This course will introduce you to the goals, methods, theories, and practice of archaeology. Archaeology is our only access to much of the past. Archaeologists have the privilege and responsibility of figuring out what happened before now, and trying to explain why. Archaeology is a wonderful field for jacks-of-all-trades and renaissance people, because within its humanistic approach to understanding people and societies of the past, there is room and need for a staggering diversity of ways of thinking, skills, and interests. Archaeology needs historians, linguists, ethnographers, and artists; it needs chemists, botanists, statisticians, and computer experts; it needs hikers, photographers, mechanics, and diggers who can dissect the ground like a three-dimensional puzzle; and many others. It is best if you can be all of those, while constantly thinking like a scientist and an anthropologist. Archaeology is fun and challenging.

This course will start with an introduction to the general approaches and goals of archaeology, that is, what archaeologists want to learn. We will then look at the most concrete aspects of archaeological methods, including dating, building chronologies, and finding and digging sites. We will move on to ways to squeeze conclusions from archaeological data, from ethnographic analogies and experimental archaeology, through methods for studying animal bone, plant material, and human remains. With these tools under control, we will look at how archaeologists approach the grander questions like the origins of inequality, gender roles, complex societies, and even human consciousness. Finally (as well as all along), we will consider how archaeology fits into the real world: the conservation and study of archaeological remains as a moral and legal matter, the role of the observer in creating the past, archaeology and the television-watching, museum-visiting public, and the really thorny issues of who owns archaeological remains and the purposes and ethics of their use in the modern world. Real projects will serve constantly as examples, but this is not a course on world prehistory. The focus is not on the past itself, but on the thinking, methods, issues, and ethics of the field.

Class meetings will be a mix of lectures and discussion, often covering material related to, but different from, the reading. The reading is from a textbook, an amusing mystery with digressions into archaeological theory, and some articles on reserve and/or available through the class web page. I have kept the reading reasonably light because I want you to really do it before class and be prepared to discuss and work with the material. There are a fair number of assignments, but they are short, varied, and meant to be interesting. If you keep up, this should be a fun and not too taxing course.

If you want to talk about archaeology, course assignments, preparing for the tests, or anything else, please drop by during my office hours, arrange to see me at some other time, or contact me by email. I will gladly comment on drafts of your assignments so that you can revise them before handing them in.

If you are a student with a disability and think you may need accommodations in this course, you must contact the Disabled Students Services located in Stevenson 1038 (664-2677).

Reading: The syllabus indicates what you should read before each lecture, so you can discuss the material in class. The readings are from three sources:

1. Archaeology: Down to Earth, 2^nd Edition, by David Hurst Thomas: A clear, concise, easy to read textbook. Thomas' approach and opinions are almost always right on (that is, they agree with mine!).
2. Death by Theory, by Adrian Praetzellis: A humorous mystery with archaeological theory larded through it. Although this is a fun book, it is required and we will use it to lead into class discussions.
3. Additional readings: Additional items will be on reserve at the library and/or available on the Web. The current (and past) reading assignments will be posted on the class web site.

Both books are available at the SSU bookstore, Amazon.com, and elsewhere. The readings include material that is not specifically covered in class, and class sessions will often include material that is not in the readings. The tests will cover all this material, whether or not is has come up in class.

Library reserve and Internet World Wide Web access: My class notes will be on reserve at the library and may also be downloaded from the Anthropology 324 web page. Some students bring copies of these notes to class and add their own comments. The notes are a useful study aid, but they are no substitute for attending class, reading the assignments, and participating in discussions. The class web page is located at:

http://members.aol.com/postquem/324f2002.htm

Assignments and their weights in grading (details will be posted on the class web page):

Drafts: I will gladly review drafts of any of the assignments and make suggestions to improve them.

Deadline policy: I will accept assignments up to one week late with a 15% grading penalty.

Submitting assignments by email: You may submit assignments or drafts by email. Save your assignment in any common format and attach it to an email message to me (Owenbruce @ aol.com). Also paste your assignment as text directly into the body of the message. I will attempt to use the attached file, but if I have trouble with it, I will use the plain text in the message. The email deadline is the same as for assignments on paper. I will reply with a message saying that I received your assignment. If you do not hear from me, I probably have not gotten it. It is your responsibility to make sure it reaches me.

Lecture and Reading Schedule, Fall 2002

• Please read the material before each lecture, so that you can follow and participate in class discussion.
• This schedule will change during the semester, as I specify additional readings and we get ahead or fall behind in class. An updated, current version with the upcoming readings fully specified will be available on the class web page.

Final exam. Thursday, Dec 19, 5:00 - 6:50.