11th January 2006, 02:30 PM
This discussion keeps coming up and really needs to be addressed. Any ideas or input for a paper at the conference? [?]
Now for my opinion (again!)
I do agree with star-nosed mole that universities need to offer more training and that it is at post-grad level it will probably be taught, BUT how can you have an undergraduate degree in archaeology and not know what an SMR is?! (surely it should have been consulted for most dissertations anyway?!) Why should we expect to be employed if we can't say what the law surrounding the profession is?[:I]
As much as I agree units and archaeological organisations should contribute to training, whether that be taking on placement students or offering training places, at the end of the day I pay my fees to the university. Research and academia have their place in the grand scheme of things, they are vital to this profession. BUT the majority of students who go on to have a career in archaeology will not be sat writing papers and books, which is what the universities seem to be preparing us for. If it wasn't for my placements, I wouldn't know how an SMR worked, what PPG16 was, or that commercial archaeology is nothing like the pottering about you do at university...
I'm not expecting to graduate knowing everything there is to know about working in archaeology, but I should at least know the basics of the profession.
Now for my opinion (again!)
I do agree with star-nosed mole that universities need to offer more training and that it is at post-grad level it will probably be taught, BUT how can you have an undergraduate degree in archaeology and not know what an SMR is?! (surely it should have been consulted for most dissertations anyway?!) Why should we expect to be employed if we can't say what the law surrounding the profession is?[:I]As much as I agree units and archaeological organisations should contribute to training, whether that be taking on placement students or offering training places, at the end of the day I pay my fees to the university. Research and academia have their place in the grand scheme of things, they are vital to this profession. BUT the majority of students who go on to have a career in archaeology will not be sat writing papers and books, which is what the universities seem to be preparing us for. If it wasn't for my placements, I wouldn't know how an SMR worked, what PPG16 was, or that commercial archaeology is nothing like the pottering about you do at university...
I'm not expecting to graduate knowing everything there is to know about working in archaeology, but I should at least know the basics of the profession.