ANTH 212 - Archaeological Practice & Interpretation

This course will examine the different kinds of methods archaeologists use and the frameworks they apply to draw interpretations about past people through archaeological evidence. As the study of human societies through material culture, archaeology takes on a variety of different approaches to understand issues such as ethnicity, health, belief, violence, environment, exchange, gender, or power in both the ancient and more recent past. We will cover standard and innovative archaeological methods to advance student understanding of how archaeology is practiced. We will discuss in depth how to create inferences about ancient worlds by interpreting archaeological materials through different frameworks including agency, political ecology, feminist & queer theories, landscape, materiality, and Black & Indigenous archaeologies. This course prepares students for more advanced coursework in archaeology and exposes students to more experiential learning by engaging with a variety of materials such as ceramics, bones, stone tools, architecture, soil, plants and seeds. 

Unit(s): 1
Group Distribution Requirement(s): Distribution Group II
Prerequisite(s): Sophomore standing
Instructional Method: Conference
Grading Mode: Letter grading (A-F)
Group Distribution Learning Outcome(s):

Evaluate data and/or sources.
Analyze institutions, formations, languages, structures, or processes, whether social, political, religious, economic, cultural, intellectual or other.
Think in sophisticated ways about causation, social and/or historical change, human cognition, or the relationship between individuals and society, or engage with social, political, religious or economic theory in other areas.