Archaeology
ANT 207
Spring 2012
Spring term,
2012
Scott E. Simmons, Ph.D.
MWF 11:00-11:50 am
simmonss@uncw.edu; 962-3429
Randall Library Auditorium Office Hours: T Th
1:00-3:00 pm
Detailed 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.
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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 to access them.
e-Reserve
Readings:
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/
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Grading/Assessment:
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.
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
Slide Presentations &
other Class Resources
Slides will be posted on
Blackboard under Spring 2012 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
Office Hours & Extra Credit:
My office hours are on Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1:00-3:00 or by
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. My
office telephone number is 910.962.3429, and my e-mail address is
simmonss@uncw.edu. Also, 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
Student 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.