ANTH 301 - Methods in Archaeology

Credits: (3)
College Curriculum: COLL 200
Domain (Anchored): CSI
Domain (Reaching Out): NQR

Starting from premise that the division between “method” and “theory” is an artificial convention, this class explores the nexus between archaeological practice and the interpretive frames driving contemporary archaeology. We focus our attention on the points in the research process where the interpretive frames of social theory meet the often messy and convoluted results of archaeological investigation. The class includes a mix of reading, lecture, student presentations, discussion, and in-class exercises. The in-class exercises allow students to gain practical laboratory experience. Class meetings will typically be organized around thematic topics, such as chronology, geoarchaeology, paleo-diets, and archaeology of war and violence. Hands on lab projects and analysis of datasets will provide you with analytical skills and experience in archaeological field and laboratory analysis. Most of the assigned readings wil be written by professional archaeologists for other professional archaeologists. Some are written in the opaque, jargon-laden prose of academia. We will discuss strategies for reading this material which will (hopefully) allow you to hone the skills necessary for understanding challenging, technical discussions.