Archaeology
ANT 207
Fall 2011
Fall term 2011
Scott E. Simmons, Ph.D.
MWF 10:00-10:50 am
simmonss@uncw.edu; 910.962.3429
Keenan Hall Room 1111, UNCW
Office Hours: TTh 10:30-12:00
Course Description:
Archaeology is the principal way that people have come to understand certain key developments in humankind’s past. This class will provide you with an introduction to the field of archaeology, including how archaeology is practiced today, the important concepts that are part of the discipline, and the methodological and theoretical issues that currently are shaping the field today. You’ll learn what makes archaeology exciting and fun by examining different past cultures throughout the world. This class will show you how archaeologists piece together their pictures of our past, the different issues that drive their research interests, and the challenges they encounter in their work. The class will consist of lectures, open discussions, in-class and at-home activities and assignments, occasional videos, and slide presentations all aimed at helping you think about and understand the most important aspects of the field of archaeology.
Final Exam Monday December 12, 2011 8:00-11:00 am
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Course Textbook:
Robert L. Kelly and David Hurst Thomas
2010 Archaeology: Down to Earth. Fourth edition. Wadsworth
Publishing Company. Belmont. California
ISBN-13: 978-0-495-81409-2
Supplemental Readings:
There are
three e-reserve readings and all are on-line. Click on the links below.
Reading 1 – Ancient Commoner diet in El Salvador: evidence from the Cerén site. Go to http://www.penn.museum/documents/publications/expedition/PDFs/45-2/Uncommonly%20Good.pdf
Reading 2
– Maya
politics likely played role in the decline of ancient big game animal species.
Got to:
http://www.fossilscience.com/research/Maya_politics_likely_played_role_in_ancient_large-game_decline.asp
Hohokam Reservoirs and their Role in the Ancient Desert Economy. Go to:
http://www.cdarc.org/pdf/ait/arch-tuc-v6-no4.pdf
Reading 3 –
Raised field agriculture in the Lake Titicaca Basin: Putting ancient agriculture
back to work. Go to -
http://www.sas.upenn.edu/~cerickso/articles/Exped.pdf
The MACHI Project - understanding and reclaiming Maya cultural heritage. Go to:
http://www.machiproject.org
The El Pilar Project - protecting and understanding the Maya biosphere. Go to:
http://www.marc.ucsb.edu/elpilar/
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Grading:
There will be three exams including the final. Each exam will
cover approximately one-third of the course content. There will also be three
quizzes during the semester. Your lowest quiz grade will be dropped so you’ll
be graded on your two best quiz grades and all three exams. These exams and
quizzes will cover all of the material we discuss in class, and include
lectures, videos, web site content and assigned readings from your text. Exams
and quizzes will be combinations of multiple choice and True/False. You’ll have
the entire class period to complete these.
Attendance in this class is mandatory and is worth 50 points of your course grade (see below). A sign-in sheet will be distributed each class. Excused absences require a note to be given to Prof. Simmons.
Grades
are based on a 450 point system:
Quiz I
– 50 points Quiz II
- 50 points Quiz
III - 50 points
Exam I
- 100 points Exam II
- 100 points Exam
III - 100 points
Attendance
- 50 points
A =
405 - 450 pts C = 315 - 359 pts F =
anything less than 270 pts
B = 360 - 404 pts D =
270 - 314 pts
Class
Resources:
Office
Hours
Tuesdays & Thursdays
from 10:30-12:00 or by special appointment. Feel free to come in during these
hours – my door will be open. I am located in Rm. 103 in the Social and
Behavioral Sciences (SBS) Building (the only building on campus not labeled on
its facade). My office telephone number is 910.962.3429,
and my e-mail address is
simmonss@uncw.edu.
Web
Site
Be sure to
log onto my web site for periodic class announcements, noteworthy news in
anthropology and archaeology, and extra credit possibilities. The url is:
http://people.uncw.edu/simmonss
Slide
Presentations & other Class Resources
Slides will
be posted on Blackboard under Fall 2011 semester and ANT 207 shortly after they
are given in class. Be sure to periodically check the "Course Content"
part of Bb as study aids and other resources will be posted there - these will
help with quizzes and exams! Also check the "Course Tools" for
announcements, such as class cancellations.
The
University Learning Center
The University Learning Center’s
(ULC) mission is to help students become successful, independent learners.
Tutoring at the ULC is NOT remediation: the ULC offers a different type of
learning opportunity for those students who want to increase the quality of
their education.
The ULC is located in
DePaolo Hall 1056 & 1003, first floor. The telephone number is 910.962.7857 and
their web address is:
www.uncw.edu/ulc
ULC services are free to
all UNCW students and include the following:
--Learning Services (Basic Studies)
http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/learning/index.html
--Math Services
http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/math/index.html
--Study Skills
http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/study/index.html
--Supplemental Instruction
http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/si/index.html
--Writing Services
http://www.uncw.edu/ulc/writing/index.html
Learning Outcomes
Upon successful completion of this course the student
will be able to:
1) Explain what archaeology is, how it is integrated into the larger field of anthropology, and why the study of past cultures is important.
2) Explain the standard field and laboratory methodologies archaeologists use as well as key concepts in archaeology, including context, processualism, Middle-Range Theory, taphonomy, post-depositional processes, and dating principles, among others.
3) Critically evaluate the ways that archaeologists integrate both qualitative and quantitative information to test hypotheses about the nature of past human behaviors.
4) Distinguish between evidence obtained through fieldwork and laboratory analyses and speculation about humankind’s past.
5) Apply the principles and methods of archaeology to the study of ancient cultures and the material correlates of those cultures.
6) Explain the ways that archaeology and the study of past human cultures can inform us about such important developments in humankind’s history as the emergence and effects of social differentiation, the rise of city-states (civilizations), the shift from mobility to sedentism, and tensions caused by cultural change.
7) Critically evaluate the ways that archaeological information on humankind’s past history can help inform public policy makers about current issues in anthropology, such as indigenous vs. non-indigenous claims to the past, gender roles in society, and the protection of cultural resources, and others.