ArchaeoCoding: Intro to Python for Archaeology and Cultural Heritage Studies

The course is offered as a free-standing course at undergraduate level.

Admission to the course requires an introductory course and an intermediate courses in archaeology, cultural heritage, history, ancient culture and society, economic history, or cultural geography (or equivalent).

The course introduces students to coding, specifically Python, in archaeology and cultural heritage studies. As coding is a key component of Digital Archaeology, this course prepares students to build on their technical competence and understanding. Teaching will have two strands: practical applications and development. A research area that benefits from coding is introduced, followed by a hands-on coding session. The course will introduce coding through practical applications and an overview of the theoretical frameworks. The course will acquaint students with the Python language and several data types common in archaeology and cultural heritage studies – geospatial data, images, tabular data, and 3D data. Open-source code and open data will also be discussed in relation to research projects and reusability. The skills taught in the course are transferable across the humanities and in demand in archaeology and cultural heritage studies.

There will be two sub-courses:

Module 1. Introduction to Python, 7.5 credits

This part of the course covers the technical aspects of coding, from sourcing data to writing shareable code. It will teach students the basic structure of how to compose code and how to use code editors to start writing. This component serves as the basis for all work in the course and teaching will be at an introductory level to enable wider participation. This course moment also introduces students to the main data types that will be discussed during the other course moments – geospatial data, tabular data, images, 3D data. After this course moment, students will be able to understand the structure of the Python language at an introductory level, understand the research fields that use Python coding, identify data types and appropriate workflows for them, and apply these principles to code using dedicated software.

Module 2: In-practice –applications for research, 7.5 credits

This sub-course explores the potential applications of coding in archaeology and cultural heritage studies research, including tool development, AI, and data retrieval. It will be divided into sessions covering areas in both fields that can benefit from coding. There will be dedicated sessions on remote sensing, excavation and survey, rock art, and post-excavation. Each session will provide an overview of the existing and potential use cases of coding in the field. Group discussion sessions also aim to teach students to identify possible research questions and critically reflect on approaches and methods that use coding. This course moment will also cover aspects of open-source code and software, open data, and the ethical implications of code and datasets, especially for AI tasks. From this course moment, students will be able to critically reflect on the collection, transformation, and manipulation of data, implementation of code, and use of automation. After this course moment, students will be able to identify tasks where Python is an appropriate solution

Knowledge and understanding

summarise the principles of how to implement code in various subdisciplines of archaeology and cultural heritage studies

critically discuss the theoretical and ethical implications of the use of digital tools and datasets in archaeology

define the principles of open-source code and open data

Competence and skills

prepare basic scripts for tasks in research, data processing, and publication

analyse geospatial, tabular, image, and 3D data using Python

design reusable code and tools

Judgement and approach

identify research problems in archaeology and cultural heritage studies that can benefit from tools

critically discuss the advantages and disadvantages of automating tasks

evaluate the approaches to using code in research according to best practice guidelines

The course will be taught with lectures, method training exercises, mandatory seminars, and groupwork sessions.

Language of instruction: English

The course will be examined through individual written essays and a group coding project. The individual essay topics include a methods overview and a critical reflection. In the mandatory seminars, the groups will present the small project they develop throughout the course.

If a student who has been failed twice for the same examination element wishes to change examiner before the next examination session, such a request is to be granted unless there are specific reasons to the contrary (Chapter 6 Section 22 HF).

If a student has received a certificate of disability study support from the University of Gothenburg with a recommendation of adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment, an examiner may decide, if this is consistent with the course’s intended learning outcomes and provided that no unreasonable resources would be needed, to grant the student adapted examination and/or adapted forms of assessment.

If a course has been discontinued or undergone major changes, the student must be offered at least two examination sessions in addition to ordinary examination sessions. These sessions are to be spread over a period of at least one year but no more than two years after the course has been discontinued/changed. The same applies to placement and internship (VFU) except that this is restricted to only one further examination session.

If a student has been notified that they fulfil the requirements for being a student at Riksidrottsuniversitetet (RIU student), to combine elite sports activities with studies, the examiner is entitled to decide on adaptation of examinations if this is done in accordance with the Local rules regarding RIU students at the University of Gothenburg.

The grading scale for all assessments comprises: Excellent (A), Very good (B), Good (C), Satisfactory (D), Sufficient (E) and Fail (F).

After completing the course, students are given the opportunity to evaluate the course

The results of and possible changes to the course will be shared with students who participated in the evaluation and students who are starting the course.