HIEB00XX1U Roots of Europe - language, culture and migrations

Volume 2014/2015
Content

Roots of Europe - language, culture and migrations.
An interdisciplinary course in linguistics, archaeology, anthropology and genetics

The RoE summer school takes an interdisciplinary perspective on the origins, possible homeland and subsequent migrations into Europe of the Indo-European peoples by fusing the disciplines of historical linguistics, archaeology, anthropology and genetics.

Despite two centuries of intensive research within both archaeology and historical linguistics, interdisciplinary collaborations are still rare, which sometimes leads to startlingly incorrect assumptions about the state of the art in the "other disciplines". With the emergence of population genetics, however, anthropologists and archaeologists have come closer than ever to positing reliable hypotheses that can and should be compared to the findings of historical linguistics. It is of course only by combining our disciplines that we can ever approach an answer to the most central question in Indo-European studies.

The mission of the RoE summer school is to bridge the gaps among the disciplines by inviting a broad international and interdisciplinary panel of lecturers. The course offers introductory modules into linguistics, archaeology and population genetics, thus enabling students to engage in more in-depth and specific modules that deal with the Indo-European question from a linguistic, archaeological and genetic perspective.

Tuition fee

For information on tuition fees, please visit the Faculty of Humanities summer school website: http://humanities.ku.dk/education/summer/

Information on living costs and costs of accommodation is available at the UCPH website for international students: http://studies.ku.dk/welcome/

 

Learning Outcome

At the end of the RoE summer school, participants should have acquired:

  • knowledge and understanding of prevalent theories, from various scientific fields, about Europe’s prehistory and the migrations and developments that have created Europe as we know it from written sources
  • the methods underlying the above-mentioned theories
  • skills in the critical evaluation of conflicting theories about Europe’s prehistory
  • skills in written mediation of said evaluations
  • competences in acting in a cross-disciplinary environment, on the basis of acquired insights into the synergetic effects and controversies that characterize such an environment

 

The work-load amounts to a total of 210 hours, equalling 7,5 ECTS. Students must be prepared for a considerable amount of reading before the course. However, most of these texts are of an introductory nature; the aim is to secure a minimum of knowledge of the basics of disciplines other than the student's own.

A reading list will be uploaded here in due course.

The course is tailored for students of historical linguistics, archaeology, anthropology and genetics. A similar course is not on offer anywhere else in the world; we therefore expect that it will be of interest to academics at all levels.
The course consists of twenty-two three-hour sessions. Most sessions consist of two hours of lecturing and one hour of supervised exercises. Students are encouraged to work in interdisciplinary teams with their fellow students of other disciplines.

The workload is distributed as follows:

- Pre-course preparation time (reading of suggested literature): 92 hrs
- Preparation during course (typically 3 hrs a day): 36 hrs
- In-class activities (lectures and exercises, typically 6 hrs a day): 66 hrs
- Writing of exam paper: 16 hrs
How to apply:

The deadline 1st of April 2015; subject to availability, there may be a second deadline on June 1st. Please use the following application form:
http:/​/​rootsofeurope.ku.dk/​dokumenter/​application_for_enrollment_in_summer_school_roe.pdf/​
The form is to be submitted to inss-summerschool@hum.ku.dk
  • Category
  • Hours
  • Preparation
  • 92
  • Total
  • 92
Credit
7,5 ECTS
Type of assessment
Written assignment
Examination:

On 7 August, the last day of the course, students will be given the title of a set essay, of 7-10 standard pages, to be written in English and to be submitted within 24 hours. All aids are allowed.

Essays will be assessed according to the 7-point grading scale. There will be at least two examiners, one of whom is a lecturer of the course
Marking scale
7-point grading scale
Censorship form
No external censorship