ANTH& 204 Archaeology (5 credits)
Distribution Area Fulfilled Social Sciences; General Transfer Elective
Formerly ANTHR 230-CCN
Course Description
Introduction to archaeological methods and theory. We learn how archaeologists locate, study, and interpret the material remains of past societies, and apply that knowledge as we solve archaeological puzzles.
Course Content
History of archaeological thought and current approaches:
archaeology as anthropology
the development of archaeological field techniques
culture-historical approach, Processual Archaeology, Interpretive archaeologies, Public archaeology
experimental archaeology, ethnoarchaeology, Cultural Resource Management
archaeological ethics and current issues
Categories of archaeological evidence:
Artifacts, ecofacts, features, and sites
Provenience, Distribution, and Frequency
Typology and classification
Associations and Assemblages
The importance of multiple independent lines of evidence for archaeological interpretation
Archaeological preservation and site formation processes.
Archaeological survey and excavation procedures including:
Aerial photography, lidar, sonar, satellite images
Pedestrian survey
Ground-penetrating radar, soil resistivity, magnetometry
Wheeler box grid, open-area excavation, step-trenching, underwater archaeology
Stratigraphic analysis
Sampling strategies
Mapping, metric system
GIS systems
Relative and absolute dating methods, including stylistic dating, seriation, stratigraphy, dendrochronology, radiocarbon dating, potassium-argon dating, thermoluminescence, and historical calendars and chronologies.
Settlement systems, site hierarchies, and societies of different scales.
Environment, subsistence, diet, and site seasonality:
Micro-botanical, macro-botanical, plant residue remains
Microfauna and macrofauna
Human teeth, isotopic analysis
Tool manufacture techniques over time: stone, wood, animal and plant fibers, pottery, metals, glass
Trade and exchange: sourcing, fall-off analysis, interaction spheres
Studying skeletal remains: age, sex, demographic analysis; malnutrition and disease
Cognitive archaeology: symbolic systems and functions, archaeology of religion and ritual
Student Outcomes
- Describe major developments in archaeology over the past 200 years.
- Explain effective methods for locating, dating, studying, and documenting different types of archaeological sites.
- Apply appropriate techniques for the analysis and interpretation of archaeological data: artifacts, ecofacts, sites, and settlement systems.
- Apply archaeological concepts and methods to archaeological materials in order to interpret lifeways of different kinds of societies.
- Analyze archaeological problems in order to ask effective research questions and determine methods for addressing them.
- Discuss the reliability, level of certainty, and limitations of archaeological interpretations based on the quality and quantity of evidence.
- Discuss current cross-cultural, legal, or political issues that impact the practice of archaeology.
Degree Outcomes
Social Sciences: Graduates analyze and interpret social phenomenon using social science theories and methods.Critical, Creative, and Reflective Thinking: Graduates will evaluate, analyze, synthesize, and generate ideas; construct informed, meaningful, and justifiable conclusions; and process feelings, beliefs, biases, strengths, and weaknesses as they relate to their thinking, decisions, and creations.
Lecture Contact Hours 50
Lab Contact Hours 0
Clinical Contact Hours 0
Total Contact Hours 50
Potential Methods
Examinations
Quizzes
Individual written assignments / essays
Individual or group work in class
Research assignments
Class presentation
Large and small group discussions
Group assignments
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