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Master's Degree Dissertation

Code: 44507 ECTS Credits: 20
2024/2025
Degree Type Year
4315555 Egyptology OB 2

Contact

Name:
Jose Lull García
Email:
jose.lull@uab.cat

Teachers

Josep Cervello Autuori
Marc Orriols Llonch
Jose Lull García
Joan Oller Guzman
(External) Andrés Diego Espinel
(External) Francisco Bosch Puche
(External) Juan Carlos Moreno García
(External) Lucía Díaz-Iglesias Llanos
(External) Miguel Ángel Molinero Polo
(External) Miquel Carceller Sindreu
(External) Rafael Saade Saade
(External) Sandra Tárraga Bono

Teaching groups languages

You can view this information at the end of this document.


Prerequisites

To take this module students must have taken the six teaching modules of the first year of the master's degree and be simultaneously taking (or have already taken, in previous editions of the master's degree) the four teaching modules of the second year.


Objectives and Contextualisation

The aim of this module of the master's degree is twofold:

1) To train students to use the methods and techniques of scientific work in Egyptology, to provide them with knowledge of and access to the bibliographic and webographic tools and resources specific to the discipline (bibliographic and source repertoires, reference works, primary and secondary literature, etc.) and to introduce them to the history of the discipline and to the main theoretical and methodological debates of the past and present. These skills and knowledge will be taught within the framework of the subject Methodology of Egyptological Research.

2) Tutoring the preparation of the student's Final Master's Dissertation, which will consist of the preparation of a highly specialised Egyptological article, about 30 pages in length and with a well-organised and developed critical apparatus, which may consist of either a detailed state of the art on a specific Egyptological issue or an original research work on a specific topic. In both cases, the subject matter will be defined by mutual agreement between the student and the tutor. The TFM will also necessarily involve the use of the methods and techniques of Egyptological work and ICT, the direct analysis of textual, iconographic and/or archaeological sources, and the consultation of repertoires of sources, reference works in the discipline and primary and secondary literature. Eventually, it will also involve editing texts.


Competences

  • Act in a creative and original way with solidarity and spirit of scientific collaboration.
  • Apply the methods and techniques egiptológico work and the main instruments and bibliographical indexes, series and magazines, reference works and corpora of texts, dictionaries and encyclopedias Egyptology.
  • Assess the quality, self-imposed, rigor, responsibility and social commitment, both in training and in the scientific and informative work.
  • Critically analyze a given scientific problem based on historical and cultural sources.
  • Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  • Organize and plan the contents of a research paper (article, monograph) and / or oral exposure (class communication conference).
  • Process and discriminate information, make catalogs and codes of textual sources or materials, prepare bibliographic databases and scientific data.
  • Read, translate, parse, interpret texts critically and edit antiguoegipcios, medioegipcios and neoegipcios of different genres and on different media.
  • Recognize and evaluate sociological or ecological issues such as gender, otherness, multiculturalism, identity, immigration and the relationship between human societies and the environment, responding to the concerns of the society of our time.
  • Students can communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
  • That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
  • That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
  • That the students can apply their knowledge and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.

Learning Outcomes

  1. Act in a creative and original way with solidarity and spirit of scientific collaboration.
  2. Apply proper methods of Egyptological research in its various sub-disciplines.
  3. Assess the quality, self-imposed, rigor, responsibility and social commitment, both in training and in the scientific and informative work.
  4. Critically analyze a given scientific problem based on historical and cultural sources.
  5. Critically analyze a theory, a work or egiptológico approach with a view to scientific debate.
  6. Critically review Egyptological books or specialized items.
  7. Edit critically hieroglyphics and hieratic texts.
  8. Egyptology critically read literature.
  9. Egyptology structure research work, prepare their critical apparatus.
  10. Exposing the state of affairs of a certain topic or egiptológico problem.
  11. Handle with ease composition software hieroglyphic texts.
  12. Hieroglyphic texts by computer processing and Copts.
  13. Knowing the major Egyptological online resources (websites and databases) and information network distinguishing contents critically.
  14. Knowledge and understanding that provide a basis or opportunity for originality in developing and / or applying ideas, often in a research context.
  15. Make a critical bibliography of a specific theme or egiptológico problem.
  16. Managing the different bibliographic, textual and archaeological repertoires, major corpora of texts and the main series and periodicals in use in Egyptology.
  17. Organize and plan the contents of a research paper (article, monograph) and / or oral exposure (class communication conference).
  18. Process and discriminate information, make catalogs and codes of textual sources or materials, prepare bibliographic databases and scientific data.
  19. Quote properly for short textual, archaeological or iconographic sources according to their origin, location or catalog publication.
  20. Recognize and evaluate sociological or ecological issues such as gender, otherness, multiculturalism, identity, immigration and the relationship between human societies and the environment, responding to the concerns of the society of our time.
  21. Students can communicate their conclusions and the knowledge and rationale underpinning these to specialist and non-specialist audiences clearly and unambiguously.
  22. That students are able to integrate knowledge and handle complexity and formulate judgments based on information that was incomplete or limited, include reflecting on social and ethical responsibilities linked to the application of their knowledge and judgments.
  23. That students have the learning skills that enable them to continue studying in a way that will be largely self-directed or autonomous.
  24. That the students can apply their knowledge and their ability to solve problems in new or unfamiliar environments within broader (or multidisciplinary) contexts related to their field of study.

Content

SUBJECT: EGYPTOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

1) History of Egyptology. Main theoretical, epistemological, and methodological trends in Egyptian philology, history, and culture. Egyptological research today: main currents and lines of research. Egyptology in Spain.

2) Egyptology in Egypt. Main institutions, libraries, and museums. Main missions during the 19th and 20th centuries. Main current missions. Egyptology outside Egypt. Main universities, institutions, libraries, museums, and exhibitions.

3) The problem of transcription of proper names and other words into our languages.

4) Egyptological work (I): edition of texts (hieroglyphic, hieratic, demotic, Coptic; epigraphic, on papyrus, on ostraca...).

5) Egyptological work (II): publication of archaeological and iconographic sources.

6) Egyptological work (III): field work. Auxiliary techniques: dating, pottery, analysis of artefacts and ecofacts (geological and palaeobiological data), architecture, restoration, photography and photogrammetry, drawing, topography.

7) Computer science and Egyptology. Hieroglyphic text processing: JSesh. Transliteration and Coptic sources. Introduction to Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Software for photo processing and for the production of drawings, plans, and maps. Databases and main online Egyptological resources. Preparation of Power-point presentations.

8) Egyptological bibliography: main bibliographic repertoires (AEB, OEB, PM); main repertoires of sources; encyclopaedias and encyclopaedic dictionaries; grammars and dictionaries of the language; specialised series and journals.

9) Egyptological publishing: how to produce a specialised Egyptological text. Traditional and American systems. Preparation of the bibliography. Preparation of the critical apparatus. Publishing a collective volume (conference proceedings, tributes, etc.). The bibliographical review.

10) Research, publication and quality. Indexing andcategories of specialised journals. Main lists of national and international humanities journals. Impact index. Indications of book quality (publishers, publication abroad, translations, number of citations, reviews...). Curriculum vitae.

FINAL MASTER'S THESIS

See the document: "Orientaciones para la elaboración del Trabajo de Fin de Máster".


Activities and Methodology

Title Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Type: Directed      
Theoretical and practical methodology classes 40 1.6 1, 4, 5, 2, 19, 15, 13, 7, 9, 10, 8, 11, 16, 17, 14, 18, 12, 23, 22, 24, 21, 20, 6, 3
Type: Supervised      
Tutorials 20 0.8 1, 4, 5, 2, 19, 15, 13, 7, 9, 10, 8, 11, 16, 17, 14, 18, 12, 23, 22, 24, 21, 20, 6, 3
Type: Autonomous      
Preparation and public presentation of the final master's dissertation 440 17.6 1, 4, 5, 2, 19, 15, 13, 7, 9, 10, 8, 11, 16, 17, 14, 18, 12, 23, 22, 24, 21, 20, 6, 3

See the document: "Orientaciones para la elaboración del Trabajo de Fin de Máster".

Annotation: Within the schedule set by the centre or degree programme, 15 minutes of one class will be reserved for students to evaluate their lecturers and their courses or modules through questionnaires.


Assessment

Continous Assessment Activities

Title Weighting Hours ECTS Learning Outcomes
Exercises of the subject "Methodology of Egyptological Research" 5% 0 0 1, 4, 5, 2, 19, 15, 13, 7, 9, 10, 8, 11, 16, 17, 14, 18, 12, 23, 22, 24, 21, 20, 6, 3
Final Master's dissertation 95% 0 0 1, 4, 5, 2, 19, 15, 13, 7, 9, 10, 8, 11, 16, 17, 14, 18, 12, 23, 22, 24, 21, 20, 6, 3

To pass the module students must pass the evaluation of the two subjects that compose it.

In the table, the hours of dedication to each activity are not specified because they may vary from one student to another. The approximate total hours of the student's personal work are specified in the table in the "Methodology" section.

The exercises of the subject EGYPTOLOGICAL RESEARCH METHODOLOGY will consist of:

1) Exercises on the use of repertories of sources and specialised bibliographical tools.

2) A short paper on an Egyptological institution.

3) A short paper on a major archaeological mission in Egypt.

4) Exercises on the preparation of a bibliography and critical apparatus.

5) Exercises with the hieroglyphic word processor and other software used in Egyptology.

6) Editing of Egyptian texts in hieroglyphic, hieratic, demotic, and Coptic scripts; on papyrus, on ostracon or epigraphic texts.

7) A book review.

Since the main aim of these exercises is to prepare the student for the completion of the final dissertation, they will essentially be assessed on the basis of the dissertation itself. For this reason, for the purposes of the final mark for the module, they are assigned a specific weight of only 5%.

 

CHARACTERISTICS AND FORMAT OF THE FINAL MASTER'S DISSERTATION (TFM)

The TFM is presented as a research article that must respond, in content and methodology, to the standards of the Egyptological discipline. It is not, therefore, a monograph, the argument must be very well defined and limited, and the objectives must be realistic, taking into account the time available and the means available. The student can choose his tutor from among all the Master's professors, according to his thematic or methodological preferences. The student and the teacher will decide the tutoring by mutual agreement. Teachers can suggest possible topics to students. If, on the contrary,it is the students who propose specific topics to the teachers, they must assess their viability and validate or not the proposals. Once the student and the tutor have agreed on a topic, both must meet at least once a month to adequately monitor the work.

In accordance with its conception as a research article, the length of the TFM must be about 30 pages (with bibliography, critical apparatus and figures - drawings, photographs, tables, maps, plans... - included). If the theme of the work makes it necessary to incorporate further graphic material, the number of pages may be increased to 40. In no case may the work have more than 40 pages. The main text should be written in Times New Roman font, 12 points. The text of the notes must be written in Times New Roman font, 10 points. Only the cover of the work and the titles of the chapters (but not those of the sections) can be written in larger font (but always Times New Roman). The sheet must be DIN-A4 and the margins must be those that appear by default in Word. The line spacing of the main text must be 1.5. The work will be written in Spanish, Catalan or English and care will be taken to ensure that the language has the correctness and quality that corresponds to a university level of studies. Under no circumstances will works that are not correctly written be accepted for public reading.

 

Calendar and public reading

October 29, 2024 Pre-briefing

January 20, 2025 Deadline for communication to the coordinator of the master's degree the subject (provisional title) and the TFM tutor.

May 15, 2025 Deadline for delivery to the TFM tutor and the master's coordinator of a provisional index and a bibliography as complete as possible of the work.

July 10, 2025 Deadline for delivery to the TFM tutor of a first version of the completed work; The tutor will return the corrected work to the student before July 31.

September 1, 2025 Deadline for delivery to the TFM tutor of the final version of the work.

September 10, 2025 Deadline for delivery of the completely completed work to the tutor and master's coordinator.

September 25 and 26, 2025 Public reading of the TFMs.

 

The public reading of the TFM will take place in two parts. In the first, the student will give a presentation of about 20 minutes on the motivations for choosing the topic of the work, the objectives, the methodology used, the structure and content, the main contributions and conclusions. For this exhibition, the student must use Information and Communication Techniques (ICT). In the second part, the members of the TFM Commission will issue their judgments, comments and questions, to which the student will be able to respond in a final turn of reply. Reading each TFM will take a maximum of 40 minutes. Students in the in-person modality of the Master will defend their work in person, while those in the virtual modality will do so via streaming.

 

As for the FINAL MASTER'S DISSERTATION, the written work will be worth 80% of the final grade and the oral presentation will be worth 20%. If the teaching staff detects plagiarism, the work will be scored with a zero. Honors registration will be awarded to anyone who achieves or exceeds a final grade of 9.5, complying with current regulations that allow one HR to be awarded for every twenty students. In the event that two or more works with the same maximum grade are chosen for the same RH, the average grade obtained in the master's degree will also be valued.

Evaluation of written work. Rubrics (value: 80%):
a) Originality and quality of the contents: 20%
b) Argumentationand structure: 20%
c) Treatment of textual, iconographic and archaeological sources: 10%
d) Quality of the bibliography and critical apparatus: 25%
e) Commitment to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): 5%


Evaluation of the oral presentation. Rubrics (value: 20%)
a) Structure and contentof the oral presentation: 10%
b) Orality of the exhibition: 5%
c) Resources to support oral presentation (ICT, etc.): 5%

 

The Master's Teaching Committee, made up of three professors, will appoint the members of the TFM tribunals, which will be made up of two or three professors, one of whom will be the professor tutor of the work. The Master's Commission and the final composition of thetribunals will be communicated to the students one week before the public reading event.

With regard to the grading review procedure, teachers will inform students of this procedure at the time of each assessment activity.

With regard to make-up tests, the teacher will agree the dates with the students, which must be within the month following the original test. Students who have passed a testbutwish to improve their marks may also sit the make-up test. The final master's dissertation is not subject to recovery.

 

PUBLICATION:

It is recommended that all FMDs with a final grade equal to or greater than 9 be published in the UAB "Dipòsit Digital de Documents"  (DDD). In order to be able to publish, the student must sign and deliver to the coordinator of the TFM module the consent form prepared by the Humanities Library of the UAB duly completed.

Normative:

• Reglament del Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB acord del Consell de Govern de 25 d’abril de 2012.

• Política institucional d’accés obert de la Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona aprovada en Consell de Govern el 25 d’abril de 2012.

• Llicències Creative Commons recomanades a la UAB aprovades per la Comissió d’Accés Obert de la UAB a gener de 2015 i revisades a octubre de 2017.

• Política de preservació del Dipòsit Digital de Documents de la UAB (DDD)aprovada en Consell de Govern el 3 de maig de 2018.


Bibliography

Cervelló Autuori, Josep. 20262. Escrituras, lengua y cultura en el antiguo Egipto. Bellaterra: Edicions UAB.

Da Riva, Rocío; Vidal, Jordi (eds.) 2015. Descubriendo el Antiguo Oriente. Pioneros y arqueólogos de Mesopotamia y Egipto a finales del s. XIX y principios del s. XX. Barcelona: Bellaterra (articles de Marsal, Cervelló Autuori i Moreno García).

Davies, Vanessa; Laboury, Dimitri (eds.) 2020. The Oxford Handbook of Egyptian Epigraphy and Paleography. Oxford: Oxford U.P.

Hornung, Erik, 2000. Introducción a la egiptología. Estado, métodos, tareas. Madrid-Barcelona: Trotta-Edicions de la UB.

Lloyd, Alan B. (ed.) 2010. A Companion to Ancient Egypt. 2 vols. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell.

Sauneron, Sergei 1971. La egiptología. Vilassar de Mar: Oikos Tau (ed. orig. 1968. Paris: PUF).

Valbelle, Dominique, 1994. L'Égyptologie. Paris: PUF.

Verbovsek, Alexandra; Backes, Burkhard; Jones, Catherine  (eds.) 2011. Methodik und Didaktik in der Ägyptologie. Herausforderungen eines kulturwissenschaftlichen Paradigmenwechsels in den Altertumswissenschaften. München: Wilhelm Fink (especialment articles de Dieleman, Winand, Angenot, Baines i Eyre).

 

See the document: "Orientaciones para la confección del Trabajo de Fin de Máster".


Software

JSesh, hieroglyphic writing software.

It can be downloaded free of charge from: https://jsesh.qenherkhopeshef.org/


Language list

Name Group Language Semester Turn
(TEm) Theory (master) 1 Spanish annual afternoon