Recap
The Berkeley Castle Project (BCP) began in 2005 and set out to excavate and explore the archaeology of Berkeley Town, Gloucestershire.The annual excavations are tied to the formal curriculum. Within the BCP sits the “Engagement Team”, which students can elect to join, and which I manage in parallel to excavations. Engagement is fundamentally embedded within research, and teaching and learning efforts of the Department. Over the past three years, engagement efforts have placed students at the heart of community and public engagement, through free tours, artefact handling sessions, social media, etc.Students take their knowledge of archaeological research and hands-on fieldwork experience at Berkeley Castle, combined with their classroom learning, and transform it into a tangible engagement output. This is an excellent example of research-led teaching taken into engagement activity. The Town Museum Project is one of the many ‘mini projects’ co-run by students.
The Town Museum project
The aims of the project were:
- to identify an effective way to bring archaeology to the community of Berkeley
- to provide opportunities for students to enhance their engagement skills
- to showcase the archaeological research undertaken by the Department of Archaeology & Anthropology
The objectives were:
- to design a temporary exhibition of artefacts, (ensuring that each piece is properly labelled, catalogued, and photographed) for public display around the town of Berkeley
- to invite the community to participate in hosting a temporary display of excavated artefacts
- to place students at the heart of all activities (choosing artefacts, labelling and designing trays, creating poster content, one-to-one engagement directly with the community participants)
- to evaluate all aspects of the project, including student, stakeholders and participant reflections and feedback
- to work with our heritage stakeholder (owner of the artefacts), Berkeley Castle, and consider what activities could support their efforts and concerns
- to share the project model, outcomes and impacts as widely as possible
Regarding the stakeholders:
- Berkeley Castle, have facilitated and supported the project since its inception, giving permission for artefacts to go on public display and printing information materials as requested by the Engagement Team
- Twenty community participants include both private residences and commercial businesses throughout the town. They have signed an agreement to place display trays in their window and take care of them for up to two weeks
- The Department of Archaeology & Anthropology, through Dr. Stuart Prior, ensures the accuracy of the archaeological information shared by the project
- Our students, working electively on the project, volunteer their own time to ensure delivery
Students are drawn from all levels, including first, second, and third year, and masters students. This provides an excellent opportunity for students to learn from each others, regardless of academic level. Of great importance is the chance for students at all levels to develop practical real-world skills.
Contact: Aisling Tierney a.tierney@bristol.ac.uk
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