School Support

We take student support very seriously in the School of Archaeology and have a range of points of contact and support depending on your requirements. The university also provide a range of professional supports should you need them through your time with us (see next section).

Stage One Coordinator

Dr. Jessica Smyth is the Stage One Coordinator in the School of Archaeology and is available to help students with any general questions or personal problems they may have. Students may drop in to see Dr. Smyth during office hours. Alternatively, students are welcome to contact her by email to make an appointment: jessica.smyth@ucd.ie

Module coordinator

The role of the module coordinator is to oversee all aspects of the module and please first refer any questions about a module to the relevant module coordinator. If for any reason you are having problems contacting or getting a response from a coordinator please feel free to contact the Stage One Coordinator for advice. 

Stage 1 Tutors

One of the most important roles of the tutors is to be a source of support and guidance to students and to monitor and advise on your progress. You may contact your tutor by email and cc your query to the School Administrator at: student.archaeology@ucd.ie. One of our tutors, Susan Curran, will be available in K012 every Monday from 2PM- 3PM. She is there to help you with any questions or issues you may be having. You can also contact her by email: (opens in a new window)susan.curran@ucdconnect.ie

The School Office (Room K004)

E-mail: (opens in a new window)student.archaeology@ucd.ie       Telephone: +353 (01) 716 8312

The School Office is an extremely important part of the School, it is the administrative hub of School activities. Open office hours are posted on the office door. The School Administrator (Ms Angela Mc Ateer) will help with any questions regarding student administrative or organisational matters. When the Office is closed, or if the Administrator is not available, your queries should be sent by e-mail to: (opens in a new window)student.archaeology@ucd.ie. We will expect you to include your UCD student number in all correspondence with the School.

Personal well-being and good health are central to academic achievement and over the course of your studies you may experience personal problems that may affect your academic work - perhaps an illness, a bereavement, loneliness, financial difficulties or relationship problems. While we would wish to support you as much as we can, and always feel free to talk us, there are issues that require certain professional supports and expertise. We can advise on where you might get most appropriate support if you wish. As a starting point the University provides a range of advice, support and resources to help students tackle such problems (these services are listed below) and you should consider availing of these if you require advice or assistance on any matter.  Please feel free to avail of these (see below) but always, if you are able, also let the School know if you are having difficulties. Remember the sooner an issue is identified and the appropriate people are made aware the more likely it is that it can be dealt with and we can help you.

UCD Student Advisers

Provide support to students throughout their university experience

• www.ucd.ie/studentadvisers

UCD Chaplains

Provide both religious and pastoral care

• www.ucd.ie/chaplaincy

UCD Student Health and Counselling Service

Provides on-campus medical, psychological and psychiatric care,

• www.ucd.ie/stuhealth
• www.ucd.ie/studentcounselling

UCD Access Centre

Provides advice and support to students with disabilities, long term medical conditions or specific learning difficulties (e.g. dyslexia)

• www.ucd.ie/openingworlds

UCD Student Support

Provides a wide range of practical supports and links

• www.ucd.ie/students/studentsupport.html

Student Union Welfare

The Student’s Union provide a wide range of help and support include welfare advice

• (opens in a new window)www.ucdsu.ie/canwehelp/welfare/
• (opens in a new window)welfare@ucdsu.ie
• Tel: +353-1-716 3112.

Unfortunately, most of us at some stage will suffer from illnesses that affect our ability to meet deadlines or fully achieve our potential. If you find yourself in health or other difficulties (e.g. bereavement; family problems) it is very important that you contact the School as soon as possible. The School of Archaeology and UCD generally have a variety of excellent support services for students who are in need (see other sections on this page).

It is important that you advise us of problems as early as possible; if at all possible, tell us in advance of the deadlines that you are concerned about. Please note that any issue relating to extenuating circumstances submitted to the School is dealt with in strictest confidence by staff.

Problems of various kinds may be taken into account in marking work, or considering whether or not a late penalty should apply for an essay. It is important that you speak to the tutor, module co-ordinator or year head. They will ask you to:

• Complete a school copy of an Extenuating Circumstances form in the School office during open office hours
• Provide an original medical certificate or other supporting documentation in addition to the declaration. This will be placed on file, and may be taken into consideration in assessing your work. 

ARCH10010: Exploring Archaeology

Archaeology explores how people in the past - and sometimes the present - used places, objects and animals to create and inhabit worlds that were often very different from our own. In this sense, archaeology provides us with unique insights into the human condition and a sense of what it is to be a person in many different cultural contexts. This module will give you a general introduction to this exciting and engaging subject, enabling you to understand basic archaeological principles, methods and techniques. We will look at the history and development of archaeological thought. We will explore how archaeologists discover, survey and excavate places from the past and we will trace how we can interpret past societies from the objects (material culture) that they created, used and discarded. The module is taught by 12 lively, well-illustrated lectures, 1 class archaeological fieldtrip to a prehistoric landscape and 1 class visit to a museum, all providing you with practical opportunities to investigate ancient landscapes and objects yourself. Exploring Archaeology is a useful module for students from across all subjects in the university, including in particular, arts and humanities, social sciences, earth and life sciences, medicine, vetinerary studies, engineering, and architecture.

ARCH10100: The Prehistoric World

This module will provide an introduction to the archaeology of the prehistoric world through examining key points in the development of early human societies. e.g. the emergence of Homo Sapiens, and its spread across all parts of the world, the development of agriculture and the transition from nomadic to settled societies, the invention of metalworking and other technologies, the emergence of early states and empires. Case studies will be drawn from across the globe: Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece, China, Japan, India, and Europe. These examples will introduce a broad range of archaeological materials and artefacts (including some of the most famous), and the course will outline some of the key ways in which they contributed to our understanding of early human civilisations.

ARCH10050: Introduction to the Archaeology of Ireland

The module tells the human story in Ireland from the Stone Age to the present, beginning with the earliest inhabitants around 10,000 years ago. It reveals the footprint of people through time by means of the spectacular archaeological heritage of the country. Ancient monuments, landscapes and objects are explored in order to explore the lifestyles of early inhabitants, the achievements and beliefs of megalith builders, the big innovations in ancient Ireland such as farming, metal-working and Christianity, the origins of Celtic Ireland, and above all the emergence of the Irish landscape as we know it today. The module is organized as follows: (a) One lecture each week presenting the story of Ireland from the Mesolithic to the present; (b) occasional special case studies in a second lecture slot each week; (c) tutorials to complement and reinforce the lectures; and (d) directed visits to the National Museum and to the Irish National Heritage Park at Ferrycarrig, Co. Wexford.

This module explores the archaeology of the historically-documented past. It starts with the rise of Christianity in medieval Europe, passes through the eras of the Black Death, the discovery of the New World, and the Industrial Revolution, and ends with globalisation in the twenty-first century. Its case-studies are drawn from every corner of the world, mainly Ireland, Britain and the Americas. The module addresses specifically how the disciplines of Archaeology and History work together in helping us map and understand the development of the modern world.