ANTH 412 Fall 2015 Archaeological Theory

ANTH 412
Archaeological Theory
Fall 2015
Tu-Th, 12:45-2:00 PM
Course Instructors
Dr. Ted Goebel, Office: Anthropology Building Rm. 234AA
Office Hours: 2:00-4:00 PM, Tuesday & Thursday; 10:00-11:00 AM, Wednesday
E-mail: [email protected]
Office Phone: 979-862-4544
Jordan Pratt, Office: Anthropology Building Rm. 215C
Office Hours: 1:00-3:00 PM, Monday; 10:00-12:00 PM Tuesday & Thursday
E-mail: [email protected]
Course Prerequisites
Junior or senior standing required.
Course Description and Standards
This course is an advanced undergraduate seminar reviewing the history of scientific
archaeological thought, major theoretical paradigms, and current trends in archaeology. It covers
the major theoretical “movements” in the development of anthropological archaeology, as well as
important intellectual developments in other disciplines which have influenced explanation in
archaeology (e.g., cultural anthropology, geology, evolutionary biology, and other social
sciences). As such, the course is historically oriented, reviewing how archaeological theory has
evolved in the past century, and how contemporary archaeologists use theory to explain variability
in the material-culture record of past humans. Firm grounding in the development and current
application of theory is a fundamental component of all students’ training in archaeology, no
matter their specialty. Simply put, without theory, we cannot learn anything useful about the past.
As a writing-intensive (w) course, ANTH 412 targets improvement of writing skills expected for
archaeology and anthropology students, mainly through critical reading and writing assignments.
Course standards include:
▪ Know and understand the fundamental theoretical paradigms that have governed explanation in
archaeology during the past century.
▪ Know and understand the major schools of thought guiding contemporary archaeological
research, as well as the major themes in today’s scientific field of archaeology.
▪Evaluate and analyze scientific archaeological publications, identifying their thesis, argument,
evidence presented to support thesis, and theoretical perspective.
▪Write “publishable quality” essays that present theoretically-based, logical, and clear arguments
using scholarly publications as references and style conventions of the journal American Antiquity.
Course Structure
This is a 400-level course that meets for 75 minutes, two days each week of the semester. Class
meetings on Tuesdays will consist primarily of lectures, while meetings on Thursdays will consist
primarily of class discussions and activities. Students are expected to actively and collectively
participate in the class, even on lecture days.
The mid-term and final exams will test primarily on theories, issues, and problems discussed in
class, and secondarily on facts—terms, archaeologists, cultures, dates, and sites. The final exam
will not be cumulative, but will cover only the second half of the course, except there may be an
overarching essay question asked that encompasses content of the entire semester.
During the semester, there will be three major writing assignments. Paper 1 will be a ~1000-word
analysis of an archaeological paper published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Paper 2 will be
a ~5000-word research essay reviewing the explanation of an archaeological phenomenon from
multiple theoretical perspectives (e.g., Paleolithic cave art; origins of agriculture; Chaco Canyon).
Paper 3 will be a ~1000-word review of an ethical issue in contemporary archaeology (e.g.,
repatriation, looting, international artifact trade and museums). For paper 2, the main writing
assignment for the course, students will complete a series of exercises leading up to its drafting
(i.e., bibliographic research; creating a thesis statement; writing an abstract; preparing an outline).
A completed draft will be due on Nov 12, and this will be evaluated for content and mechanics by
the instructor and graduate assistant. A revised, final draft of paper 2 will be due on the last day of
class, Dec 8.
In addition to exams and papers, students will need to be prepared to discuss assigned readings.
Mostly on Thursdays, but sometimes on Tuesdays, students will have an opportunity to answer
questions orally and discuss issues with the instructor, teaching assistant (TA), and their peers. The
instructor and TA will daily evaluate individual students’ oral participation. Class participation
points will also be generated through students’ participation in in-class exercises, again typically
on Thursdays. To earn ALL in-class activities points, students must have perfect attendance, stay
engaged in Tuesday lectures, and participate in Thursday discussions and in-class and take-home
exercises. We will have nine discussion periods during the semester during which students can
earn up to 10 points in relation to each, in combination with associated exercises/assignments.
Some of the exercises will be take-home; others will be completed in class. The remaining 10
points (totaling 100) will be generated from additional in-class exercises and attendance during
lecture days.
Mid-term exam
Final exam
Paper 1
Paper 2
Paper 3
Exercises/participation
100 points
100 points
50 points
100 points
50 points
100 points (10 pts./week, marked by * in course schedule
below)
500 points
TOTAL
To earn an “A” grade, students must earn at least 450 points; a “B” grade, between 400 and 499
points; a “C” grade, between 350 and 399 points; and a “D” grade, between 300 and 345 points.
Given that this is a W course, and that students can pass the class without passing its writing
component, in order for students to earn the W credit, they must earn at least 60% of the three
writing assignments’ points (or 120 of 200 points on papers 1, 2, and 3).
Attendance: Given the importance of class participation in this class, the instructor and TA will
record attendance, and they expect students to attend class regularly. Students should read and
follow Texas A&M University’s attendance policy (student rule 7), available at http://studentrules.tamu.edu/rule07.
Course Texts
Besides the textbook below, which students should purchase, students will read a series of
published articles and book chapters, which will be available via the e-campus web page for the
course.
Johnson, Matthew
2005 Archaeological Theory: An Introduction. Wiley-Blackwell, West Sussex UK.
Course Schedule
Week
Topic
Johnson (2005) Reading
Sep 1-3
Introduction to theory in archaeology
T: lecture
R: lecture
Johnson, pp. x-xvi, 1-11
Sep 8-10*
Traditional archaeology
T: lecture
R: discussion of exercise 1
Johnson, pp. 12-21
Sep 15-17*
“New” archaeology
T: lecture
R: discussion of exercise 2
Johnson, pp. 21-34
Sep 22-24*
The science of new archaeology
T: lecture
R: discussion of exercise 3
Johnson, pp. 35-49
Sep 29-Oct 1* Middle-range theory of new archaeology
T: lecture
R: discussion of exercise 4
Johnson, pp. 50-67
Oct 6-8
“Culture process” and new archaeology
T: in-class discussion; Paper 1 due
R: lecture
Johnson, pp. 68-88
Oct 13-15*
Structuralism, Marxism and cognitive archaeology
T: lecture
R: discussion of exercise 5
Johnson, pp. 89-101
Oct 20-22
Postprocessual archaeology
T: Mid-Term Exam
R: lecture
Johnson, pp. 102-121
Oct 27-29*
Archaeology and gender
T: lecture
R: discussion of exercise 6
Johnson, pp. 122-137
Nov 3-5*
Archaeology and identity
T: discussion of exercise 7
R: lecture
Johnson, pp. 137-142
Nov 10-12
Archaeology and cultural evolution
T: lecture
R: Paper 2 due; in-class discussion
Johnson, pp. 143-163
Nov 17-19*
Evolutionary archaeology
T: discussion of exercise 8
R: lecture
Johnson, pp. 164-184
Nov 24-26
Theory in historical archaeology
T: lecture
R: Thanksgiving Holiday
Johnson, pp. 185-198
Dec 1-3
Ethics in archaeology
T: in-class exercise; Paper 3 due
R: lecture
Johnson, pp. 199-215
Dec 8*
Future of archaeological theory
T: lecture; discussion of exercise 9
Paper 2 re-write due
Johnson, pp. 216-235
W Dec 16
Final Exam, 8-10 am
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