INTRODUCTION TO ARCHAEOLOGY
ANT 3101 Section 001 University of South Florida
Nancy White
SOC 144, hrs: 11-12 M & W or CALL for appointment
Phone: 974-0815
e-mail: nwhite@chuma1.cas.usf.edu
Spring 2002
REQUIRED TEXTS
Ashmore, Wendy, and Robert J. Sharer
2000 Discovering Our Past: A Brief Introduction to Archaeology.
3rd edition. Mayfield Publishing Co., Mountain View, California
(abbreviated A&S below)
Price, T. Douglas, and Gary M. Feinman
2000 Images of the Past. 3rd edition. Mayfield Publishing
Co., Mountain View, California (abbreviated P&F below)
| Date | Discussion Topics | Assigned Readings (pages) |
|---|---|---|
| 7-14 Jan | Definition and kinds of archaeology, history of archaeology | A&S 1-34 |
| 16-23 Jan | Different theoretical approaches to archaeology; the nature of archaeological data and how we get them (site formation, etc.) | A&S 35-78 |
| 21 Jan | No Class—Martin Luther King holiday | |
| 28 Jan | Archaeological survey and excavation: where, how to dig | A&S 79-113 |
| 4 Feb | MOVIES: Archaeology in the Field and Lab; Other People's Garbage |
|
| 6-11 Feb | Archaeological classification and analysis of the remains | A&S 115-168 |
| 13-18 Feb | Archaeological interpretation and reconstruction | A&S 169-225 P&F 1-22 |
| 20-25 Feb | Public archaeology and modern society; managing cultural resources. MOVIE: Assault on Time | A&S 227-242 |
| 27 Feb | MIDTERM EXAM | |
| 4-6 Mar | Human prehistory: the first people and culture, Lower Paleolithic | P&F 22-95 |
| 11-13 Mar | No Class—SPRING BREAK | |
| 18-20 Mar | Middle and Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers; the emergence of modern humans; Old World foragers, Mesolithic | P&F 96-195 |
| 25-27 Mar | Origins of food production. MOVIE: Corn and the Origins of Settled Life | P&F 196-255 |
| 1-3 Apr | North American, some Mesoamerican prehistory | P&F 256-363 |
| 8-10 Apr | Finish Mesoamerican, South American archaeology. MOVIE: Peru, People of the Sun | P&F 364-405 |
| 15-17 Apr | Old World prehistory, civilizations. MOVIE: Pakistan, Mound of the Dead | P&F 406-520 |
| 22-24 Apr | Review and relevance of twenty-first century principles of archaeology | |
| 1 May, Wed, 10:30-12:30 | FINAL EXAM |
COURSE GOALS AND EMPHASES
Archaeology is the study of past cultures and societies through their material remains. We will explore different varieties of archaeology and examine theory, methods, and techniques for investigating, reconstructing, interpreting, preserving, and ultimately, learning from the past. We will then briefly review human cultural chronology from the time of the first people, the earliest Paleolithic ages, to the present, and deal with not only the artifact remains but also important social, economic, and even ideological questions, such as those on the origins of food production, social inequality, and civilization. Two major emphases throughout the course are archaeology as anthropology and the relevance of archaeology to modern human society and politics. We will also examine exciting discoveries that make the news during the semester.
This year the Society for American Archaeology, the premier professional association, wishes to improve the archaeology curriculum, not only to help the student learn better, but also to convey seven important principles of GOOD ARCHAEOLOGY. This class is one of the case studies of the renewed curriculum project, and will be experimental and dynamic. The principles are listed below in terms of course goals you should aim toward. These principles are also a major part of USF's public archaeology program. Thus we will discuss them throughout every aspect of the course, as associated with the material and ideas assigned for the week.
By or before the end of this course you should be able to do the following:
Describe the BASIC ARCHAEOLOGICAL SKILLS: how to locate, record, investigate, analyze, and interpret archaeological sites
Demonstrate good COMMUNICATION skills: written, oral, visual, and interactive, to understand and tell the story of the past
Discuss critically PROFESSIONAL ETHICS AND VALUES in archaeology: skills, honesty, responsibility to science and to the many different publics
Understand and compare DIVERSE INTERESTS IN THE PAST: different people's associations with prehistory and history
Describe the processes and methods of STEWARDSHIP: preserving nonrenewable cultural resources through policy, law, and public education
Discuss critically archaeology's SOCIAL RELEVANCE: connections of past human systems and adaptations with today's world
Describe not only specific case studies but general archaeological principles relating to REAL-WORLD PROBLEM SOLVING: practical application of knowledge from the human past
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
You will have succeeded in this course when you are able to:
1. Contribute to the class discussion of assigned topics, current archaeological news, and classroom exercises
2. Post comments and information on a specific topic on the USF electronic BlackBoard
3. Demonstrate knowledge of archaeological methods, theories, ethics and values, cultural resources preservation, conservation archaeology, and stewardship on the midterm exam
4. Evaluate a local archaeology lecture for content, research goals, philosophy, communication, and social relevance
5. Analyze details of past important cultures worldwide, describing major transitions in prehistory and how this knowledge is important for modern humans and interpreted differently by different interest groups
6. Demonstrate clear speaking and writing in all assignments, indicating good preparation and organization
7. Discuss the value of archaeology to your own individual life and to modern society
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
Class Participation: Classes include lectures, discussions, films, and slide presentations. Readings must be done IN ADVANCE so you can DISCUSS the material in class. Lectures include material beyond that in your texts for which you will be responsible on exams, so note-taking and attendance are required. Taping lectures is permitted, but not for sale or profit. You are encouraged to bring in pertinent articles from the current news media to discuss.
Class participation will be graded, usually when attendance is taken. It includes:
(1) General discussion, asking/answering questions in the classroom
(2) A specific assignment to find additional material about the subject of one chapter of the texts (whether an archaeological technique or a specific site or research question) from the library, Internet, or any source, and report to the class when we get to that chapter (students can choose or be assigned a topic). Reporting will be done orally in class and in written/electronic form posted on the class website using USF's Blackboard portal system.
Exams: There will be two exams, a midterm and a final. Both include essay-type questions as well as so-called objective questions, and each will cover assigned readings for that time period as well as lectures and other class materials. The final will be cumulative to a small degree in that you will need to know the basic concepts of archaeology to interpret the record of prehistory and early history. There will be NO makeup exams except in fully documented serious circumstances. A makeup exam must be taken within one week of the missed exam, and will consist of all essay questions.
Two Very Brief Papers:
(1) One requires attending one of the many archaeology lectures given in town and writing a brief summary and critique of the talk. Papers should describe the research, its methods, theoretical perspective, and goals; critique the speaker; and relate the talk with course materials learned in the classroom. This paper is due any time before the last class (24 April).
(2) Another short paper will evaluate information on two or more websites on archaeological projects (NOT artifact sales or archaeological associations or journals). Pick any of the thousands on the Internet to describe and compare in terms of what you have learned in class. DO NOT just hand in a printout of the websites (this is not required unless you want to add it in), but a well-organized critique and comparison stating the origins of the websites, the intended audience, and research goals and theoretical perspectives. You can include how you would redo the websites to improve them. This paper is due by mid term.
Both papers should be 2-3 pages, double-spaced, typed, and in a professional format. LATE PAPERS ARE NOT ACCEPTED. E-mailed papers are not accepted.
CLASS POLICIES
Cheating and other academic dishonesty are dealt with severely, according to USF policy (see the current catalogue). A grade of incomplete is given ONLY if there is sufficient reason that the work was not done and if the student signs a contract to complete the work. If the building must be evacuated for some emergency, we will meet at the north-northeast entrance and go elsewhere. When exams are scheduled they will be given, even if we must go to another location.
Non-majors may take this course to receive an S or a U grade only, if they sign the contract to do so by 11 January. This course satisfies a Social Science General Education requirement.
Exams and papers will all be returned; they are held (in SOC 144) for one month from the date taken for students to pick up, after which time they will be discarded. Grade policy now includes plus/minus grades (though this may not necessarily help you!). If you need to be absent for a major religious observance, please provide written notification by 11 January so you will not be penalized. Students with disabilities that require accommodation in the classroom or for any assignments should provide this information to the instructor so that you may be assisted.
Respectful behavior in the classroom is required: do your errands, phone calls, and pit stops before class; turn off cell phones; do not arrive late, leave early, or otherwise disrupt the class.
SUMMARY OF ASSIGNMENTS
27 February: Midterm Exam
25 February or earlier: Website paper
Before 24 April: Lecture paper
1 May: Final exam
Throughout entire class: Class participation, discussion and knowledge of readings, current archaeological events, etc.
- Additional information on one topic posted on course website on BlackBoard
FINAL GRADE CALCULATION
30% = Midterm exam
10% = Archaeology websites review
10% = Lecture Report
40% = Final exam
10% = Class Participation, including class discussion and electronic
BlackBoard assignment
TESTS AND ASSESSMENTS
Comments on tests are appropriate here. While ever-increasing class sizes (and ever-decreasing availability of teaching assistants) require more work from the instructor, I feel it is inappropriate at the college level to have straight multiple-choice tests. Many computer-graded exams by necessity do not offer the kinds of thinking opportunities that I wish to provide. The compromise is to redesign types of tests for both high expectations but not too labor-intensive a grading process. Since I return all tests for students to keep, and go over answers in class, I must redesign tests each time the course is taught. Luckily, with both word processing functions (cut-and-paste, different fonts) and class discussions of new archaeology items in the news, this is not too difficult. I also insist on essay questions on each test, for practicing those thinking and communications skills. Grading essays includes comments on what is missing or incorrect.
The following are examples of different test formats and assessment tools:
1. PRE- AND POST-TEST ON ARCHAEOLOGY
Questions can be adapted to any classroom situation and to computer-grading forms. They help students assess their strengths and set goals for learning when given at the beginning of the course, and evaluate how much they have learned at the end (or how much they need to cram for the final exam!). This kind of test is usually only for the students' own use and evaluation of their knowledge and does not count toward the course grade.
This test is in the form of multiple choice, but has not only more complicated answers but also far more numbered answers on the answer sheet to choose from than there are questions, including some answers that are close in concept (or even spelling) but not correct. The exam covers the entirety of archaeological practice, method, theory, and history—the first half of the course.
This test is also multiple choice by first glance. There can be many choices of answers below the initial phrase of the questions, however; from one to all may be correct. To grade it, the instructor takes off the same amount if a correct answer is not circled or if an incorrect answer is circled. In essence, it is really a true-or-false test in disguise, and it also tests their communication skills in completing the sentences of each question.
4. FINAL EXAM
Same format as Midterm B, above, but covering the second half of the class—world prehistory and more intensive exploration of archaeology in society.
5. EXAM 3 (For a class without larger-scale final exam)
This format is the traditional true-and-false, but with the added requirement that for all false answers the true version be given in the blank space provided (just a short phrase). This makes students think just a bit more and not have a grade based on the luck of guessing. The test covers the last third of the class (later world prehistory/early history) and was used at a time when I gave three exams instead of just two (midterm and final). It could be expanded to be a complete final exam.
6. ERROR ANALYSIS FOR TESTS: INSTRUMENT FOR STUDENT USE
This tool is useful to help students determine the reasons they made errors on tests and develop study skills on their own that can address the specific problems they have in learning the material. It was obtained from an education specialist at USF and can be adapted for use in any course, with any additional factors listed.
7. STUDENT PEER EVALUATION FORM FOR CLASS PRESENTATIONS
This form is useful for students and instructor alike to evaluate any class presentations (such as the storytelling in prehistory exercise); it can be signed or anonymous, but either way is very helpful for students to realize how others see them.