Archaeology Field School (ARCS2060)

Course overview

Students must apply to the School for enrolment in this course. This course is a residential field school teaching practical core archaeological skills (survey, excavation, artefact analysis, and faunal analysis) through participation in an authentic research setting. There will be lectures at the field site. Students will learn how field research is structured and implemented in archaeological research and cultural heritage management. Field locations will vary each year. This course will have limited student enrolments. Preference is given to students who have completed ARCA1000 and ARCA/ARCS1001. Preference is also given to students enrolled in the extended major in archaeology. Contact the School of Social Science (student.socsci@uq.edu.au) to express your interest in this course and to receive the application information. This course may not run, depending on provision of an appropriate field school site.

ARCS2060 is designed to provide archaeological field experience and field training in authentic research settings. The course is focused on fieldwork at an important Aboriginal archaeological site. The fieldwork will focus on survey and mapping of the largest complex of estuarine middens in temperate Australia at Clybucca and Stuarts Point near Kempsey on the mid north coast of NSW. The course will provide practical training in archaeological survey and report writing.ﾠ

The course teaches students a specific set of field skills, with the end result designed to be an overview of archaeological survey from setup to finalisation and reporting.

Emphasis will be placed on how to evaluate real problems and make informed decisions that will guide fieldwork and assessment of the significance of archaeological sites. Students will learn about the general background context to the site and broader cultural landscape and how to focus fieldwork so that it meets project objectives. They will also be introduced to the concept of 'intangible heritage' and why it is important to be aware of documenting such values. Students will be exposed to the day-to-day management issues that lie behind successful field projects: collaborative teamwork, community consultation and liaison, and the realities of undertaking fieldwork in remote localities.ﾠMembers of the local Aboriginal community will support the archaeological field work and provide students an opportunity to learn about Aboriginal cultural values attached to archaeological landscapes.

Students will learn to balance foresight with flexibility in an authentic field environment where unpredictable external factors (e.g. weather, equipment, fortuitous discoveries) can influence daily outcomes. During fieldwork students will learn how to identify artefacts and make basic interpretations regarding site function. Students will also be taught to consider management options for archaeological sites. Students will keep a field notebook for recording weather conditions, site information, survey details, their specific team members, and any other relevant information.

Please note that if you fall ill at the time of departure for the field work and provide a medical certificate you will be reimbursed money paid for the field school.

Course requirements

Prerequisites

You'll need to complete the following courses before enrolling in this one:

ARCA1000, ARCS1001, 4 units of ARCA or ARCS courses

Course contact

Course staff

Timetable

The timetable for this course is available on the UQ Public Timetable.

Additional timetable information

There will be two pre-fieldwork Seminar activities held at UQ prior to departure (13 July 2025). The first Seminar will be held on 9 July and will cover the basics of the field work and some contextual background. The second Seminar will focus on professional and ethical practice in field archaeology and will focus on survey and mapping and will be held on 10 July.

In preparation for the Professional Practice Seminars, students will be required to read the Student Code of Conduct policy. Students will also be required to complete UQ workplace inductions and OHS training. Finally, you will be required to complete the module Respect at UQ module. It will be necessary to undertake this background work in order to take part in the fieldwork. Please also read Emerson 2021 in preparation for the Seminars.

Teaching staff do not have access to the timetabling system to help with class allocation. Therefore, should you need help with your timetable and/or allocation of classes, please ensure you email the School of Social Science Administration Team at student.socsci@uq.edu.au from your UQ student email account with the following details: full name, student ID, and course code.

Aims and outcomes

1. Provide an introduction to archaeological fieldwork in an authentic setting.

2. Provide experience in the logistical, ethical, theoretical, and practical considerations of doing fieldwork.

3. Equip students with the theoretical and practical skills to link fieldwork to its research and/or contractual goals.

4. Train students to use field equipment and think critically about its application.

5. Provide students with experiences in working with Aboriginal communities. 

Learning outcomes

After successfully completing this course you should be able to:

Assessment

Assessment summary

Assessment details

Site interpretation signage task

Mode

Product/ Artefact/ Multimedia

Category

Poster

Weight

15%

Due date

8/08/2025 2:00 pm

Other conditions

Student specific.

See the conditions definitions

Learning outcomes

L01, L02

Task description

Submission guidelines

You must submit your assignment electronically by the due time, on the due date. 

Your assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on blackboard. To submit your assignment electronically log in to https://learn.uq.edu.au/ultra with your UQ username and password, then click on Course Code>>Assessment>>Assignments, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for each piece of assessment. No e-mailed submissions of assessments will be accepted. 

By uploading your assignment via Turnitin, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. Do not submit your assignment if it contains any work that is not your own. 

You are required to retain proof of submission of your assessment. Your Digital Receipt is available for download from your Assignment Dashboard. If you cannot see your submission and download your digital receipt, your assessment has not been successfully submitted; please submit again.  

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Blackboard, please contact the ITS Support Team. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Please note that from Semester 2, 2025 the Assessment Procedure has changed. You must submit a request for an extension as soon as it becomes clear you need an extension. Your request should be submitted no later than the assessment item's due date and time. 

The request must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request. A list of acceptable reasons for an extension and the evidence you must provide can be found here. Your request may be refused if you do not meet the acceptable reasons for an extension. The student submitting the request is fully responsible for all supporting documentation that is provided with the request and should ensure all documents are authentic. 

Students who are registered with Student Support and Wellbeing Services may apply for an extension without providing documentation. This extension request must be the student’s first extension request for the assessment item. If you proceed with an extension request based on your SAP, you will be ineligible to use your discretionary extension for the same assessment item. In the School of Social Science, extensions on the basis of an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) can be approved for a maximum period of 7 calendar days. Subsequent extensions for a piece of assessment will require students to provide their SAP along with additional supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or other supporting evidence listed on my.UQ). 

A student is eligible for a discretionary extension for one assessment task per semester for a duration of 2 calendar days or less. A discretionary extension may only be used on a student’s first extension request for an assessment task.  

A student may have a maximum of 3 extension requests approved for a single assessment task. If a third extension is necessary, you must submit an Assessment Management Plan in addition to your supporting documentation with your request. In exceptional circumstances, a fourth extension may be requested through the grievance and appeals process. 

Extension requests exceeding the maximum extension period stated for a piece of assessment will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (circumstances outside of your control) with additional supporting documentation.  

Late applications must include evidence of the reasons for the late request, detailing why you were unable to apply for an extension by the due date and time. The School of Social Science will not accept personal statements. 

Extension requests are processed and managed by the School of Social Science Administration Team. 

Extensions in your final semester of study could delay your graduation by up to one semester. 

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval. 

Archaeological site report

Mode

Written

Category

Paper/ Report/ Annotation

Weight

50%

Due date

12/09/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L02, L03, L04, L05, L08, L10

Task description

Submission guidelines

You must submit your assignment electronically by the due time, on the due date. 

Your assignment must be submitted via Turnitin on blackboard. To submit your assignment electronically log in to https://learn.uq.edu.au/ultra with your UQ username and password, then click on Course Code>>Assessment>>Assignments, and use the appropriate assignment submission link for each piece of assessment. No e-mailed submissions of assessments will be accepted. 

By uploading your assignment via Turnitin, you are certifying that the work you submit is your own work except where correctly attributed to another source. Do not submit your assignment if it contains any work that is not your own. 

You are required to retain proof of submission of your assessment. Your Digital Receipt is available for download from your Assignment Dashboard. If you cannot see your submission and download your digital receipt, your assessment has not been successfully submitted; please submit again.  

If you are experiencing technical difficulties with Blackboard, please contact the ITS Support Team. 

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Please note that from Semester 2, 2025 the Assessment Procedure has changed. You must submit a request for an extension as soon as it becomes clear you need an extension. Your request should be submitted no later than the assessment item's due date and time. 

The request must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request. A list of acceptable reasons for an extension and the evidence you must provide can be found here. Your request may be refused if you do not meet the acceptable reasons for an extension. The student submitting the request is fully responsible for all supporting documentation that is provided with the request and should ensure all documents are authentic. 

Students who are registered with Student Support and Wellbeing Services may apply for an extension without providing documentation. This extension request must be the student’s first extension request for the assessment item. If you proceed with an extension request based on your SAP, you will be ineligible to use your discretionary extension for the same assessment item. In the School of Social Science, extensions on the basis of an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) can be approved for a maximum period of 7 calendar days. Subsequent extensions for a piece of assessment will require students to provide their SAP along with additional supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or other supporting evidence listed on my.UQ). 

A student is eligible for a discretionary extension for one assessment task per semester for a duration of 2 calendar days or less. A discretionary extension may only be used on a student’s first extension request for an assessment task.  

A student may have a maximum of 3 extension requests approved for a single assessment task. If a third extension is necessary, you must submit an Assessment Management Plan in addition to your supporting documentation with your request. In exceptional circumstances, a fourth extension may be requested through the grievance and appeals process. 

Extension requests exceeding the maximum extension period stated for a piece of assessment will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (circumstances outside of your control) with additional supporting documentation.  

Late applications must include evidence of the reasons for the late request, detailing why you were unable to apply for an extension by the due date and time. The School of Social Science will not accept personal statements. 

Extension requests are processed and managed by the School of Social Science Administration Team. 

Extensions in your final semester of study could delay your graduation by up to one semester. 

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval. 

Field notebook

• Identity Verified

Mode

Written

Category

Notebook/ Logbook

Weight

35%

Due date

26/09/2025 2:00 pm

Learning outcomes

L01, L05, L06, L07, L09, L10, L11

Task description

Submission guidelines

The field notebook will be submitted to the Social Science Students Enquiries counter (room 343), level 3, Michie Building (09), St Lucia campus, no later than 2pm on the due date, or any time prior to this.

Deferral or extension

You may be able to apply for an extension.

The maximum extension allowed is 28 days. Extensions are given in multiples of 24 hours.

Please note that from Semester 2, 2025 the Assessment Procedure has changed. You must submit a request for an extension as soon as it becomes clear you need an extension. Your request should be submitted no later than the assessment item's due date and time. 

The request must be accompanied by supporting documentation corroborating the reason for the request. A list of acceptable reasons for an extension and the evidence you must provide can be found here. Your request may be refused if you do not meet the acceptable reasons for an extension. The student submitting the request is fully responsible for all supporting documentation that is provided with the request and should ensure all documents are authentic. 

Students who are registered with Student Support and Wellbeing Services may apply for an extension without providing documentation. This extension request must be the student’s first extension request for the assessment item. If you proceed with an extension request based on your SAP, you will be ineligible to use your discretionary extension for the same assessment item. In the School of Social Science, extensions on the basis of an approved Student Access Plan (SAP) can be approved for a maximum period of 7 calendar days. Subsequent extensions for a piece of assessment will require students to provide their SAP along with additional supporting documentation (e.g., a medical certificate or other supporting evidence listed on my.UQ). 

A student is eligible for a discretionary extension for one assessment task per semester for a duration of 2 calendar days or less. A discretionary extension may only be used on a student’s first extension request for an assessment task.  

A student may have a maximum of 3 extension requests approved for a single assessment task. If a third extension is necessary, you must submit an Assessment Management Plan in addition to your supporting documentation with your request. In exceptional circumstances, a fourth extension may be requested through the grievance and appeals process. 

Extension requests exceeding the maximum extension period stated for a piece of assessment will only be considered under exceptional circumstances (circumstances outside of your control) with additional supporting documentation.  

Late applications must include evidence of the reasons for the late request, detailing why you were unable to apply for an extension by the due date and time. The School of Social Science will not accept personal statements. 

Extension requests are processed and managed by the School of Social Science Administration Team. 

Extensions in your final semester of study could delay your graduation by up to one semester. 

Late submission

A penalty of 10% of the maximum possible mark will be deducted per 24 hours from time submission is due for up to 7 days. After 7 days, you will receive a mark of 0.

Work will not be accepted if it is more than one week (7 calendar days) late without prior approval. 

Course grading

Full criteria for each grade is available in the Assessment Procedure.

Supplementary assessment

Supplementary assessment is not available for this course.

Supplementary assessment is not available for this course, regardless of the final grade achieved for the course.

Additional assessment information

Participation: Participation in the fieldwork is an essential component of this course. Excepting medical or physical complications, students are expected to be able to physically carry out the assigned fieldwork. Exceptions can be made via prior arrangement with the Course Coordinator or if a medical situation develops in the field. In these cases, lab-work may be substituted for fieldwork, or a waiver may be given, and the student may still obtain participation credit. These arrangements will only be made in exceptional circumstances.

Field Notebooks: As the recording systems used at each site are different the field notebook requirements will be made clear in the field.

Academic Integrity: All students must complete the Academic Integrity Modules https://www.uq.edu.au/integrity/ 

School Guide for Written Assessments: School of Social Science Guide for Written Assessments 

Release of Marks: The marks and feedback for assessments will be released to students in a timely manner, prior to the due date of the next assessment piece for the course. This is with the exception of the final piece of assessment. The marks and feedback for the final assessment item will only be made available to the student on the Finalisation of Grades date at the end of semester.  

Assessment Re-mark: For information on requesting an assessment re-mark, please view the following page on my.UQ: https://my.uq.edu.au/querying-result  

Learning resources

You'll need the following resources to successfully complete the course. We've indicated below if you need a personal copy of the reading materials or your own item.

Library resources

Find the required and recommended resources for this course on the UQ Library website.

Additional learning resources information

Bailey, G., 1993. Shell mounds in 1972 and 1992: Reflections on recent controversies at Ballina and Weipa. Australian Archaeology, 37(1), pp.1-18

Bowdler, S. 2009. Mollusks and other shells. Archaeology in practice: a student guide to archaeological analyses, 316-337.

Campbell, V., 1972. Some Radiocarbon Dates for Aboriginal Shell Middens in the Lower Macleay River Valley, New South Wales. The Australian Journal of Anthropology, 8(4), p.283

Clarkson, C., 2016. Lithics and landscape archaeology. In Handbook of Landscape Archaeology (pp. 490-501). Routledge

David, B. and Thomas, J., 2016. Landscape archaeology: introduction. In Handbook of Landscape Archaeology (pp. 27-43). Routledge

Denham, T., 2016. Environmental archaeology: interpreting practices-in-the-landscape through geoarchaeology. In Handbook of landscape archaeology (pp. 468-481). Routledge.

Emerson, M.C., 2021. Toward a safe archaeology field school: insights into policies, procedures, and team-based learning. Advances in Archaeological Practice, 9(1), pp.66-73

Fairbairn, A.S., 2016. Beyond economy: seed analysis in landscape archaeology. In Handbook of landscape archaeology (pp. 442-450). Routledge.

Godwin, L. and Creamer, H., 1984. Ethnography and archaeology on the north coast of New South Wales. Queensland Archaeological Research, 1, pp.103-116

Harris, M., Weisler, M. and Faulkner, P., 2015. A refined protocol for calculating MNI in archaeological molluscan shell assemblages: A Marshall Islands case study. Journal of Archaeological Science, 57, pp.168-179.

Knuckey, G. 1999. A shell midden at Clybucca, near Kempsey, New South Wales. Australian Archaeology. 48 (1). 1-10.ﾠ

Rick, T.C., 2024. Shell midden archaeology: current trends and future directions. Journal of Archaeological Research, 32(3), pp.309-366.

Shawcross, W., 1968, February. An investigation of prehistoric diet and economy on a coastal site at Galatea Bay, New Zealand. In Proceedings of the Prehistoric Society (Vol. 33, pp. 107-131). Cambridge University Press

Sullivan, M.E. and Hughes, P.J. 1982. The Stuart Point shell midden complex: an assessment of its nature, extent and significance. Australian Archaeology. 15 (1) 27-34.

Wright, M., Faulkner, P. and Westaway, M., 2023. Evaluating Mid-to Late Holocene economic intensification through analysis of a mollusk assemblage on the tropical North Australian coast. Human Behavioral Ecology and Coastal Environments, pp.199-228

Additional costs

Learning activities

The learning activities for this course are outlined below. Learn more about the learning outcomes that apply to this course.

Policies and procedures

University policies and procedures apply to all aspects of student life. As a UQ student, you must comply with University-wide and program-specific requirements, including the:

• Student Code of Conduct Policy
• Student Integrity and Misconduct Policy and Procedure
• Assessment Procedure
• Examinations Procedure
• Reasonable Adjustments for Students Policy and Procedure

Learn more about UQ policies on my.UQ and the Policy and Procedure Library.