MAA has enjoyed a long and successful history of working with the Department of Archaeology, as well as other university Faculties and Schools, and regularly hosts student classes in the Keyser Workroom throughout the academic year. During these practical handling sessions students are able to engage with a wide range of archaeological objects, having a hands-on approach to the study of material culture.
The Teaching Collections consist of over 2,000 objects, specially selected from MAA’s reserve collections, to complement class-based lectures and seminars; these Collections span human history across the world. Each year students will draw on this vast and rich resource to undertake object studies.
Capsule collections, specific to each class, are also hand-picked by the Teaching and Collections Assistant Eleanor Wilkinson, in conjunction with requests from lecturers. Each year Eleanor revises the place of every object in the capsule collections, adding or subtracting objects to fit with the aims of each course.
Year 1: Students take four practical-based classes in the Keyser Workroom covering topics such as archaeological methodologies, human evolution, the development of social structures, and the emergence of states and empires.
Years 2 and 3: As students progress through their university careers they are able to focus their studies, specialising in areas such as Biological Anthropology and Egyptology, which is reflected in the practical handling classes they undertake in Years 2 and 3. In addition to handling classes, MAA hosts Open Sessions to enable students to complete Artefact Reports as part of their course requirements.
For queries regarding the Teaching Collections please email Eleanor Wilkinson, Teaching and Collections Assistant for Archaeology.
