AR3MAP: Beyond the Trowel: Managing Archaeological Projects, from Inception to Publication

Module code: AR3MAP

Module provider: Archaeology; School of Archaeology, Geography and Environmental Science

Credits: 20

Level: 6

When you’ll be taught: Semester 2

Module convenor: Mr Thom Hayes, email: t.j.hayes@reading.ac.uk

Pre-requisite module(s):

Co-requisite module(s):

Pre-requisite or Co-requisite module(s):

Module(s) excluded:

Placement information: NA

Academic year: 2026/7

Available to visiting students: Yes

Talis reading list: Yes

Last updated: 27 March 2026

Overview

Module aims and purpose

This vocational module provides an overview of the inception, planning and execution of archaeological projects; covering the aspects of archaeological project management that would have remained behind the scenes for the rest of your university experience. Building on the practical archaeological skills developed during the field school, this module draws back the curtain and introduces you to the principles and practice of archaeological project management, providing an understanding of how projects are conceived, designed, delivered, and then disseminated within professional and research frameworks. The module builds on the industry standards set out in the Management of Research Projects in the Historic Environment (MoRPHE - Historic England 2015) and will explore the stages of archaeological work from project inception and funding, through fieldwork and post-excavation, to dissemination and archiving. Emphasis will be placed on the legal, ethical, and professional standards that guide archaeological practice in the UK. Through a group poster presentation, you will develop and pitch an initial project design, while an individual written report based on real archaeological records will provide practical post-excavation experience in managing data and producing project documentation. This module will help prepare you for employment in professional archaeology (whether that be in commercial or academic archaeology), other related heritage sectors.

Module learning outcomes

By the end of the module, it is expected that students will be able to:

1. Understand the processes of pre-excavation, excavation and post excavation, with knowledge of the legal and planning policy framework of UK archaeology
2. Critically assess professional, legal, and ethical considerations that govern archaeological work in the UK and explain how these shape decisions made during project design, delivery, dissemination, and archiving.
3. Communicate and articulate the rationale for the design of an archaeological project and understand the benefits and limitations of different approaches to project design.
4. Assess and rationalise a site archive, including preparing a matrix and phasing a site, in order to produce a coherent archaeological report

Module content

You will have 2 hours of lectures each week on different aspects of the archaeological project lifecycle Additionally, there will be a small number of seminars that will allow open discussion of topics covered in lectures and workshops that will cover more practically focused elements of the module.

Structure

Teaching and learning methods

The module will be taught primarily through lectures, discussion seminars and workshops. The module will also include practical sessions. The module fieldtrip is to a professional archaeology unit.

Study hours

At least 38 hours of scheduled teaching and learning activities will be delivered in person, with the remaining hours for scheduled and self-scheduled teaching and learning activities delivered either in person or online. You will receive further details about how these hours will be delivered before the start of the module.

Please note the independent study hours above are notional numbers of hours; each student will approach studying in different ways. We would advise you to reflect on your learning and the number of hours you are allocating to these tasks.

Semester 1 The hours in this column may include hours during the Christmas holiday period.

Semester 2 The hours in this column may include hours during the Easter holiday period.

Summer The hours in this column will take place during the summer holidays and may be at the start and/or end of the module.

Assessment

Requirements for a pass

Students need to achieve an overall module mark of 40% to pass this module.

Summative assessment

Penalties for late submission of summative assessment

The Support Centres will apply the following penalties for work submitted late:

Assessments with numerical marks

• where the piece of work is submitted after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): 10% of the total marks available for that piece of work will be deducted from the mark for each calendar day (or part thereof) following the deadline up to a total of three calendar days;
• where the piece of work is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in you Individual Learning Plan), the mark awarded due to the imposition of the penalty shall not fall below the threshold pass mark, namely 40% in the case of modules at Levels 4-6 (i.e. undergraduate modules for Parts 1-3) and 50% in the case of Level 7 modules offered as part of an Integrated Masters or taught postgraduate degree programme;
• where the piece of work is awarded a mark below the threshold pass mark prior to any penalty being imposed, and is submitted up to three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan), no penalty shall be imposed;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a mark of zero will be recorded.

Assessments marked Pass/Fail

• where the piece of work is submitted within three calendar days of the deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): no penalty will be applied;
• where the piece of work is submitted more than three calendar days after the original deadline (or a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment indicated in your Individual Learning Plan): a grade of Fail will be awarded.

Where a piece of work is submitted late after a deadline which has been revised owing to an extension granted through the Assessment Adjustments policy and process (self-certified or otherwise), it will be subject to the maximum penalty (i.e., considered to be more than three calendar days late). This will also apply when such an extension is used in conjunction with a DAS-agreed extension as a reasonable adjustment.

The University policy statement on penalties for late submission can be found at: /cqsd/-/media/project/functions/cqsd/documents/qap/penaltiesforlatesubmission.pdf

You are strongly advised to ensure that coursework is submitted by the relevant deadline. You should note that it is advisable to submit work in an unfinished state rather than to fail to submit any work.

Formative assessment

Formative assessment is any task or activity which creates feedback (or feedforward) for you about your learning, but which does not contribute towards your overall module mark.

Presentation groups will be encouraged to submit a short description of their selected project proposal, which will provide them with feedback regarding suitability of the proposed site and potential considerations for the presentation. You will work in groups during workshops to carry out pieces of work for feedback.

Reassessment

Additional costs