Archaeology exchange Southampton
General
I went on an exchange to the University of Southampton, in Southampton, UK, in the first semester of the 2018-2019 academic year.
Preparation
My preparations for the exchange were fairly straightforward. I wanted to go to the UK because I like the country, speak the language, and find British archaeology interesting, and from there on picking the university wasn’t hard as there aren’t many options for an
archaeology exchange in the UK. Of these options, I liked Southampton the best because the modules on offer looked the most interesting.
Arrival
I travelled alone, by plane. I took a taxi to the campus where I was going to live, as I didn’t feel like trying to get a bus with several heavy bags. The arrival system wasn’t ideal, as I had to go to the other side of campus from my room (and the parking space where the taxi dropped me off) to get my room key, so I had to either lug all my stuff across campus and back, leave it unattended, or find someone to watch it for me. Luckily a friend from my home university was also starting his exchange in Southampton and was next door to me, and, as he had arrived the day before, could watch my stuff for me while I went to get my key. The University of Southampton could definitely improve their welcome for
international students, as this situation would be annoying for anyone arriving alone, as many exchange students do.
There were several introduction activities that I had to attend, some for international students, some for all new archaeology students. I found neither particularly useful in terms of the information offered, as the activities for international students were geared towards students who were used to very different modes of study, whereas the Dutch and British systems are pretty similar; and the activities for new archaeology students were designed with first-year students in mind. Neither taught me much I didn’t already know, and what useful info I did get could have been easily summarised in a pamphlet or one short meeting instead of several activities spanning several hours. The activities did, however, offer an opportunity to meet other students. That being said, I didn’t really bother fostering new friendships as I knew I was only going to be in the city for four months, there was little overlap between my modules in terms of my classmates, and I already had a friend from my home university there.
Modules
Module name Module
objective
The Ethnography of Food I no longer have access to this information.
The important role of food in societies. The role of feasting in creating/emphasising relationships, the role of food in rituals, labour division in obtaining/preparing food, food taboos, etc. Mostly focused on ethnography, as the title says, but also occasional
mention/explanation of how one can research food archaeologically. 7.5 First-year module; little new information at lectures, stopped going to these after first two; seminars more interesting; reasonably interesting assignments. Would not recommend choosing first-year modules if going on exchange in third year, unless you just want easy credits; I only took this module because my first choice (osteology) overlapped with another module. Stonehenge to Skara Brae: the Neolithic of Britain I no longer have access to this information.
Exactly what it says on the tin. Lectures structured around various topics, e.g. housing, mobility, food,
clothing/adornments; covering the entire Neolithic and all of the British Isles.
7.5 Third-year module, very interesting content, although the main lecturer had a boring lecturing style. Interesting essay questions. I learned a lot, would recommend. Might have been my favourite module if the main lecturer had been a little less boring.
The Life and Afterlife of the Vikings I no longer have access to this information. Multi-disciplinary module: history, literature and archaeology.
Assigned reading was consequently a combination of historical texts, archaeological
articles and literature
7.5 Second-year module, very interesting content, engaging lectures. Approaching topics from varied viewpoints is a very good strategy in my opinion, because it forces you to
such as sagas. Discussed many varied topics such as slavery, trade, warfare, the role of women in society, exploration etc.
consider every topic from varied points of view and it allows you to combine information from various sources to get a more complete picture. Not a big fan of the seminars, but quite liked the assigned reading. Interesting essay questions. I learned a lot, would recommend. My favourite module of the four. The Archaeology and Anthropology of Adornment I no longer have access to this information.
The role of personal adornment, both in modern Western society and other recent/modern societies. From tattoos and body paint to hairstyles and jewellery. No archaeology involved.
7.5 Third year module. A lot of interesting content, but both the lectures and the assignments were often a bit vague and ‘out there’. The final assignment, for example, was to design a personal adornment to express a particular idea or concept and, using the theory covered in the module, explain why you designed it that way to express that particular thing. I didn’t – and still don’t – see how you can grade people based on whether you agree with the meaning that they give to things, as this is a very personal thing. Fun
assignment though. Module definitely
not what I expected. Might be good for some people, but I wasn’t the biggest fan. Academic Skills for International Students To help international students navigate the British academic system Discussions of how to reference, academic writing style, etc.
- Useless for me, because it was meant for students who weren’t used to the British academic system, which is very similar to the Dutch system; it was also my only module on Fridays. I soon stopped going.
Finance
I paid far more rent in Southampton than I did at home (475 gbp a month as opposed to 300 euros), even though my accommodation was much shittier (I went from sharing an entire apartment including a living room and washing machine with two others, to a smaller bedroom in a house with ten occupants, two showers of which one barely worked, and no living room or washing machine in the building). I would definitely recommend, for anyone going to the UK, to find privately rented accommodation as this tends to be better value for money, in my experience (this has been my experience both in Southampton and in York, where I’m currently studying).
Cost of living was also slightly higher, as most things tend to be a bit more expensive in the UK than in the Netherlands, from food to haircuts. I didn’t keep track of my living expenses in detail, though. I didn’t go to any sports facilities in Southampton as the on-campus gym was too expensive for my tastes. I didn’t go out much, because I wasn’t a big fan of the Southampton nightlife, so the overall cost of going out was much lower than at home even though alcohol, like most things, is more expensive in the UK. My mobile phone costs didn’t change as I had free wifi in most of the city and rarely called or texted anyone (not counting Whatsapp, which, of course, made use of the free wifi).
University accommodation included a free bus pass valid on all Uni buses, which went almost everywhere that I needed to go, so I only paid a couple of pounds for a bus ride once. I did, of course, have to pay a couple of hundred euros for my plane tickets (two returns, as I went home for Christmas). This included the unforeseen cost of changing my flight to another day when my grandmother suddenly passed; I had no other unforeseen costs.
Daily life
Southampton is not the nicest city in the world; it does not have nice old buildings (the city was heavily bombed during WWII) and I already mentioned that the nightlife isn’t great. I did really like one pub called the Hobbit, which has a very pleasant atmosphere, hosts live music and game nights, has a collection of free-to-play boardgames, and has a system where you can earn stamps for drinking various Middle Earth-themed cocktails to eventually get t-shirts. I would also recommend 7Bone Burger if you like burgers (they have vegetarian and gluten free options as well). Both are on Portswood Road, at walking distance from both Avenue and Highfield campus, where there are also many charity (i.e., second-hand) shops, supermarkets, a hairdresser, etc.
There is also a large park – the Southampton Common – adjoining both campuses, which is very good for walks when the weather is good: there are, among other things, forested areas, several lakes, loads of dogs, ducks and squirrels, and a rather picturesque disused graveyard. You can also get a ferry to the Isle of Wight from the Southampton Quay, which I definitely recommend, or get only a little ways out of the city to the South Downs National Park, very good to visit for a weekend or so if you have the opportunity.
Miscellaneous: the public transport in the city is good; the cinema is good; there’s an IKEA, which can come in very handy; and British drinking culture may not be what you’re used to if you’re Dutch, as the focus sometimes seems to be more on getting drunk than on having a good time – also, be prepared to pay to get into any club.
Evaluation
Although there was room for improvement, I really enjoyed my time in Southampton. I had fun, my modules were mostly interesting, and I developed my English further, even though it was already pretty good. It was also a good way to get a taste of the British academic system, very useful for me as I went on to do a master’s in York.
Lastly, my three tips for anyone going on an archaeology exchange to Southampton:
- Don’t go for university accommodation if you have another option (but be careful, of course, to avoid rent scams); as I already said above, my experience with university accommodation was that it was very poor value for money
- Do get involved in societies; I joined some, but in hindsight I wish I would have gone to more socials
- Do pick The Life and Afterlife of the Vikings as one of your modules; even if you’re not necessarily particularly interested in Vikings, it’s a really fun module and a good way to get some experience with multi-disciplinary research
