SOCIAL SCIENCE

Catalog Abbreviation: _ANTH_

Catalog Title: _Principles of Archaeology_

Credit Hours: _3 _

Revised: ______

Renewal __X___

Effective Date __Summer, 2012____________

Course description as you want it to appear in the catalog:

Archaeology attempts to reconstruct prehistoric and early historic human life ways as well as long-term cultural and biological evolutionary processes through the scientific study of material remains. This course focuses upon the history of archaeology, the ways in which archaeologists recover, date, analyze, and interpret information, and the major theoretical perspectives that are used to study the past.

All courses proposed for inclusion in the social science breadth category must address at least two of the skill criteria listed below. (Mark all that apply.)

Justification:

1) Written, oral, or graphic communication: Anthropology SS2030 addresses the written communication criterion through exams, interpretive archaeological site reports, and critical analysis papers. For example, students are given the opportunity to write short research papers on an archaeological site or tradition, or on the career and contributions of a particular archaeologist, in order to investigate a topic that they find interesting and expand their knowledge and understanding of that site/tradition/person. Oral communication skills are addressed through classroom discussions during which the instructor elicits feedback from, and discussion among, students regarding course concepts and archaeological data that are covered in the text(s) and lecture material. Students also are encouraged to talk about recent archaeological discoveries and developments that they have learned about through various media sources.

2) Abstract logic or reasoning: This course incorporates abstract logic and/or reasoning by showing students how archaeologists use physical remains of extinct cultural traditions to interpret human behavior at both the micro and macro scales, and to reconstruct ancient life ways. Course readings and lectures concerning aspects of preservation partly focus on the notion that archaeologists’ abilities to reconstruct how people lived in the past (e.g., their socio-political structure, economic practices, ceremonial activities) is largely determined by what objects have been preserved, and therefore can be recovered and interpreted. For example, organic artifacts made from animal skin and plant fiber typically do not preserve at open air sites in temperate or tropical settings, whereas such objects usually do preserve for long periods of time in arid and arctic climates. Students are shown that degree of preservation either limits or enhances one’s ability to make logical inferences and reasonable interpretations about the kinds of human behavior that produced the archaeological record.

3) Critical thinking, cognitive learning, and individual or group problem solving: Critical thinking and cognitive learning skills are addressed by discussing how archaeological data (and the behavior that produced it) are interpreted through theory, hypothesis testing, and systems modeling. Students also are encouraged to view archaeological reconstructions critically because our views of the past are affected by researcher bias, small sample sizes, and inappropriate analogies. For example, we discuss the interpretive challenges and problems of applying historical information concerning colonial period hunter-gatherers to the prehistoric record of that area. Although most foraging societies retained many traditional cultural practices after their homelands were colonized in the 17^th and 18^th centuries, their historical lifeways most likely were markedly different from their pre colonial period ones due to the cultural disruption, depopulation, and environmental modification caused by colonization. Many ethnographic accounts produced by early anthropologists who interviewed Native American elders about their people’s lives and traditions prior to experiencing permanent contact with European settlers do not accurately reflect pre contact lifeways because these accounts oftentimes were skewed by "memory culture." In anthropology, this is a phenomenon in which the indigenous consultants who provided the information concerning prehistoric practices relayed information that was passed down through several or more generations,

but did not live a completely traditional lifestyle themselves. Some of that information was distorted and incomplete; therefore, the direct application of ethnographic data to interpreting the archaeological record of a given area tends to produce flawed reconstructions of the past.

A student completing a social science general education course should be able to accomplish three of the following five outcomes. (Mark all that apply.)

Justification: In Anthropology SS2030, students become familiar with the following concepts and their grasp of these topics/concepts will be measured by exams and writing assignments:

1) A social science approach to studying and understanding human behavior: Archaeology is used to study and understand a wide variety of human behavior at both micro and macro levels. For example, how an ancient potter constructed and decorated a particular ceramic vessel to how plant and animal domestication in various parts of the world caused major changes in socio-political organization and economic structure. Students will understand how site-specific data are best suited for studying/reconstructing small group behavior (i.e., at the family and community levels), whereas regional archaeological data can inform us about aspects of entire cultural traditions at certain points in time.

2) Basic assumptions about humans and their behaviors from a social science perspective: Because humans use culture as their primary means of adapting to both physical and social environments, archaeologists assume that culturally-specific values and norms are reflected in the data that they study. For example, design elements oftentimes are specific to particular ethnic groups and evolve slowly over time, such as zoomorphic ceramic designs on Bronze Age Aegean pottery that progress from realistic to abstract. Students will become familiar with how many archaeologists try to understand general values and shared themes of ancient societies by studying material culture.

3) The interactions between individuals and their sociocultural and/or natural environments: Ancient trade networks not only facilitated the movement of exotic artifacts, raw materials, and foods, they also resulted in the exchange of ideas, languages, and new practices, which sometimes resulted in large-scale cultural change. In regard to the natural environment, archaeology is well-suited for documenting and explaining how people extract natural resources and modify the landscapes around them. Part of this course explores the impacts that the flow of goods, materials, and ideas, as well as the immediate physical environment, have upon pre industrial societies.

4) A social science perspective to a particular issue and identify factors impacting change (past or present): The study of ethnic minorities in colonial societies is a popular aspect of contemporary historical archaeology that has addressed research topics such as the continued use of traditional decorative elements, personal adornment, language, and dance, as well as the continued practice of traditional foodways, music and ceremonialism. Such an approach addresses the issue of the survival value and staying power of core cultural values among people whose homelands have been invaded and claimed by foreigners, and who have been relegated to low socio-economic status within colonial society. In many parts of the world, European colonialism resulted in significant cultural change among aboriginal populations, but in most cases, did not completely destroy traditional practices and native identities.

Yes, the proposal has been discussed by our department, and approved to be forwarded to our Dean for his review and comment.

As far as I know, no other departments offer one or more General Education courses that focus upon archaeological field and analytic methods, theory, dating techniques, and paleoenvironmental reconstruction.

This general education course will not affect course requirements or enrollments in any other department.

Brooke Arkush’s Anthropology SS2030 syllabus is attached; this course consists of 3 contact hours per week, most of which are in a lecture format. Approximately 2 - 3 class sessions involve laboratory sessions. When Le Grande Davies teaches this course (approximately once a year), he requires site reports and critical analysis papers. A copy of his course syllabus is available upon request.

New Courses Only:

Current General Education Courses and Existing Courses Seeking General Education Status:

The degree to which students master the above-listed learning outcomes is assessed through written exams and short research papers. People who attend class on a regular basis, take thorough lecture notes, complete assigned readings, and hand in the writing assignments become familiar with the basic aspects of contemporary archaeology and will be able to hold discussions on a wide variety of archaeological topics and concepts.

Based upon previous student performance and teaching evaluation comments, exam formats and writing assignments have been modified from time to time in order to elicit more detailed responses from students, and to foster critical thinking skills, provide a better grasp of key concepts, and cultivate library research skills. Results of exams, short research papers, student evaluations, and class discussions provide guidance in modifying course content in order to make archaeology both accessible and relevant to the maximum number of students.