Course Description

ANTH 2302 Archaeology - Social Science Core & Cross Cultural Core

ANTH 2302 is an introductory course in archaeology. The enrichment and excitement of knowing the human past is part of the appeal of archaeology for the general public and the scholar of human history and culture. Archaeology is a sub-field of cultural anthropology; it studies every aspect of 2.5 million years of human culture through the reconstruction of life-ways from material remains of past societies and civilizations. In this course students will learn how archaeologists recover archaeological remains, how they build culture history through the ordering of artifacts and material remains in time and space, and develop explanations of why people behaved as they did. Archaeology produces description and theory of how and why cultures function and change over long periods of time. From the small and simple adaptations of early hominids to the development and collapse of human civilizations in the Old and New Worlds, this course will emphasize understanding human experience and culture from a comparative, holistic and scientific perspective. Archaeology uses the framework of cultural ecology for evaluating a society's relationship to the environment over time, only one example of critical cultural analysis of contemporary application and implication. This course transfers as 3 hours of credit to most other colleges and universities.

Prerequisites

No prerequisites.

Course Goals (includes competencies, incorporation of SCANS, etc.)

Course Objectives: At the conclusion of this course in archaeology, you will:

• Have basic knowledge of archaeology and its basic methods and concepts, how professional archaeology developed, and its relationship to the field of anthropology.
• Be able to describe how archaeologists design and carry out research using specific examples.
• Be able to explain how cultural behavior becomes archaeological remains, how archaeologists recover archaeological remains and how archaeologists reconstruct behavioral patterns from remains and explain why people behaved as they did in the past.
• Be able to explain the similarities and differences in past cultural behavior.
• Be able to evaluate competing theories of cultural adaptation and culture change using evidence gathered by archaeologists, ethnographers and others.
• To evaluate archaeological evidence on social organization from houses, communities, and settlement areas; on economic organization from study of how material needs are met and production, distribution and consumption patterns; on communication systems including the development of earliest writing; on the way political authority and power develop and are used; on the extent of political power; and on how archaeologists recognize and interpret evidence of religion and ideology.
• Be able to identify the events and processes of the rise of civilization in Old World regions such as Mesopotamia, Egypt, India, and China; and for the New World regions of Mesoamerica and the Andes.
• Be able to discuss why civilizations fall using a case study such as the collapse of Maya civilization.
• Have experience and skills in Internet and library research; and a visit to a museum or working archaeological site.
• Have expanded your intellectual competencies including reading, writing, speaking, listening, critical thinking and computer literacy specified in HCCS Core Curriculum guidelines.

CORE COMPETENCIES
Reading -- Text, Supplemental Reading
Writing -- Written Exercises & Project write up.
Listening - Interviews and observation exercises, Lectures, in and out of class viewing of videos, Class Exercises and
Discussions
Critical Thinking -- Written project, class participation exercises, presentations, exams
Computer Literacy -- Internet Assignments and exercises
Speaking -- Working as part of a work team at an archaeological project, class participation, presentations

Instructor Information

This course will be taught by a qualified anthropology instructor. Please read the specific course syllabus for the instructor information.

Textbook Information

The REQUIRED TEXT for this course is:

               Required - Articles: selected from Annual Editions:Archaeology, 2009

Lab Requirements (if any)

No lab requirements although there may be an optional student field trip to a working archaeological site.

Students with Disabilities

Students who are in need of special accommodations related to a condition or disability should contact ADA Counselor at each college to obtain the proper documentation. Special accommodations will be provided to those students who show proper documentation.

Academic Honesty

Plagiarism, cheating and other forms of academic dishonesty are prohibited by the HCCS policy and the rules of this class. A student found guilty of the first offense will receive a grade of "F" for that particular assignment. For the second offense, the student will receive a grade of "F" for the course.

Attendance and Withdrawal Policies

Class attendance is required for the successful completion of the course. Following HCCS policy, a student with unexplained absences in excess of 6 class hours may be dropped from a class.

If you wish to withdraw, it is recommended that you submit the withdrawal form in the registration office,. If you have ceased attending classes, some instructors may drop you from the class roll at the end of the semester, and you will receive a grade of W, even if you have not filed the official withdrawal form. However, other instructors may give a grade of F instead. Please read the syllabus for your class carefully about the attendance and withdrawal policies.

If you are on the installment plan, please remember to make payments according to schedule. Otherwise, you will be dropped from the class roll.

Course Requirements and Grading Policy

Different instructors may use different projects, assignments, and activities in their classes. Instructors are encouraged to use a variety of methods to assess students' learning. There may be objective tests and other course assignments. The course assignments may include reading assignments, writing assignments, and various activities (attending guest lectures, internet assignments, class presentation, group projects, etc.) that are designed to develop students' critical thinking and problem solving skills. Please consult your instructor's course syllabus.

Instructors may use a variety of assessment methods in grading, including tests with objective (multiple-choice, true-false, filling-in-blanks, etc.) and written questions, projects, and group discussion of assigned articles, etc. A writing assignment is required in each anthropology class. The final exam is comprehensive..

The final course grade will be calculated according to the following formula %age weight given to regular tests, the final exam, lab assignments, and any other component of the program indicated by the individual instructor.

The final score resulting from the sum of the above components will be converted into letter grades according to the following scale.

A = 90 and up B = 80 - 89 C = 70 -79 D = 60 -69 F = 59 and below

Make-up policy

Different instructors may have different make-up policies.

Some instructors may allow make-up exams. Other instructors may not allow make-up tests, but give students the option to drop one test grade.

Course Content

A general introduction to the discipline, its particular methods, theories, concepts, and terms will be presented in this course.

Course Calendar with Due Dates for Assignments and Testing

Please consult with your instructor's course syllabus concerning course calendar.
Sample course schedule:
Unit 1: What is Archaeology?

1. Introduction to Anthropology and Archaeology (Ch. 1)
2. The Development of Anthropology and Archaeology (Ch. 2)

Unit 2: Basic Concepts of Human Behavior & Doing Archaeology

1. Conceptual Framework (Ch. 5)
2. Human Habitats (Ch. 6)
3. The Case of Maya Copan (Ch. 3)
4. Archaeological Methods (Ch. 4)

Unit 3: Reconstructing the Past: Social Organization

1. Family and Household, Community and Society (Ch. 7)
2. Artisans and Traders(Ch. 8)
3. Signs and Symbols (Ch. 9)
4. Power, Prestige, and Wealth (Ch. 10)
5. Realms (Ch. 11)
6. The Spirit World: Religion and Ideology (Ch. 12)

Part 4: The Archaeology of Ancient Civilizations

1. The Rise of Civilization in the Old World (Ch. 13)
2. The Rise of Civilization in the New World (Ch. 14)

Part 5. Explaining the Past: Critical Thinking & Culture

1. The Fall of Civilizations: Lesson from Copán (Ch. 15)
2. Explanation and Archaeology (Ch. 16)

Other Student Information

Anthropology Clubs and Activities are sponsored at some of the individual colleges. Check with your instructor for regular updates.

Useful Internet Links:

American Anthropology Association - "What is Anthropology?"
http://www.aaanet.org/anthbroc.htm

Palomar University Anthropology Program - "What is Anthropology?" (explore tutorials at this site.)
http://www.palomar.edu/anthropology/#What%20is%20Anthropology

Anthropology in the News - Texas A & M University
http://anthropology.tamu.edu/news.htm

AAA Code of Ethics
http://www.aaanet.org/committees/ethics/ethcode.htm

Native American Links
http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/