Well known TV archaeologist Julian Richards will launch a new Archaeology and History degree to be offered from September 2015 at Bishop Grosseteste University in Lincoln.
BGU currently offers single honours History but will run a joint degree next year which will be launched at a two-day event on 14th and 15th October 2014. Julian Richards, well known for his appearances on Meet the Ancestors and Blood of the Vikings, will deliver a lecture at BGU entitled Bringing the Past to Life at 6.30pm on Tuesday 14th October. He will also be involved in a school activity earlier in the day at BGU, leading children from Ermine Primary School through a mock excavation so that they can learn how archaeologists work and what they can discover.
These activities will take place from 10.30am until 11.30am and from 1.45pm until 2.45pm on Tuesday 14th October and reporters / photographers are welcome to attend.
Zoe Tomlinson, Community Archaeologist at BGU, is excited to have Julian Richards launch the new degree at BGU. “Julian is the ideal person to launch our new degree because not only has he undertaken some really interesting fieldwork but also published books and articles for both the general reader and for academic study,” she said.
Julian Richards is recognised for his work on Stonehenge and has written a number of books on archaeology for both adults and children. The new joint honours degree will offer a wide variety of modules across the subjects of archaeology and history. The course includes the opportunity for students to experience a live excavation project and develop key practical skills in both field and lab-based techniques.
BGU has particular strengths in public and community archaeology and students will also gain skills in these areas as they study Britain’s Roman and mediaeval past. Dr Craig Spence, Senior Lecturer and Academic Co-ordinator for History and Archaeology at BGU, explained: “The relationship between archaeology and history is particularly strong and close to us at BGU, because we understand history is not just understood through documents but through a dynamic consideration of words, images, buildings and artefacts.
“Studying archaeology at BGU gives students the opportunity to get really hands on with the past.
“It is a privilege to be based in a city filled with such great history. As a result we make excellent use of the archives and museums in the ancient city of Lincoln which help to tell its 2,000-year history from Roman foundation to industrial renaissance in the 19th and 20th centuries.”
Alongside the launch event, BGU has organised a Young Person’s Photography competition. All shortlisted entrants will be invited to the university to attend Julian Richards’ lecture on 14th October, where he will announce and present the prize to the competition winner.
The winner of the competition will be chosen by a panel of four judges: John Rimmer, Academic Co-ordinator for Art and Design and Visual Arts at BGU; Lynne McEwen, award-winning freelance photographer; Steven Cole, photography teacher at William Farr School, and Sam Gordon, Manager of the Lincoln’s Bishops’ Palace for English Heritage.
Spaces are limited for the Bringing the Past to Life lecture on 14th October. To register contact Bronwen Kane on 01522 583622 or email bronwen.kane@bishopg.ac.uk. For more information about all of the history and archaeology courses on offer at the university please contact Dr Craig Spence: craig.spence@bishopg.ac.uk.