UWA Handbook 2025

Unit Overview

Description

This vocational unit prepares students for a career as professional archaeologists and/or anthropologists. Students visit archaeologists and anthropologists at their places of work, including: universities, government agencies, consulting firms, museums, Indigenous and heritage sectors. They get first-hand advice and instruction on vocational pathways. Students meet weekly to consider the practical, legislative and ethical aspects of archaeology and anthropology. Students receive in-seminar instruction from experts in the field in topics such as producing a CV, sitting an interview, designing an outreach activity, working with multiple stakeholders, designing an exhibition, and curating a collection.

Credit

6 points

Offering
(see Timetable)

Availability	Location	Mode
Non-standard teaching period	UWA (Perth)	Face to face

Details for undergraduate courses

• Honours core unit in Anthropology; Archaeology [Bachelor of Arts (Honours)]

Outcomes

Students are able to (1) demonstrate an understanding of the various professional settings where archaeologists and anthropologists operate and how these fields of practice relate to each other; (2) demonstrate an understanding of the laws and ethics apply to archaeological and anthropological practice in Western Australia, Australia and the world; (3) as a group, develop a project report on a topic discussed with the unit co-ordinator; and (4) demonstrate written and verbal communication skills by, for example, constructing professional CVs, conducting mock job interviews, producing copy for non-academic outputs such as web text, blogs, newspaper copy and interviewing skills.

Assessment

Indicative assessments in this unit are as follows: (1) seminar assignments and (2) group project. Further information is available in the unit outline.

To pass this unit, a student must: (a) achieve an overall mark of 50 per cent or higher for the unit; and (b) achieve the requisite requirements(s) or a mark of 50 per cent or greater, whichever is higher and specified in the unit outline, for the seminar assignments component.

Supplementary assessment is not available in this unit.

Unit Coordinator(s)

Professor Alistair Paterson

Unit rules

Prerequisites

Enrolment in

Archaeology
or Anthropology Honours

Contact hours

Seminars: 3 hours per week for first 6 weeks of Semester 2 (intensive mode)

Note

This unit teaches skills and content that are recognised and can be recorded as Group A and/or Group B Skills according to the Australian Archaeology Skills Passport of the Australian Archaeological Association: https://australianarchaeologicalassociation.com.au/careers-resources/the-australian-archaeology-skills-passport/

deliver the individual and group learning outcomes of this unit, participation in all learning experiences and assessment tasks is essential. Non-participation will result in some, or all vital content being missed, marks not earned, and/or penalties being applied.