The archaeology and anthropology of death and burial

Aims of the course

• To introduce participants to the varied ways in which humans have treated their dead throughout time and across the world, and how this impacts death and burial today
• To provide the necessary knowledge for a better understanding of mortuary studies in archaeology and anthropology and how scientific studies and humanities play a role in this
• To familiarise participants with case studies that emphasize the significance of death studies not only in learning more about the peoples of the past but where we are going with how we treat our dead in the future

Course content overview

Why is the skull such a fascinating subject for artists? And why are catacombs popular tourist destinations? These are just some of the questions we will discuss in this course about the unique and unusual ways we honour and inter our dead. Burial sites, human remains, grave goods, and memento mori have embedded information to offer not only about the deceased, but also shifts in ideology of living populations. This course will present a wide range of topics relating to the beliefs and treatment of the dead, across cultures and through time, with current research including how archaeologists are using biomolecular evidence to access how identity is encoded in bones and teeth. There will also be discussion of new and unique ways contemporary society interacts with the deceased, featuring cremation ash tattoos, jewelled skeletons, and zombie history. 

Welcome week (Week 0)

Purpose:

• personal introductions
• introducing the course
• useful reading
• personal objectives

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week, the students should have: 

• become familiar with navigating around the Virtual Learning Environment (VLE) and from VLE to links and back
• test your ability to access files and the web conferencing software and sort out any problems with the help of the Technology Enhanced Learning team
• learn how to look for, assess and reference internet resources
• contribute to a discussion forum to introduce yourself to other students and discuss why you are interested in the course and what you hope to get out of your studies 

Teaching Week 1: The archaeology of death and burial

Purpose:

In our introductory session we will take a look at the major themes and contributors in mortuary archaeology and discuss how burials and bones are analysed via excavations. We will also discuss the ethics of working with human remains and the importance of ethical guidelines when working with the dead.

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week the participants should have:

• a basic understanding of the burial archaeology and the role that human remains and burials play in understanding the past
• a knowledge of what ethical considerations there are in working with human remains and how osteoarchaeologists try to address the ethics in every day practice

Teaching Week 2: The Ancient Dead

Purpose:

In this session, we will focus on more specific forms of burial treatment such as mummification, excarnation, and cremation and look at examples from around the world via a death map activity. We will also look at deviant burials with unique case studies such as Vampire burials and human sacrifice. I will take you on a virtual tour of my lab to show you what scientific methods we use to study human remains.

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week, the participants should have:

• a better idea of the way in which peoples of the past dealt with their deceased and the reasons why which leads to inferences made about societal structure and belief systems
• familiarity with the scientific techniques osteoarchaeologists use to analyse human remains

Teaching Week 3: Memento Mori: the relationship between death and art

Purpose:

This week, we will examine the pre-historic and historic relationship between death and art through modified skulls, painted effigies, bejewelled skeletons, Renaissance art, and zombie culture. We will dive into the ways in which philosophy, spirituality, demonology, and medicine influenced how humans have expressed concerns about death through various media.

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week the participants should have:

• a stronger sense of how humans express views about death in creative ways
• a familiarity with the how humans have modified their bodies throughout prehistory as a way to signal social status and economic power

Teaching Week 4: Catacombs, crypts, and graveyards: death tourism

Purpose:

This week will travel the world looking at places of memory and spaces of commemoration, including charnel houses, catacombs, royal crypts and mortuary monuments. We will evaluate why these places have become popular tourism sites and discuss the impact this has on these places through a ‘dark tourism’ lens.

Learning outcomes:

By studying this week, the participants should have:

• a better understanding of deathscapes and why these appeal or not to a wider audience and the emotional impact these places can have on the living

Teaching Week 5: Ashes to Ink: new ways of engaging with the dead

Purpose:

In the final teaching week of this course we will look at new and innovative ways in which humans today are treating our dead with a focus on modern anthropology. We will review what options are now available for dealing with the deceased and discuss the death positive movement as well as cremation tattoos and how popular culture is influencing the field of mortuary studies.

Learning outcomes

By studying this week the students should have:

• a more thorough understanding of how the business of death is changing and what options are available to the public now
• a new appreciation of how ancient rituals are being revitalised in new death practices

Week 6: what next?

• assessment of student learning
• assessment of student satisfaction
• encouragement of further study

This course is open to everyone, and you don’t need any previous knowledge or experience of the subject to attend.  

Our short courses are designed especially for adult learners who want to advance their personal or professional development. They are taught by tutors who are expert in both their subjects and in teaching students of all ages and experiences. 

Please note that all teaching is in English. You should have near-native command of the English language to get the maximum benefit from the course. 

Each week of an online course is roughly equivalent to 2-3 hours of classroom time. On top of this, participants should expect to spend roughly 2-3 hours of self-study time, for example, reading materials, although this will vary from person to person. 

While they have a specific start and end date and will follow a weekly schedule (for example, week 1 will cover topic A, week 2 will cover topic B), our tutor-led online courses are designed to be flexible and as such would normally not require participants to be online for a specific day of the week or time of the day (although some tutors may try to schedule times where participants can be online together for web seminars, which will be recorded so that those who are unable to be online at certain times are able to access material). 

Unless otherwise stated, all course material will be posted on the VLE so that they can be accessed at any time throughout the duration of the course and interaction with your tutor and fellow participants will take place through a variety of different ways which will allow for both synchronous and asynchronous learning (using discussion boards etc).

Fees 

The course fee includes access to the course on our VLE, personal feedback on your work from an expert tutor, a certificate of participation (if you complete work and take part in discussions), and access to the class resources for two years after your course finishes. 

Concessions 

For more information, please see our concessions information page. 

Alison Fordham Bursary

University of Cambridge Professional and Continuing Education is proud to offer the Alison Fordham bursary, which is awarded to students who wish to study on one of our short online courses via our VLE, reducing the fee paid by 50%. The bursary is limited to a single award for each set of online courses. 

Application criteria:  

• applicants should set out their personal learning motivations since priority will be given to those who are returning to learning after an extended break, or have not previously engaged with fully online learning, or are seeking to use the online short course as a bridge towards undergraduate award-bearing study
• applicants who can demonstrate financial need 

For more information, please see our bursaries information page. 

A certificate of participation and a digital credential will be awarded to those who contribute constructively to weekly discussions, exercises and assignments for the duration of the course.