This class focuses on foods and foodways as a way to better understand past societies. We will examine the role of food in human evolution, address how archaeologists use multiple data sources to reconstruct past foodways, and assess how these data can be integrated and interpreted through a series of case studies. “Food” includes both meat and plant sources, and we will discuss studies of each and their contributions to the understanding of past societies’ food habits. Various food processing technologies, like ceramics and lithics, are also important for deciphering foodways, and we will examine the ways archaeologists gain information from them. The course will cover a wide variety of geographic and temporal areas, and will present an overview of foods and foodways across time and space.

The individual project for 10 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 240 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The individual project for 20 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 480 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

Conventional sociological or historical accounts tend to portray human life as if objects either are irrelevant or at best, passive and inert. This course follows the ‘material turn’ that has occurred in the social sciences and the humanities in the past 20 years and explores the importance of things for understanding human society and history. Drawing on examples from a wide range of disciplines from design history to archaeology, each week a different object is taken for study, illustrating the various disciplinary and theoretical approaches that have been taken to material culture in recent years. The course will be organized around weekly lectures, reading and discussion. The course will be taught in english.

The aim of the course is to provide students with a more comprehensive and deeper insight into the different theoretical approaches within the humanities. In the course, the main theories that have influenced theoretical discussion in the humanities over the last decades will be presented and discussed, and the students are taught how to apply them in their own research.

The course is taught in the first semester of the student’s MA programme and marks the start of the work which will culminate with the writing of an MA thesis in the 4^th semester. In project 1 the student works under supervision, reviewing literature in the subject of their research project writing a report on the state of the art in that field. 

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

“visualization is the process of making the invisible visible[...] the process of making the cognitive imagination visual using available and culturally dominant technologies is one of the most consistent behaviors of mankind.” - Cox, D. (2006). "Metaphoric Mappings: The Art of Visualization." MIT Press.
Cartography is one of the central elements of spatial data visualisation.
This course introduces students to cartographic theory and mapmaking via using digital technology. It aims to give students a broad conceptual as well as practical understanding of cartographic visualisation and geographic communication, encompassing a range of topics relevant in spatial sciences. Through a series of lectures and discussions, students will come to understand the history of cartography, key cartographic theories and concepts, and the role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in today’s map making process. The lectures will be complemented by practical exercises that help to gain an understanding of cartographic conceptualisation as well as a series of tutorial-based computer lab exercises where students will learn how to use GIS for basic spatial analysis and cartographic illustration. They will be able to critically evaluate their own work and of others and explain and justify their decision-making process in a cartographic project.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. The course is intended for students at masters and diploma levels. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussion.

Historical and historiographical survey of major topics in the history of the medieval North, with special emphasis on Iceland and Norway from the Viking Age into the fourteenth century. Topics include: power, kingship and state; law and feud; kinship, gender and social ties; religious and mental outlook(s); conversion, Christianity and church; economic conditions. Prior knowledge of the “factual” narrative is helpful but not necessary. Reading ability in German and/or the modern Scandinavian languages is also helpful but, again, not necessary (all mandatory readings are in English). Students produce a paper and lead discussion; no final exam.

The course includes topics such as:

• Soil formation processes.                 
• Soil classification and global distribution.         
• Soil erosion and land degradation.             
• Human impact on soils and vegetation        
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil
• Physical and chemical properties of soils.
• The role of soil in the ecosystem.
• Icelandic soils and their properties.
• Soil quality indicators.
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil, vegetation and the atmosphere.
• Soil as an archive for cultural, historical and environmental information.
• Laboratory practices for assessing soil quality.

The course is comprised of lectures, laboratory practicals and field work with a report to deliver.

This course explores medieval and early modern world views through the lens of material culture. A central theme is the body and lived experience of people and students will be introduced to some different ways to their study through objects ranging from ecclesiastical artefacts to dress and adornment, manuscripts, and everyday objects. The course invites students to engage with current archaeological theories such as embodiment and materiality, particularly (but not exclusively), in the context of religious practices. The main focus of the course will be on Icelandic material culture from ca. 1100–1700 but examples from a wider European context will also be considered.  The topics of the course include:

• Approaches to the body in archaeology
• The history of the senses
• Experiencing the sacred – Devotional objects and materiality
• Protecting the body – Magic and healing
• The archaeology of emotion
• A trade in body parts – Relics and reliquaries
• The Reformation and iconoclasm
• Manuscripts and the body

Overview of the history of the Viking age and history of Viking research. Emphasis is placed on the archaeological evidence, the sites and the objects, and discussing how archaeological data has contributed to our understanding of this period. Particular attention is given to economic patterns, issues of ethnicity and state formation.

The individual project for 10 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 240 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The individual project for 20 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 480 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The course is about landscape and its archaeological study.  The theoretical background of landscape archeology is outlined, methods of landscape analysis and characterization are introduced but the main emphasis is placed on training students in archaeological field survey.

Living in the contemporary world it is easy to think of the past as something remote and separate from everyday life - whether it is a trip to a museum or even studying archaeology at university, history seems to always be placed at one remove from our everyday life. Something we encounter for fun or interest. The aim of this course is to look at our modern world through an archaeological and historical lens: how are the patterns of our lives today the product of things that happened in the past? This course will show how the past is alive in the present – not as a heritage site or archaeology textbook but as something which still shapes our daily routines and the material world around us. Although the roots of this go back to our biological evolution, arguably most of these effects emerged in the last 500 years.

During the last decades, medieval archaeology has experienced significant growth as a discipline concerned with material culture. Initially, the use of material culture was marginalized to the role of confirming or refuting historical knowledge about this period but today it is understood as having equal historical importance to the archived material. The course is thus intended to improve student’s understanding of Medieval Europe during the period 800–1600 AD through the study of material culture. It deals with general themes in medieval archaeology, such as identity, social status, rural and urban landscapes, religion, life and death, rather than the historical development of the Middle Ages in chronological order. The aim is to give students insight into the different fields of theory and method of medieval archaeology through both material and documentary evidences in accordance with the current state of research. A special emphasis will be put on medieval Iceland, as a part of European culture and society, but even on how medieval archaeologists gather their sources, analyse them and reach conclusions of historical importance.

The course is taught in the second semester and involves on the one hand the development of a research plan with the help of the supervisor and on the other in training in the methods which will be used in the research project. If the need arises it is possible to take the methodological component as a separate course in another discipline (max 6 credits). 

The course is intended for postgraduate students only. It is adapted to the needs of students from different fields of study. The course is taught over a six-week period.

The course is taught 12th January - 16th February on Fridays from 1:20 pm - 3:40 pm.

Description: 
The topics of the course include: Professionalism and the scientist’s responsibilities. Demands for scientific objectivity and the ethics of research. Issues of equality and standards of good practice. Power and science. Conflicts of interest and misconduct in research. Science, academia and industry. Research ethics and ethical decision making.

Objectives: 
In this course, the student gains knowledge about ethical issues in science and research and is trained in reasoning about ethical controversies relating to science and research in contemporary society.

The instruction takes the form of lectures and discussion. The course is viewed as an academic community where students are actively engaged in a focused dialogue about  the topics. Each student (working as a member of a two-person team) gives a presentation according to a plan designed at the beginning of the course, and other students acquaint themselves with the topic as well for the purpose of participating in a teacher-led discussion.

This is a project that can be chosen as an addition to HSP806F Ethics of Science and Research and can only be taken along with that course.

The vascular flora of Iceland and the arctic flora: origins, composition, ecology. The biogeography of the flora of the North Atlantic. The Pleistocene environment of Iceland and the Holocene vegetation history of Iceland and Europe. Hypotheses on the age and origin of the Icelandic flora and the arctic flora. The soils of Iceland: characteristics and development, desertification. Post-settlement vegetation changes in Iceland. Biodiversity and distribution patterns of the Icelandic vascular flora. Protected and red-list species. after the biogeography of the circumpolar north. Origins and characteristics of the vascular flora of Iceland. Methods for the description and classification of vegetation. Icelandic vegetation: classification, distribution, environment and utilization. 4 day summer field course.

This course is scheduled to be taught in the spring of 2026.

The objective of this course is to gain methodological knowledge, understanding and practical skills to analyze images and visual data (photographs, films, drawings, advertisements, online media, etc.). We will discuss various methods of analysis of the visual content, consider visual databases and how to work with them. Students receive practical training in visual methodological studies and how to evaluate them. The course is based on practical assignments, where students prepare and design research proposals, collect data and how to analyze. The course is interdisciplinary and is suitable for students of humanities and social sciences, and other related fields.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. The course is intended for students at the masters and diploma levels (but is open to BA students in their final year).

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

Conservation and preventive care of museum artifacts is the subject of this course. Theories and practices of conservation and preventive care will be explored, with emphasis on practical exercises in making evaluations of the material state of artifacts and the environment that they are either stored in and/or exhibited. Course exercises are made in collaboration with the museums in the capital area. The course is taught in on-site study, daily during the week of 19-23 February, with lectures, discussions and project classes. Teaching takes place on University Main Campus and is not available for distance learning.

Students learn and are trained in the methods of archival research, finding and evaluating sources in archives.  Practical exercises will be assigned.

This course examines professionalism, using case studies from museum work in Iceland, from a broad, interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives and debates. This course should therefore appeal to students from a variety of disciplines, including museology, archaeology, art studies, cultural studies, anthropology and folklore. The case studies are related to the variable works of museums, including management, organisation, collection, conservation, research and communication.

Furthermore, methods of assessment will be considered, both from the angle of the museum visitor as well as self-appraisals of the museums themselves (approaches to - and processing of information). The subject of the case studies are variable, including administration, gender considerations, accessibility, conservation of archaeological artefacts, research into visual cultural heritage, freedom of expression, housing and building affairs, gifts to museums and more.

In this course, experts and specialists (from Iceland and abroad), working in museum sector will give talks, sharing their knowledge and their experience. Students will choose one day over the semester, for a one day career day at a museum in Reykjavík, where a member of staff will tell them about the museum‘s main activities and demonstrate basic entry input in their electronic database. Students will work with the staff for the remainder of the day.

The course is taught distance learning, with short, online lectures by teachers and guest-lecturers. It also includes three full day on-campus (or Zoom, should that be needed) lecture days, where students will visit museums around Reykjavík and listen to lectures from a variety of people. Attendance is required during the three day on-campus and Zoom days.

Final grade is based on completing written assignments during the semester, attendance for full-day on-campus/zoom days and the career day.

The course is intended for students at the masters and diploma level.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. The course is intended for students at the masters and diploma levels (but is open to BA students in their final year).

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

This course is taught in the field at Hofstaðir in Mývatnssveit, northern Iceland.  Students are introduced to Icelandic archaeology and take part in fieldwork which can involve surveying, remote sensing, coring and excavation.  Students receive training in all stages of archaeological fieldwork, from project design to post-excavation and outreach to academia, the public and tourists.  Students learn about dating methods, site formation processes and the material culture of the North Atlantic.  Emphasis is placed on considering localised fieldwork in its broader academic context and introducing students to academic debate within the archaeology of the North Atlantic.   Emphasis is also placed on introducing the methods of heritage management and giving students insight into the challenges and opportunities of cultural heritage tourism. 

This class focuses on foods and foodways as a way to better understand past societies. We will examine the role of food in human evolution, address how archaeologists use multiple data sources to reconstruct past foodways, and assess how these data can be integrated and interpreted through a series of case studies. “Food” includes both meat and plant sources, and we will discuss studies of each and their contributions to the understanding of past societies’ food habits. Various food processing technologies, like ceramics and lithics, are also important for deciphering foodways, and we will examine the ways archaeologists gain information from them. The course will cover a wide variety of geographic and temporal areas, and will present an overview of foods and foodways across time and space.

The individual project for 10 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 240 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The individual project for 20 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 480 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

Conventional sociological or historical accounts tend to portray human life as if objects either are irrelevant or at best, passive and inert. This course follows the ‘material turn’ that has occurred in the social sciences and the humanities in the past 20 years and explores the importance of things for understanding human society and history. Drawing on examples from a wide range of disciplines from design history to archaeology, each week a different object is taken for study, illustrating the various disciplinary and theoretical approaches that have been taken to material culture in recent years. The course will be organized around weekly lectures, reading and discussion. The course will be taught in english.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

“visualization is the process of making the invisible visible[...] the process of making the cognitive imagination visual using available and culturally dominant technologies is one of the most consistent behaviors of mankind.” - Cox, D. (2006). "Metaphoric Mappings: The Art of Visualization." MIT Press.
Cartography is one of the central elements of spatial data visualisation.
This course introduces students to cartographic theory and mapmaking via using digital technology. It aims to give students a broad conceptual as well as practical understanding of cartographic visualisation and geographic communication, encompassing a range of topics relevant in spatial sciences. Through a series of lectures and discussions, students will come to understand the history of cartography, key cartographic theories and concepts, and the role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in today’s map making process. The lectures will be complemented by practical exercises that help to gain an understanding of cartographic conceptualisation as well as a series of tutorial-based computer lab exercises where students will learn how to use GIS for basic spatial analysis and cartographic illustration. They will be able to critically evaluate their own work and of others and explain and justify their decision-making process in a cartographic project.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. The course is intended for students at masters and diploma levels. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussion.

Historical and historiographical survey of major topics in the history of the medieval North, with special emphasis on Iceland and Norway from the Viking Age into the fourteenth century. Topics include: power, kingship and state; law and feud; kinship, gender and social ties; religious and mental outlook(s); conversion, Christianity and church; economic conditions. Prior knowledge of the “factual” narrative is helpful but not necessary. Reading ability in German and/or the modern Scandinavian languages is also helpful but, again, not necessary (all mandatory readings are in English). Students produce a paper and lead discussion; no final exam.

The course includes topics such as:

• Soil formation processes.                 
• Soil classification and global distribution.         
• Soil erosion and land degradation.             
• Human impact on soils and vegetation        
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil
• Physical and chemical properties of soils.
• The role of soil in the ecosystem.
• Icelandic soils and their properties.
• Soil quality indicators.
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil, vegetation and the atmosphere.
• Soil as an archive for cultural, historical and environmental information.
• Laboratory practices for assessing soil quality.

The course is comprised of lectures, laboratory practicals and field work with a report to deliver.

The course is taught in the third semester. The students carries out defined part of the MA research project under supervision.

The Masters thesis for 30 credits shall be 20,000-30,000 words in length. It shall comprise research on a focused and contextualized topic and be rigorously conducted with scholarly methods. From the start, the topic shall be defined along with research questions and methods. The conclusions will be presented in a clear and accessible manner. The general requirement for a Master’s thesis is that it will follow acknowledged academic research methods and produce an independent contribution to knowledge in the field of study. The Master’s thesis will be written either in Icelandic or English. The thesis will include an abstract in both English and Icelandic.

This class focuses on foods and foodways as a way to better understand past societies. We will examine the role of food in human evolution, address how archaeologists use multiple data sources to reconstruct past foodways, and assess how these data can be integrated and interpreted through a series of case studies. “Food” includes both meat and plant sources, and we will discuss studies of each and their contributions to the understanding of past societies’ food habits. Various food processing technologies, like ceramics and lithics, are also important for deciphering foodways, and we will examine the ways archaeologists gain information from them. The course will cover a wide variety of geographic and temporal areas, and will present an overview of foods and foodways across time and space.

The individual project for 10 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 240 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The individual project for 20 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 480 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

Conventional sociological or historical accounts tend to portray human life as if objects either are irrelevant or at best, passive and inert. This course follows the ‘material turn’ that has occurred in the social sciences and the humanities in the past 20 years and explores the importance of things for understanding human society and history. Drawing on examples from a wide range of disciplines from design history to archaeology, each week a different object is taken for study, illustrating the various disciplinary and theoretical approaches that have been taken to material culture in recent years. The course will be organized around weekly lectures, reading and discussion. The course will be taught in english.

The aim of the course is to provide students with a more comprehensive and deeper insight into the different theoretical approaches within the humanities. In the course, the main theories that have influenced theoretical discussion in the humanities over the last decades will be presented and discussed, and the students are taught how to apply them in their own research.

The course is taught in the first semester of the student’s MA programme and marks the start of the work which will culminate with the writing of an MA thesis in the 4^th semester. In project 1 the student works under supervision, reviewing literature in the subject of their research project writing a report on the state of the art in that field. 

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

“visualization is the process of making the invisible visible[...] the process of making the cognitive imagination visual using available and culturally dominant technologies is one of the most consistent behaviors of mankind.” - Cox, D. (2006). "Metaphoric Mappings: The Art of Visualization." MIT Press.
Cartography is one of the central elements of spatial data visualisation.
This course introduces students to cartographic theory and mapmaking via using digital technology. It aims to give students a broad conceptual as well as practical understanding of cartographic visualisation and geographic communication, encompassing a range of topics relevant in spatial sciences. Through a series of lectures and discussions, students will come to understand the history of cartography, key cartographic theories and concepts, and the role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in today’s map making process. The lectures will be complemented by practical exercises that help to gain an understanding of cartographic conceptualisation as well as a series of tutorial-based computer lab exercises where students will learn how to use GIS for basic spatial analysis and cartographic illustration. They will be able to critically evaluate their own work and of others and explain and justify their decision-making process in a cartographic project.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. The course is intended for students at masters and diploma levels. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussion.

Historical and historiographical survey of major topics in the history of the medieval North, with special emphasis on Iceland and Norway from the Viking Age into the fourteenth century. Topics include: power, kingship and state; law and feud; kinship, gender and social ties; religious and mental outlook(s); conversion, Christianity and church; economic conditions. Prior knowledge of the “factual” narrative is helpful but not necessary. Reading ability in German and/or the modern Scandinavian languages is also helpful but, again, not necessary (all mandatory readings are in English). Students produce a paper and lead discussion; no final exam.

The course includes topics such as:

• Soil formation processes.                 
• Soil classification and global distribution.         
• Soil erosion and land degradation.             
• Human impact on soils and vegetation        
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil
• Physical and chemical properties of soils.
• The role of soil in the ecosystem.
• Icelandic soils and their properties.
• Soil quality indicators.
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil, vegetation and the atmosphere.
• Soil as an archive for cultural, historical and environmental information.
• Laboratory practices for assessing soil quality.

The course is comprised of lectures, laboratory practicals and field work with a report to deliver.

This course explores medieval and early modern world views through the lens of material culture. A central theme is the body and lived experience of people and students will be introduced to some different ways to their study through objects ranging from ecclesiastical artefacts to dress and adornment, manuscripts, and everyday objects. The course invites students to engage with current archaeological theories such as embodiment and materiality, particularly (but not exclusively), in the context of religious practices. The main focus of the course will be on Icelandic material culture from ca. 1100–1700 but examples from a wider European context will also be considered.  The topics of the course include:

• Approaches to the body in archaeology
• The history of the senses
• Experiencing the sacred – Devotional objects and materiality
• Protecting the body – Magic and healing
• The archaeology of emotion
• A trade in body parts – Relics and reliquaries
• The Reformation and iconoclasm
• Manuscripts and the body

Overview of the history of the Viking age and history of Viking research. Emphasis is placed on the archaeological evidence, the sites and the objects, and discussing how archaeological data has contributed to our understanding of this period. Particular attention is given to economic patterns, issues of ethnicity and state formation.

The individual project for 10 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 240 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The individual project for 20 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 480 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The course is about landscape and its archaeological study.  The theoretical background of landscape archeology is outlined, methods of landscape analysis and characterization are introduced but the main emphasis is placed on training students in archaeological field survey.

Living in the contemporary world it is easy to think of the past as something remote and separate from everyday life - whether it is a trip to a museum or even studying archaeology at university, history seems to always be placed at one remove from our everyday life. Something we encounter for fun or interest. The aim of this course is to look at our modern world through an archaeological and historical lens: how are the patterns of our lives today the product of things that happened in the past? This course will show how the past is alive in the present – not as a heritage site or archaeology textbook but as something which still shapes our daily routines and the material world around us. Although the roots of this go back to our biological evolution, arguably most of these effects emerged in the last 500 years.

During the last decades, medieval archaeology has experienced significant growth as a discipline concerned with material culture. Initially, the use of material culture was marginalized to the role of confirming or refuting historical knowledge about this period but today it is understood as having equal historical importance to the archived material. The course is thus intended to improve student’s understanding of Medieval Europe during the period 800–1600 AD through the study of material culture. It deals with general themes in medieval archaeology, such as identity, social status, rural and urban landscapes, religion, life and death, rather than the historical development of the Middle Ages in chronological order. The aim is to give students insight into the different fields of theory and method of medieval archaeology through both material and documentary evidences in accordance with the current state of research. A special emphasis will be put on medieval Iceland, as a part of European culture and society, but even on how medieval archaeologists gather their sources, analyse them and reach conclusions of historical importance.

The course is taught in the second semester and involves on the one hand the development of a research plan with the help of the supervisor and on the other in training in the methods which will be used in the research project. If the need arises it is possible to take the methodological component as a separate course in another discipline (max 6 credits). 

The course is intended for postgraduate students only. It is adapted to the needs of students from different fields of study. The course is taught over a six-week period.

The course is taught 12th January - 16th February on Fridays from 1:20 pm - 3:40 pm.

Description: 
The topics of the course include: Professionalism and the scientist’s responsibilities. Demands for scientific objectivity and the ethics of research. Issues of equality and standards of good practice. Power and science. Conflicts of interest and misconduct in research. Science, academia and industry. Research ethics and ethical decision making.

Objectives: 
In this course, the student gains knowledge about ethical issues in science and research and is trained in reasoning about ethical controversies relating to science and research in contemporary society.

The instruction takes the form of lectures and discussion. The course is viewed as an academic community where students are actively engaged in a focused dialogue about  the topics. Each student (working as a member of a two-person team) gives a presentation according to a plan designed at the beginning of the course, and other students acquaint themselves with the topic as well for the purpose of participating in a teacher-led discussion.

This is a project that can be chosen as an addition to HSP806F Ethics of Science and Research and can only be taken along with that course.

The vascular flora of Iceland and the arctic flora: origins, composition, ecology. The biogeography of the flora of the North Atlantic. The Pleistocene environment of Iceland and the Holocene vegetation history of Iceland and Europe. Hypotheses on the age and origin of the Icelandic flora and the arctic flora. The soils of Iceland: characteristics and development, desertification. Post-settlement vegetation changes in Iceland. Biodiversity and distribution patterns of the Icelandic vascular flora. Protected and red-list species. after the biogeography of the circumpolar north. Origins and characteristics of the vascular flora of Iceland. Methods for the description and classification of vegetation. Icelandic vegetation: classification, distribution, environment and utilization. 4 day summer field course.

This course is scheduled to be taught in the spring of 2026.

The objective of this course is to gain methodological knowledge, understanding and practical skills to analyze images and visual data (photographs, films, drawings, advertisements, online media, etc.). We will discuss various methods of analysis of the visual content, consider visual databases and how to work with them. Students receive practical training in visual methodological studies and how to evaluate them. The course is based on practical assignments, where students prepare and design research proposals, collect data and how to analyze. The course is interdisciplinary and is suitable for students of humanities and social sciences, and other related fields.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. The course is intended for students at the masters and diploma levels (but is open to BA students in their final year).

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

Conservation and preventive care of museum artifacts is the subject of this course. Theories and practices of conservation and preventive care will be explored, with emphasis on practical exercises in making evaluations of the material state of artifacts and the environment that they are either stored in and/or exhibited. Course exercises are made in collaboration with the museums in the capital area. The course is taught in on-site study, daily during the week of 19-23 February, with lectures, discussions and project classes. Teaching takes place on University Main Campus and is not available for distance learning.

Students learn and are trained in the methods of archival research, finding and evaluating sources in archives.  Practical exercises will be assigned.

This course examines professionalism, using case studies from museum work in Iceland, from a broad, interdisciplinary theoretical perspectives and debates. This course should therefore appeal to students from a variety of disciplines, including museology, archaeology, art studies, cultural studies, anthropology and folklore. The case studies are related to the variable works of museums, including management, organisation, collection, conservation, research and communication.

Furthermore, methods of assessment will be considered, both from the angle of the museum visitor as well as self-appraisals of the museums themselves (approaches to - and processing of information). The subject of the case studies are variable, including administration, gender considerations, accessibility, conservation of archaeological artefacts, research into visual cultural heritage, freedom of expression, housing and building affairs, gifts to museums and more.

In this course, experts and specialists (from Iceland and abroad), working in museum sector will give talks, sharing their knowledge and their experience. Students will choose one day over the semester, for a one day career day at a museum in Reykjavík, where a member of staff will tell them about the museum‘s main activities and demonstrate basic entry input in their electronic database. Students will work with the staff for the remainder of the day.

The course is taught distance learning, with short, online lectures by teachers and guest-lecturers. It also includes three full day on-campus (or Zoom, should that be needed) lecture days, where students will visit museums around Reykjavík and listen to lectures from a variety of people. Attendance is required during the three day on-campus and Zoom days.

Final grade is based on completing written assignments during the semester, attendance for full-day on-campus/zoom days and the career day.

The course is intended for students at the masters and diploma level.

The societal role of museums will be discussed from several angles: economic, political, cultural, social and last but not least in an international context. Examples of topics that will be discussed in the course are the role of museums in building the concept of the nation; the legal environment of museums; how museums are run; the status and role of the main museums; museums owned and run by local authorities and other museums; the financing of museums, and the policies of authorities regarding museums. Both national and foreign examples will be taken. The course is intended for students at the masters and diploma levels (but is open to BA students in their final year).

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussions.

This course is taught in the field at Hofstaðir in Mývatnssveit, northern Iceland.  Students are introduced to Icelandic archaeology and take part in fieldwork which can involve surveying, remote sensing, coring and excavation.  Students receive training in all stages of archaeological fieldwork, from project design to post-excavation and outreach to academia, the public and tourists.  Students learn about dating methods, site formation processes and the material culture of the North Atlantic.  Emphasis is placed on considering localised fieldwork in its broader academic context and introducing students to academic debate within the archaeology of the North Atlantic.   Emphasis is also placed on introducing the methods of heritage management and giving students insight into the challenges and opportunities of cultural heritage tourism. 

This class focuses on foods and foodways as a way to better understand past societies. We will examine the role of food in human evolution, address how archaeologists use multiple data sources to reconstruct past foodways, and assess how these data can be integrated and interpreted through a series of case studies. “Food” includes both meat and plant sources, and we will discuss studies of each and their contributions to the understanding of past societies’ food habits. Various food processing technologies, like ceramics and lithics, are also important for deciphering foodways, and we will examine the ways archaeologists gain information from them. The course will cover a wide variety of geographic and temporal areas, and will present an overview of foods and foodways across time and space.

The individual project for 10 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 240 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

The individual project for 20 credits involves a self-directed project defined in consultation with a supervisor. It should involve c. 480 hours of work, inclusive of any final written report or essay.

Conventional sociological or historical accounts tend to portray human life as if objects either are irrelevant or at best, passive and inert. This course follows the ‘material turn’ that has occurred in the social sciences and the humanities in the past 20 years and explores the importance of things for understanding human society and history. Drawing on examples from a wide range of disciplines from design history to archaeology, each week a different object is taken for study, illustrating the various disciplinary and theoretical approaches that have been taken to material culture in recent years. The course will be organized around weekly lectures, reading and discussion. The course will be taught in english.

What is cultural heritage and what purpose does it serve? Why does it always seem to be endangered? How does it tie together the past and the present? What's it got to do with the nation and the state? Historical consciousness? Globalization? Capitalism? Politics? The course will seek to answer these questions with reference to new research in folklore, ethnology, anthropology, art history, sociology, museology, history and archaeology and with a view to understanding what is going on in this expanding field of study.

“visualization is the process of making the invisible visible[...] the process of making the cognitive imagination visual using available and culturally dominant technologies is one of the most consistent behaviors of mankind.” - Cox, D. (2006). "Metaphoric Mappings: The Art of Visualization." MIT Press.
Cartography is one of the central elements of spatial data visualisation.
This course introduces students to cartographic theory and mapmaking via using digital technology. It aims to give students a broad conceptual as well as practical understanding of cartographic visualisation and geographic communication, encompassing a range of topics relevant in spatial sciences. Through a series of lectures and discussions, students will come to understand the history of cartography, key cartographic theories and concepts, and the role of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) in today’s map making process. The lectures will be complemented by practical exercises that help to gain an understanding of cartographic conceptualisation as well as a series of tutorial-based computer lab exercises where students will learn how to use GIS for basic spatial analysis and cartographic illustration. They will be able to critically evaluate their own work and of others and explain and justify their decision-making process in a cartographic project.

The reading material be based on on essential theoretical works as well as recent research. The history of the field will be critically examined in light of trends at the beginning of the 21^st century. The course is intended for students at masters and diploma levels. 

Work format

Teaching will take the form of lectures and discussion.

Historical and historiographical survey of major topics in the history of the medieval North, with special emphasis on Iceland and Norway from the Viking Age into the fourteenth century. Topics include: power, kingship and state; law and feud; kinship, gender and social ties; religious and mental outlook(s); conversion, Christianity and church; economic conditions. Prior knowledge of the “factual” narrative is helpful but not necessary. Reading ability in German and/or the modern Scandinavian languages is also helpful but, again, not necessary (all mandatory readings are in English). Students produce a paper and lead discussion; no final exam.

The course includes topics such as:

• Soil formation processes.                 
• Soil classification and global distribution.         
• Soil erosion and land degradation.             
• Human impact on soils and vegetation        
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil
• Physical and chemical properties of soils.
• The role of soil in the ecosystem.
• Icelandic soils and their properties.
• Soil quality indicators.
• Soil nutrients and interactions between soil, vegetation and the atmosphere.
• Soil as an archive for cultural, historical and environmental information.
• Laboratory practices for assessing soil quality.

The course is comprised of lectures, laboratory practicals and field work with a report to deliver.

The course is taught in the third semester. The students carries out defined part of the MA research project under supervision.

The Masters thesis for 30 credits shall be 20,000-30,000 words in length. It shall comprise research on a focused and contextualized topic and be rigorously conducted with scholarly methods. From the start, the topic shall be defined along with research questions and methods. The conclusions will be presented in a clear and accessible manner. The general requirement for a Master’s thesis is that it will follow acknowledged academic research methods and produce an independent contribution to knowledge in the field of study. The Master’s thesis will be written either in Icelandic or English. The thesis will include an abstract in both English and Icelandic.