(Short Course) Preservation & decay

What you will study

• The principles of taphonomy – decay and pathways to preservation
• History and current state of the science
• Taphonomy in deep time
• Palaeontological considerations
• Mineralogical preservation
• Destructive processes
• Interpreting organismal remains Signals and noise in the fossil record
• Taphonomy in archaeology
• Perimortem/postmortem processes
• Soft vs. Hard part preservation
• Experimental taphonomy
• Biases

Teaching & Assessment

You will produce a portfolio of material linked to the aspects of preservation and decay covered throughout the module. This portfolio will include:

• A short written piece (maximum of 1000 words) explaining taphonomic principles
• Records of assessments of biological remains and experimental observations

You will also be assessed on other supporting evidence gathered from workshops and practicals undertaken across the module.

Fees & funding

£95

Do you live in Wales? We have a number of funding opportunities available, please complete the form below to find out if you are eligible to study this course for free. Apply now via this form.

Once you have completed your fee waiver application this will go to our funding team to process, and we will then contact you as soon as possible to let you know if you are eligible or not to have your fees waived..

If you are eligible, we will then contact you to let you know how to secure your place on the course..

* Please note the fee waiver is only available to students studying 30 credits or less in an academic year. If you commence further study during this academic year, which will take you over 30 credits, this may result in the fee waiver being removed and you may be charged for the short course.

Course dates

If you would like to find out more about future dates for this course, register your interest.