ISOTOPIC GEOCHEMESTRY
cod. 1005891

Academic year 2015/16
2° year of course - First semester
Professor
Academic discipline
Geochimica e vulcanologia (GEO/08)
Field
Discipline mineralogiche, petrografiche e geochimiche
Type of training activity
Characterising
52 hours
of face-to-face activities
6 credits
hub: PARMA
course unit
in - - -

Learning objectives

The course aims to provide students with information on recent developments in geochemistry and in particular the isotopic understood as a cognitive tool in the interdisciplinary field of archaeology as well as provide the necessary information for the application of geochemical and isotopic techniques in management of the cultural heritage.
At the end of the course the student will have acquired the basic elements of knowledge and will be able to recognize the conditions under which the application of isotopic-geochemical techniques can be effective and make judgments about the potential and the limits of application of the methodology in a given context related to archaeology

Prerequisites

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Course unit content

The training is divided into:
□ basic lessons aiming at the establishment of a simplified theoretical framework of reference on topics such as the isotope geochemistry applied to archaeological problems related to the paleoecologie, the paleo-environment and the paleo-diets with the study of the different ratios that isotopes can have in the composition of bones, teeth and soft tissue of fossil organisms, both animal and human..
□ in applicative lessons focused on the presentation and discussion of case studies in which the isotopic-geochemical methods have been successfully applied to problems related to archaeology;
□ in laboratory lessons to introduce the student with the practical problems associated with obtaining analytical measurements

Full programme

Introduction to stable isotopes and generalities
Measurement units in stable isotopes
Laboratory facilities in stable isotopes
The Palaeo-environment reconstruction: The stable isotopes on biological apatite
The oxygen and carbon isotopes on inorganic fraction of skeletal remains
The carbon and nitrogen on the organic fraction of skeletal remains
The Palaeo-diets reconstruction: The stable isotopes on biological apatite
The carbon isotopes on inorganic fraction of skeletal remains
The carbon and nitrogen on the organic fraction of skeletal remains
Experimental examples on human population
Experimental examples on fauna associations
Laboratory techniques

Bibliography

Lecture notes
Powerpoint presentation of the lessons

Teaching methods

The course will be divided into: basic lessons aiming at the establishment of a simplified theoretical framework and in applicative lessons focused on the presentation and discussion of case studies. In addition, the course will be integrated with a number of hours of support activity, mainly in the laboratory, on the isotope measurement techniques, on the main problems related to the calibration of the isotope measurements and the calculation of the elemental percentage and the isotope values versus an international standard. Some of the exercises will be individual and practices in order to enable the student to carry out independently a particular analytical procedure outlined in theoretical form during the lessons.

Assessment methods and criteria

The ability to use independently, to integrate and to disclose their knowledge, is assessed towards the end of the course, through seminars held by individual students to their classmates with final debate. The workshop is prepared by the student through the use of bibliographic material provided by the teacher and presented by a computer program. The language used should be that of a scientific communication also aimed at non-specialist counterparts.
The acquisition of knowledge is assessed through an oral examination supplemented by the resolution of an analytical problem in writing.
With the seminar maximum 15 points will be acquired, the oral examination will be divided into 3 questions from 4 to 6 points depending on the difficulty, the written exercise will weigh 2 points. Praise will be acquired with a score greater than or equal to 33.

Other information

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