Introduction to Archaeology

Curriculum guideline

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Course
ANTH 1112
Discontinued
No
Course code
ANTH 1112
Descriptive
Introduction to Archaeology
Department
Anthropology
Faculty
Humanities & Social Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
Not Specified
PLAR
No
Semester length
15 weeks
Max class size
35
Course designation
None
Industry designation
None
Contact hours
Lecture: 4 hrs. per week / semester
Method(s) of instruction
Lecture
Learning activities

The course will be presented through lectures.  Videos and slides, along with artifacts and other archaeological materials will be used in class presentations.

Course description
This course surveys the scope and goals of archaeology and the techniques used in the investigation of the human past. It also surveys the major stages of human cultural evolution, from earliest hunting and gathering societies to the emergence of complex urban civilizations.
Course content
  1.  Introduction to Anthropology and Archaeology
    • The inter-relationship of the subfields of anthropology
    • The nature and goals of archaeology
  2. The Nature of Archaeological Data
    • Strengths and limitations of archaeological reconstructions of the past
  3. Archaeological Field Methods
  4. Analysis of Archaeological Data
  5. Techniques for Dating the Past
  6. Cultural Resource Management and Archaeology
  7. Reconstructing the Past – Experimental Archaeology and Ethnoarchaeology
  8. Development of Archaeology – Earliest Ideas of the Human Past to the Basics of Modern Archaeological Theory
  9. A Survey of World Prehistory
    • Hunting and gathering societies
    • The rise of agricultural societies and settled village life
    • The emergence of “civilizations”
Learning outcomes

At the conclusion of the course the successful student will be able to:

  1. Discuss the contributions of archaeology to anthropology and related disciplines.
  2. Identify a variety of categories of archaeological data and assess how they have been used to understand the human past.
  3. Identify and assess a variety of field techniques used by archaeologists to investigate the human past.
  4. Identify the major techniques used to date objects from the prehistoric past, including the circumstances under which they can be used and the limitations inherent in each technique.
  5. Demonstrate some grasp of the changing theoretical framework under which the past is interpreted.
  6. Outline the major stages of human cultural evolution as understood through archaeology, including the key archaeological features associated with each stage.
Means of assessment

Evaluation will be based on course objectives and will be carried out in accordance with Douglas College policy. The instructor will provide a written course outline with specific criteria during the first week of classes.

Instructors may use a student’s record of attendance and/or level of active participation in the course as part of the student’s graded performance. Where this occurs, expectations and grade calculations regarding class attendance and participation will be clearly defined in the Instructor Course Outline.

An example of a possible evaluation scheme would be:

3 Exams
Each on 1/3 of the course material - 25% each   		  75%
1 Short Paper  15%
Take-home lab exercises   5%
Attendance and Participation   5%
Total 100%

         

Textbook materials

Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students:

Texts will be updated periodically.   A typical example would be:

Renfrew, Colin and Paul Bahn, 2010.   Archaeology Essentials Theories, Methods and Practices. 2nd edition.  Thames and Hudson, London.

Which prerequisite

ANTH 2210 and ANTH 2212