Dr Anthony Sinclair

National Teaching Fellow 2010 Kent Flannery once said, "archaeology is still the most fun you can have with your pants on". Were it not for the existence of 'archaeological theory' most archaeology students might agree. Anthony Sinclair persuades his students to see it Flannery's way. Anthony has taught at the University of Cambridge, and at Meiji University in Tokyo. He joined the University of Liverpool in 1994, where he is a Senior Lecturer in Archaeological Theory and Method, in the School of Archaeology, Classics and Egyptology. Since 2005, Anthony has been the Subject Director for Archaeology in the Subject Centre for History, Classics and Archaeology. He was instrumental in bringing the Subject Centre to Liverpool. He became the Centre's Director in 2008. Anthony has had a major impact on Liverpool's students in the development of thinking skills, and professional competence in archaeological practice. He restructured theoretical and ethical teaching through four archaeology programmes to help students understand the place of archaeology in the modern world, and he has designed and taught a range of practical modules that enhance the employability of students for the world of professional archaeology. For the Subject Centre, and for the archaeology community in the UK, Anthony has published the first, long-term research into the career histories and employability skills of archaeology graduates, and worked extensively with the professional body, employers and departments. Anthony has transformed the level of engagement with the professional sector. He also launched, and edits, the first international journal devoted to the pedagogy of archaeology, Research in Archaeological Education. Anthony believes that the distance that separates us from past human lives, and yet the importance of our interpretations to communities in the present means that to learn archaeology is about learning how to think, creatively, ethically and practically. "It is difficult to think of ways in which this course could be improved; it is fascinating and morally challenging. Sinclair has a wide ranging gift for lecturing." It also helps if it is fun. "I loved Sinclair's enthusiasm and all of his humorous comments. He was a joy to be taught by."