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Anthropology
5
Archaeology:
Living in the Material World
Syllabus
grading
schedule
midterm review
projects
class policies
Course Description
Things are an inherent part of human life. They define where we live,
what we eat, the bodies we make, the tools we use. As such, things allow
archaeology -- as the recovery and interpretation of material culture from
the past -- to know about people and cultures that no longer exist and
to bring to light hidden aspects of everyday life.
This course studies material culture as both a human and an archaeological way of knowing that makes things more a part of living than we usually think. We will consider material objects as containers and representations of cultural meaning. The first section reviews the practical techniques of archaeology. The course then examines the material record of some important cultural moments in human history such the origins of agriculture and inequality and the peopling of the Americas. The last part of the course considers the subfield of Historical Archaeology. Here we examine the material record of the recent past from the formation of the dominant 'modern' culture to expressions of resistance and dissent found in the archaeology African Americans, women, and the working class. The course concludes with a look at some of the problems that have arisen for archaeology as such marginal peoples have sought to take control of their past.
Textbooks
There are three books required for the course.
Archaeology: Down to Earth, 2nd ed. by David Hurst Thomas
In Small Things Forgotten, rev and exp ed. by James Deetz
Adventures in Fugawiland: A Computer Simulation in Archaeology 3rd ed. by T. Douglas Price and Anne Birgitte Gebauer
In addition there will be required readings placed on regular
and electronic reserve at the library.
Grading
You are expected to attend class and keep up with the readings. Attendance will be taken and your grade will be reduced by 10% (a letter grade) for each absence if you have more than three lectures.
Otherwise the grade is based on (a) a set of practical exercises based on the 'Adventures in Fugawiland' materials, (b) an in-class midterm, (c) a research report, and (d) a take-home final exam. Information on the details of what will be covered on the exams and what is expected in the practical exercises and the research report will be provided separately.
The assignments are weighted as such:
(a) Fugawiland Exercises (30%): Exercises 1-3 count 5% each; The Final
Report counts 15%.
go to Fugawiland assignments
(b) Midterm Exam (20%): short answers, definitions, and problems.
(c) Research report (25%): report on archaeological project
(d) Take-home final exam: (25%): essay
Class Schedule
-----------------------------Week 1-----------------------------
Introduction
reading: none
Archaeology, Science, and Culture
reading: Thomas, Chapter 2
-----------------------------Week 2-----------------------------
Archaeology, Theory, and Material Culture
reading: Macauley, ‘Motel of the Mysteries’ on
reserve
'Adventures in Fugawiland' Introduction and Review of Software
reading: Price and Gebauer, Part 1 (pp.1-4) and
Price and Gebauer, Part 3 (pp.59-92)
-----------------------------Week 3-----------------------------
February 16 (no class, President's Day)
reading: none
Finding Archaeological Sites
reading: Thomas, Chapter 5 (pp.121-147) and
Price and Gebauer, Chapter 1 (pp.7-20)
-----------------------------Week 4-----------------------------
Survey and Excavation Techniques
reading: Thomas, Chapter 5 (pp.147-156) and
Price and Gebauer, Chapter 2 (pp.21-37)
Archaeological Dating
reading: Thomas, Chapter 3 and
Price and Gebauer, Chapter 3 (pp.48-52)
Due February 27: Fugawiland Exercise #1, Discovering Sites
(pp.94-98)
go to Fugawiland assignments
-----------------------------Week 5-----------------------------
Archaeological Data, Patterns, and Reconstruction
reading: Price and Gebauer, Chapter 3 (pp. 39-48
and pp. 52-58)
Environmental Archaeology and Subsistence:
Hunter-Gatherer cultural patterns
reading: Thomas, Chapter 7 and Chapter 10 (pp.271-
280)
Due March 5: Fugawiland Exercise #2, Dating and Chronology
(pp.99-102)
go to Fugawiland assignments
-----------------------------Week 6-----------------------------
The Origins of Agriculture
reading: Thomas, Chapter 10 (pp. 280-287) and Diamond, ‘The
Worst Mistake’ on reserve
Archaeological Interpretation:
Writing the ‘Adventures in Fugawiland’ Report
reading: none
Due March 12: Fugawiland Exercise #3, Data Analysis & Hypotheses
(pp.103-112)
go to Fugawiland assignments
-----------------------------Week 7-----------------------------
The First Americans
reading: The Puzzle of the First Americans (Tankersley
et al) on Reserve
The Archaeology of Social Difference: Gender and Ranking
reading: Thomas, Chapter 9 (pp.243-260)
-----------------------------Week 8-----------------------------
Social Power and the Origins of Inequality
reading: Thomas, Chapter 9 (pp.260-270)
Review for Midterm Exam
reading: none
Due March 26: Fugawiland Final Report (pp.113)
go to Fugawiland assignments
-----------------------------Week 9-----------------------------
March 29, Monday Midterm Exam
go to midterm review
Historical Archaeology and American Material Culture
reading: Deetz, Chapter 1
-----------------------------Week 10-----------------------------
No class, Spring Break
-----------------------------Week 11-----------------------------
Historic Artifact Patterns: Pipestems and Houses
reading: Deetz, Chapters 2 & 5
Historic Artifact Patterns: Ceramics and Gravestones
reading: Deetz, Chapters 3 & 4
-----------------------------Week 12-----------------------------
The Origins of the Modern World: Georgian Culture
reading: Deetz, Chapter 6
African-American Archaeology
reading: Deetz, Chapters 7 & 8
-----------------------------Week 13-----------------------------
The Material Culture of Agency and Resistance
reading: Thomas, Chapter 11 (pp. 319-326) and
Sacred Dinners and Secular Teas (Wall) on reserve
American Alternatives
The Political and Social Contexts of Cutlery Production (Nassenay
and Abel) on reserve
-----------------------------Week 14-----------------------------
Archaeology and Politics: The African Burial Ground
reading: Thomas, Chapter 12 (pp. 337-346)
Archaeology and Politics: NAGPRA
reading: Thomas, Chapter 12 (pp. 346-353)
-----------------------------Week 15-----------------------------
Kennewick Man and Final Thoughts
reading: none
Due May 10/12: Research report
Take-Home Final Exam to be handed out
May 19, Final Exam Due