SEMINAR. PRACTICE IN ARCHAEOLOGICAL SITES AND MUSEUMS

Specific Foundation / Core

The course is also offered to exchange programme students.

Upon successful completion of the course, students will have familiarised themselves a) with different approaches as regards the presentation of cultural remains of the prehistoric period and b) various practices in managing prehistoric finds under rescue/systematic excavations. These goals are achieved through a) visits to prehistoric exhibitions in museums and discussions with museum curators and b) visits to on-going archaeological excavations of prehistoric sites. Students acquire a broad vision as regards the management of cultural heritage. They are trained in various aspects of educational programs organised by archaeological museums of Greece, at the same time developing a critical insight as regards various educational approaches adopted, the themes selected, the goals and outcome of these educational projects. Students have the opportunity to attend educational projects, always in collaboration with the archaeologists/museologists of the Ministry of Culture, responsible for undertaking these projects. In addition, students, through interviews/questionaires addressed to the wider public, acquire precious experience as regards the perception of prehistoric archaeology by non-specialised groups of people. Finally, the successful completion of the course, provides students with valuable skills that enable them, as future school teachers, to organise and undertake successfully visits to museums and archaeological sites, preparing their highschool students for an empirical acquisition of knowledge (through interaction with objects/spaces/people etc), complementary to teaching in the classroom.

This course is organized along four axes. The first focuses on the presentation of prehistoric settlements and archeological sites in Macedonia. The second axis concerns prehistoric collections and exhibitions in museums in Greece. The third examines issues of Public Archaeology and mainly the presentation of the prehistoric past to the public via popular and news media, display strategies and new technologies. The fourth axis is about the interpretation the prehistoric past and the dissemination of archaeological issues to the wider public in relation to the historical context of the research and the principal directions of the theoretical archaeological thought during the 20th century. The course can be attended by a limited number of students. Evaluation will be based on a written essay, its oral presentation as well as the overall participation of the students in the group discussions and the discussions will arise during the presentation of the other essays. The course aims at familiarizing the students: a) with different approaches as regards the presentation of cultural remains of the prehistoric period, b) with various practices in managing prehistoric finds and issues regarding cultural heritage management. Furthermore, the course will provide students with valuable skills to organize educational visits of schools to museums and archaeological sites.

Museum Studies, Issues on archaeology and archaeological science, Monuments, Archaeological sites

19-10-2023