Academic Credit for Participants
The Ramat Rahel Archaeological Project allows students participating in the seasonal excavations to gain academic credits by attending the project educational program.
The program aims to integrate the excavation experience into archaeological theory and into contemporary archaeological, historical and theological knowledge of Jerusalem. The program consists of fieldwork, academic lectures, tours of Jerusalem and reading obligations. The lectures will be open to all participants in the excavation but are compulsory for students who wish to gain credit.
This educational program is particularly appropriate for undergraduate and graduate students of Archaeology, Biblical Studies, theology, classics and History. The academic program of season 2009 consists of three different courses:
A. Introduction to Archaeology Fieldwork—Theory and Methods: this course will be held during the all four weeks of the excavation project, and attending it will earn the participant six academic credits. The students who will take this course for credits will learn the basic skills for archaeological area supervising, archaeological registration and how to use archaeoilogical reports.
B. Innovations in the Archaeological and Historical Research of Judah and Jerusalem in the 1st and 2nd Temple Periods: this course will be held during the first two weeks of the excavation project, attending it will earn the participant three academic credits. The course will deal with current issues in the research of the history and archaeology of Jerusalem.
C. Biblical Theology of the City of God—Ideas and Concepts: this course will be held during the last two weeks of the excavation, attending it will earn the participant three academic credits.
Credit and Tuition
Attending the courses during the excavation may gain up to twelve credits.
The price for each academic credit is $100.
Responsibility for arranging credit with the home institution rests with the student.
Four Week Session (July 19th–August 14th)
Course A—July 19th–Aug. 14th: Introduction to Archaeological Fieldwork—Theory and Methods
Introduction course into archaeological field work: the theoretical guidelines and the practical methods. The meetings will follow the archaeological process from the initial stages of analyzing a site, through the excavation and registration method and up to the excavation report. The course includes eight meetings, four of them in the field and the rest in the classroom. Students participating in the course will be required to implement the studied material in the actual field work in the excavations. Final grades will be given for a detailed excavation report handed-in by the student.
| 1st Meeting | Archaeological techniques for approaching a site | At the site |
| 2nd Meeting | What is archaeology? | Classroom |
| 3rd Meeting | Basket, Locus, squares: Basic terms in archaeological fieldwork | At the site |
| 4th | Registration method | Classroom |
| 5th | Measurements and surveying—part I | At the site |
| 6th | Stratigraphy and chronology | Classroom |
| 7th | Measurements and surveying—part II | At the site |
| 8th | How to Read in an archaeological report? | Classroom |
Course B—July 19th–Aug. 1st: Innovations in the Archaeological and Historical Research of Judah and Jerusalem in the 1st and 2nd Temple Periods
This course will present the newest researches dealing with the history and the archaeology of Jerusalem in the second and first millennium BCE. The course will be given by world wide experts in the research of Jerusalem, and will consist of 4 academic lectures and a visit to the archaeological site at the city of David. Final grades will be based on student’s fulfillment of reading requirements and rating of a written essay.
Course C—Aug. 2nd–Aug. 14th: Biblical Theology of the city of God—Ideas and Concepts
Ideas and Concepts
Academic responsibility—Prof. Manfred Oeming (Heidelberg University, Germany).
This course is a theological seminary dealing with the Biblical theological ideas of Jerusalem throughout history. The course includes 4 academic lectures, weekend seminar, and an evening tour to Jerusalem. Final grades will be based on student’s fulfillment of reading and discussion requirements and rating of a written essay.
- Attendance at all lectures
- Participation in all tours
- Daily participation in excavations
- Writing an essay about one of the major topics studied during the course
Grades
Final grades will be based on student’s fulfillment of requirements, rating of written essay and area supervisor’s assessment of student’s fieldwork and understanding of the archaeological excavations.
For further information about the program contact Omer Sergi, Project Administrator: omertelaviv@gmail.com