ANTH A280: Introduction to Archaeology
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Curriculum Committee Approval Date | 02/23/2022 |
| Top Code | 220200 - Anthropology |
| Units | 3 Total Units |
| Hours | 54 Total Hours (Lecture Hours 54) |
| Total Outside of Class Hours | 0 |
| Course Credit Status | Credit: Degree Applicable (D) |
| Material Fee | No |
| Basic Skills | Not Basic Skills (N) |
| Repeatable | No |
| Grading Policy | Standard Letter (S) |
| Associate Arts Local General Education (GE) |
|
| Associate Science Local General Education (GE) |
|
| California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC) |
|
| Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) |
|
| California State University General Education Breadth (CSU GE-Breadth) |
|
Course Description
A study of the basic principles of archaeological research and cultural evolution based on technological change. Artifact types, site composition, and dating techniques are discussed as they relate to the various cultures both prehistoric and historic in the Old and New World. The cultural evolution of humans is then traced using artifact assemblages as the key to understanding cultural growth. ADVISORY: Eligibility for ENGL C1000. Transfer Credit: CSU; UC. C-ID: ANTH 150.C-ID: ANTH 150.
Course Level Student Learning Outcome(s)
- Analyze the various technological innovations in archaeology and assess the role of these innovations in human cultural evolution.
- Identify the various diagnostic artifacts that are required to determine the functional and cultural affiliation of individual archaeological sites.
- Assess the usefulness of the contribution of archaeological research in understanding contemporary problems and issues and discuss the role of the archaeologist in applying the results of this research.
- Describe scientific archaeological research techniques as a means to critically assess non-scientific, pseudo-archaeological data as presented in popular contemporary media.
Course Objectives
- 1. Identify the theoretical perspectives and key concepts used by archaeologists to investigate the human past.
- 2. Identify excavation techniques and survey methods used on archaeological sites.
- 3. Demonstrate an understanding of archaeology as a science and the application of the scientific method to archaeological research.
- 4. Articulate the goals, and the legal, operational, and ethical framework of cultural resource management and heritage preservation.
- 5. Illustrate the use of archaeological methods with reference to cultural sequences.
- 6. Compare and contrast technological adaptations that arose under diverse environmental conditions during the course of human prehistory.
- 7. Identify the chronological placement of an archaeological site through analysis of material remains.
- 8. Analyze archaeological evidence to determine behavior (e.g. settlement patterns, tools use/construction, etc...) of past human cultures (e.g. Aztecs, Egyptians).
- 9. Discuss the relationship between anthropology and archaeology.
Lecture Content
Archaeological Data Archaeological Evidence Artifacts Features Structures Ecofacts Soil Human remains (skeletal and soft tissue) Deposition and Transformation Archaeological Theory and Models Middle-Range Theory Ethnoarchaeology Ethnographic Analogy Experimental Archaeology Early Theory Unilinear Cultural Evolution Diffusionism Concepts that changed modern archaeology Geological time scale Human fossil record Evolutionary theory The Three Age System History of Archaeology Definition of Anthropology and Archaeology Archaeology and its relationship to Anthropology and other sciences The basic goals of Archaeology Archaeology as a science and the use of the scientific method Antiquarianism and the history of Archaeology. Site preservation factors Dating Techniques Relative dating (e.g. Stratigraphy, Seriation, Fluorine) Absolute dating (e.g. Radiocarbon, Potassium Argon) Archaeological Research Scientific Method Research Design Data Collection Survey Site Survey Surface Subsurface Intuitive Systematic Remote Sensing Imagery Excavation Conditions: Terrestrial and Underwater Sites Mapping Sites Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Global Positioning System (GPS) Recording Archaeological Data Archaeological analysis and interpretation Attribu tes Typologies Descriptive Chronological Functional Stylistic Cultural resource/heritage management The significance of cultural resource and heritage management Examples of U.S. Antiquities Legislation Cultural sequences Human evolution with a special emphasis on material culture Development and spread of domestication Consequences of domestication Cultural changes occurring after domestication (e.g. settlement patterns, politics, economics, tool technology, etc...) as evidence by the archaeological record Emergence and development of past human cultures Americas-(e.g. Aztec, Incas) Africa (e.g. Egypt) Middle East (e.g. Mesopotamia) Asia (e.g. Indus Valley) Archaeological ethics and community relations
Method(s) of Instruction
- Lecture (02)
- DE Live Online Lecture (02S)
- DE Online Lecture (02X)
Instructional Techniques
Lecture and explanation of key concepts. Provide written feedback on all assignments. Provide verbal feedback in response to student questions. Provide supplemental materials to reinforce content from the lecture and text. Use of visual aids to provide images of archaeological sites/remains discussed in class. Hands-on experience in identifying and analyzing various artifact types.
Reading Assignments
Students will spend a minimum of two hours per week reading from assigned textbook(s) and supplementary materials.
Writing Assignments
Students will write a paper analyzing the methodology involved in the excavation of a particular site.
Out-of-class Assignments
Student will spend a minimum of two hours per week critiquing two or more articles from professional journals.
Demonstration of Critical Thinking
Students will write a paper to compare and contrast the competing theories regarding the rise of state societies.
Required Writing, Problem Solving, Skills Demonstration
Students will write a paper detailing the analysis of material remains recovered at a particular site, and develop alternate explanations for the use or construction of the remains.
Eligible Disciplines
Anthropology: Masters degree in anthropology or archaeology OR bachelors degree in either of the above AND masters degree in sociology, biological sciences, forensic sciences, genetics or paleontology OR the equivalent. Masters degree required.
Textbooks Resources
1. Required Renfrew, C, Bahn, P. Archaeology Essentials: Theories, Methods, and Practice, 4 ed. Thames and Hudson College, 2018 2. Required Price, D.T. Feinman, G. Images of the Past, 8 ed. McGraw Hill, 2020 3. Required Kelly, R.L., Thomas, D.H. Archaeology, 7 ed. McGraw Hill, 2017 4. Required Chazan, M. World Prehistory and Archaeology: Pathways through Time, 5 ed. Routledge, 2021 5. Required Feder, K. The Past in Perspective: An Introduction to Human Prehistory, 8 ed. Oxford University Press, 2019
Other Resources
1. Instructor prepared handouts on selected materials and concepts.