Syllabus and guide with exercises for the MA course "Data Management and Digital Archeaology" (040468), Institute for Archaeological Studies, Ruhr University Bochum.
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The "Data Management and Digital Archaeology" MA course offers a comprehensive overview of data management and digital tools essential for archaeological research under the open science paradigm. It begins with foundational sessions on data management and the use of Git and GitHub for version control, helping students organize, maintain, and share their research data and analyses.
The course then delves into programming with R, covering basic R programming skills and best practices, followed by advanced topics like count data analysis, seriation techniques, and compositional data analysis tailored for archaeology. We then explore essential concepts in database management, offering two sessions to provide introductory and more advanced knowledge necessary for handling archaeological databases. The course concludes with a brief, but practical introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS), introducing students to GIS software and techniques used to analyse spatial data in archaeological research.
By the end, students will be equipped with enough digital skills to effectively manage, analyse, and interpret archaeological data under an open science framework while also being prepared to continue their own learning journey in this ever-evolving field.