IfA to be abolished and replaced by......

[Wax]

How many archaeology degree courses are taught by academics who have spent any significant time working in commercial archaeology?

[P Prentice]

How many archaeology degree courses are taught by academics who have spent any significant time working in commercial archaeology?

more than you would think but that is not the point. the degree is irrelevant, what is important is demonstrable potential. degrees need to be transferable to allow people to change their mind and develop. practical archaeology qualifications overseen by commercial interests are the way forward

[Marc Berger]

What about the Bologna Process. Do we presume that if a degree in archaeology is the bases of being called an archaeologist in other European countries that not having a degree in this country can not be the bases of being called an archaeologist in this. Kevin seems to have done the most European work here, have you come across limits to what work that people without archaeology degrees could get in European archaeology. I know that a lot of diggers went off into Europe in the eighties and nineties but you don't hear of it so much now.

[Jack]

<snip............I do think the degree issue needs addressing. I've no problem with BA archaeology, but there does need to be an alternative, either changing some of what is taught in those degrees to reflect the current situation in British archaeology, or a new BSc. It's odd that at Masters level you have a choice as to A or Sc, but not at Bachelors....<snip>.

It depends on the university and decade you studied. I got a BSc and a Ma in archaeology

I reckon the teaching of archaeology needs to be split into Fundemental Archaeology and Applied Archaeology like in Physics.......to produce Theoretical archaeologists, Field (experimental) Archaeologists and those that do both.

It's kinda what goes on at the moment, but everyone seems to pretend it doesn't.

[Jack]

Yet you call them all diggers Jack. Its very similar to bajrs/ifa pay scales. .........<snip>

[h=2]ar·chae·ol·o·gist[/h] [ahr-kee-ol-uh-jist] Show IPA
noun a specialist in archaeology, the scientific study of prehistoric peoples and their cultures by analysis of their artifacts, inscriptions, monuments, etc.




But archaeology covers many sub-specialisms which in themselves have sub-sub-specialisms.

Yes my tree pertains to diggers/field archaeologists/site technicians whatever you wanna call them as thats what the crux of the argument was/is about?

I'm sure dating labs have their own career structure etc, as do universities. But with respect to equating field archaeologists to supervisors, project officers, senior project officers, managers etc.....

A master digger would be an assistant supervisor. A Grandmaster digger would be a PO/SPO.

If, as a digger you can't interpret a site in its regional context well then your not equivalent to an experienced project officer :face-stir: Discuss.

I'm not suggesting that someone who only digs and has never supervised a site, reported on it, published and been peer reviewed cannot have that level of knowledge or skill.............its just unlikely that they have received training or have a proven record in doing so.

A 'digger' on a commercial excavation could have, of course, ran, written up, interpreted and published any number of non-commercial sites or indeed be the world expert in say, Bronze Age hairgrips. But if this was the case there would be a proven record of such?

Exceptions must exist though.............mustn't they?

[Marc Berger]

This thread is about the ifa becoming Chartered. In some professions that are Chartered it is only those members that are allowed to call themselves by the professions name. They tend to also hold a first degree in that professions subject.

I recently fell out with somebody who called their business Acne Architectural Services. Why?: His client kept calling him his architect. I would say that he had drafting skills although their maths put the plot at least 3 metres into next door.

If you read the ifa paper, copyright John Collis,http://www.discovering-archaeologists.eu...Report.pdf, you will see that the ifa is aware that in many European countries the designation archaeologist is restricted to qualified persons. If you read the Valetta convention article three it will say that only qualified persons should undertake excavation. The uk has signed that convention. I think that we right now have a thread about the highspeed railway connection http://www.bajrfed.co.uk/showthread.php?...s-jamboree Sith has recommended using OJEU to try and find tenders for the work, thing is- is Silf qualified? because I don't see how what qualifies us as archaeologists is recognisable across Europe under the terms of free movement of labour or market. Obviously maybe if we use a slightly different spelling like arch-aeol-ural we might be able to bamboozle them for a while. The ifa has played name changing tricks quite often given its short period of existence.

[P Prentice]

when will you get to your point?

[Sikelgaita]

practical archaeology qualifications overseen by commercial interests are the way forward

I agree as long as this is not just used as another way for a commercial organisation to gain commercial advantage by the use of cheap labour.

[Marc Berger]

still seem to be gathering evidence but could it be that being a member of the ifa is pointless...they seem to go out of their way to make it so.

Looking back at their ten year plan they made being chartered a minor point with no subsequent consequence along the lines of "once we are chartered you will be able to work anywhere in Europe as an archaeologist". Instead what we have is that being a member of the chartered institute of archaeology has established that you are predominantly self certified seconded by somebody know knows you and nothing to do with a graduate system because we see archaeology as a voluntary education past time to be administered by public servants...and probably will not be recognised across Europe. They certainly are not trying to attract more diggers to join are they?

what does this mean

degrees need to be transferable to allow people to change their mind and develop. practical archaeology qualifications overseen by commercial interests are the way forward

[P Prentice]

an extension of the post grad courses run by some unis, whereby in service trainees work on real projects and present real research to a panel of examiners