application for approval.
3. Certification Forms and Reports on Practical Work
ALL students must take a Certification of Practical Archaeological Work form (doc pdf) to any project they attend and get it completed and signed by the project director or supervisor (copies are available in the notice board in the corridor between the Abercromby Room, F2a, and the Gordon Childe Room, F2b). This includes projects supervised by a member of staff or a postgraduate student in Archaeology. Completed forms must be handed in, or sent direct by the project director or supervisor, to the Archaeology Secretary, no later than the first day of the autumn semester (Monday, 22September 2008).
Any student failing to submit a Report and Certification Form(s) will be deemed not to have completed the requirements for their degree.
All first-year students must also submit a short report (c. 1000 words) on the project they attend. This report should be handed in to the Archaeology Secretary no later than the first day of the autumn semester (Monday, 22September 2008).
4. Approval of Practical Archaeological Work
An ‘approved’ project is one supervised by a member of Archaeology teaching staff or another project approved by Archaeology - see information on Practical Archaeological Work Approval Forms below.
Notices about excavation, survey and post-excavation work are posted on the notice board in the upstairs corridor, but please note that the posting of notices about non-departmental projects on this board should not be taken to imply approval of them for students undertaking their required practical work. Information about projects organised by members of academic staff may also be posted on the Archaeology web pages: http://www.shca.ed.ac.uk/archaeology/events/fieldwork/
In addition, fieldwork opportunities are listed on the Council for British Archaeology web site: http://www.britarch.ac.uk (choose CBA Briefing from the list of Online Publications). The Briefing is updated regularly throughout the spring and summer months as more project directors obtain funding, decide their dates and finalise other arrangements. Another potentially useful site can be found at: http://www.ukarchaeology.org.uk/
Other projects may be found or initiated by the student, by, for example, approaching external agencies such as museums. You may indeed already know of projects being run in your home area.
Before committing yourself to a particular project you should complete a Practical Archaeological Work Approval Form (PAWAF) (a copy is available on this website (doc pdf) and a supply of these forms is also available from the notice board in the upstairs corridor). A form must be submitted for each project you wish to attend. If approval is given, the ‘approval slip’ appended to the form will be returned to you via the Student Mail Box in the hall of the Old High School signed by the Head of Archaeology or Practical Work Adviser. PAWAFs should be handed in to the Archaeology Office by Friday, 14 March 2008 for Easter Vacation projects or by Friday, 23 May 2008 for Summer Vacation projects.
In general, projects run by university departments, major museums, government agencies or professional units known to us will be approved, or at least approved subject to whatever basic enquiries may be considered necessary. Projects that are privately organised can only be approved if they have been checked first by a member of Archaeology staff to ensure that adequate training will be given, and, in the event of scrutiny by Quality Assurance bodies, that Archaeology can show it had grounds for believing that adequate professional standards commensurate with the expectations imposed by support from public (Vacation Grant) funds would be met.
Approval will not normally be given for first-year students to work on projects outside the UK unless the project is being led by a member of Archaeology teaching staff, or, in the case of overseas students, the project is in the student’s home country.
5. The Vacation Grant
The Vacation Grant is intended as a contribution to the travel and subsistence costs incurred by a student in fulfilling the Vacation Practical Work Requirement for her/his particular degree course. Students should not expect the Vacation Grant to cover all of their costs.
Travel Expenses: For UK projects students may claim the return fare between Edinburgh/home and the project location, based on the most economical form of travel (rail, bus). Railcards should be purchased (cost refundable) where it is economical to do so. Where the vacation practical work assignment is undertaken abroad, students may apply for money toward the cost of travel (excluding medical insurance) between the UK and the project location. Travel receipts must be submitted to the Practical Work Adviser.
Subsistence: In any one year, you may claim the cost of your food and accommodation for the period you are required to spend on vacation practical work.
In practice, the grants paid to students will depend on the amount of Vacation Grant money available this year. Students should be aware that a Vacation Grant is unlikely to cover the entire cost of their practical work assignment, and they should be prepared to make some contribution from their own resources.
Who is eligible for an Archaeology Vacation Grant?
1. All first-year students registered for, or in the process of transferring into, one of the following degrees: Archaeology, Environmental Archaeology, Archaeology & Scottish Ethnology, Archaeology & Social Anthropology, Ancient Civilisations of the Mediterranean and Middle East, Architectural History & Archaeology, Celtic & Archaeology, or Geography & Archaeology.
2. Second and third year students registered for one of these degrees and intending to take the Archaeological Fieldwork option in their fourth year.
How to apply for a Vacation Grant
1. First, secure a place on an ‘approved’ project (see above), and notify the Practical Work Adviser (Clive Bonsall) of your intention to apply for a Vacation Grant. Download a Vacation Grant Application Form (a copy is available on this website (doc pdf) and a further supply will also be available from the notice board in the upstairs corridor). Complete one form for each project you propose to attend, and hand the form(s) in to the Archaeology Office.
2. A student who has approval to attend a project not organised by a member of Archaeology staff must provide full details of the project, including financial assistance (or equivalent) provided by the project sponsor, when returning the Vacation Grant Application Form.
3. Note: The closing date for receipt of Vacation Grant Applications this year is Friday, 23 May 2008)
4. You should not apply for a Vacation Grant if:
(i) the project is undertaken during term time; or
(ii) you will receive support from any other source during the period to which the application refers — e.g. grant, unemployment benefit, armed forces bursary, subsistence or travel allowance, board and lodgings in return for services;
(iii) you intend to transfer to a non-Archaeology degree; or
(iv) you are in your 2nd- or 3rd-year and DO NOT intend to take the Archaeological Fieldwork option in your fourth year.
5. When applying for a Vacation Grant you must be aware that in doing so you are giving an undertaking to inform the Head of Archaeology/Practical Work Adviser if:
(i) you do not carry out the activity for which the grant is awarded;
(ii) your expenses are less than you have stated; or
(iii) you decide not to continue with the degree course
(iv) you decide not to take the Archaeological Fieldwork course in your final year.
6. You may be asked to refund any grant or part of a grant to which, in the opinion of The University, you are not entitled. Similarly, a student who attends a practical work project during the Easter Vacation and subsequently decides to transfer to another degree, may not be awarded a Vacation Grant for that project — see Section 1, above.
Payment of Vacation Grants
Depending on the work being undertaken, grants are paid in June either to the project the student is attending or direct to the student.
Where a student participates in a project as part of a ‘team’ (e.g. a project run by a member of Archaeology staff), their Vacation Grant will normally be sent direct to the project supervisor who will deduct the appropriate amount to offset the cost of providing food and accommodation, and then refund to individual students a sum to cover their travel expenses, as appropriate. In all other cases, the Vacation Grant will normally be paid direct to the student.
If you undertake work during the Easter vacation, you may apply for a Vacation Grant for it, but you will not hear the outcome of your application or receive any money before June/July, as grant allocations cannot be decided until the deadline for applications is past and the total applied for can be calculated.
Practical Work and Vacation Grant Adviser
Links to downloadable documents in Word or PDF format:
Practical Archaeological Work Approval Form (doc pdf)
Certification of Practical Work Form (doc pdf)
Vac Grant Application Form(doc pdf)
For 1st Year students: Guidelines on writing reports (doc pdf)