Course syllabus

NOTE: Course description subject to change prior to start of semester 1, 2018

ANTHRO 700A:  Method and Theory in Archaeology

SEMESTERS 1 and 2, 2018

30 points (with 700B)

 
Course Teachers: 

Dr Ethan Cochrane (convenor):  e.cochrane@auckland.ac.nz 

Prof Peter Sheppard: p.sheppard@auckland.ac.nz

Course delivery format:

Weekly two-hour seminar

(Timetable and room details can be viewed on Student Services Online)

Summary of Course Description:              

This course introduces students to the theoretical literature in archaeology or that which typically addresses how explanations are crafted. Our most important intellectual goal is the development of critical analytical skills.

We tend to simply to accept what we read. In fields such as archaeology, one cannot proceed very far on this basis without going mad. The lack of any common language for writing about theory has resulted in a literature that is composed of logically coherent (when you are lucky) articles taken in isolation, but which, when taken as a unit, are inconsistent, contradictory and often impossible to integrate. The ability to accept or reject what you read on your own account, to dismiss nonsense as nonsense and to unravel word games in the professional literature is not only essential to using the archaeological literature, but a valuable skill in all of the social sciences.

The course will engage you in the foundational theoretical archaeological literature. We will begin by developing a common set of concepts to analyse this literature. Our analytical concepts will be rooted in unit formation (i.e., classification or systematics) and its relationship to theory. We will then chronologically examine major "schools" of archaeological theory, and some debates, during the first semester. During the second semester we will examine different theoretical approaches to several research domains or "big questions" in archaeology.

Course Outcomes:

The single overriding goal for this course is for you to learn how knowledge of various kinds is constructed and to use your learning to analyse the construction of archaeological knowledge.

To complete this course students must enrol in ANTHRO 700 A and B, or ANTHRO 700.

Note: this is the core course in Archaeology for BA(Hons) or PGDipArts students.

Assessment Summary:

• Mini-essay (10%)
• Long-essay (25%)
• Presentation and essay (25%)
• Participation and Engagement (15%)
• Take-home test (25%)

Prescribed Texts:

Weekly readings will mostly consist of professional journal articles, books, and book chapters. These will be provided.

Recommended Texts:

The course content is concerned with science as a knowledge system in comparison to other knowledge systems (e.g., common sense, systematic empiricism). It will benefit you to have a basic knowledge of how science works as a framework where theory, a set of ideas, is used to explain relationships amongst empirical things, and with the correctness of potential conclusions determined through an empirical epistemological standard. In short, brush up on your biology, chemistry and physics by reading critical approaches to science such as:

Carroll, S. (2016). The Big Picture: on the origins of life, meaning, and the universe itself. New York, Dutton.

Hawking, S. (1988). A Brief History of Time. London, Bantam.

Mayr, E. (1997). This is Biology. Cambridge, Belknap.

 Workload and deadlines for submission of coursework:           

The University of Auckland's expectation is that students spend 10 hours per week on a 15-point course, including time in class and personal study. Students should manage their academic workload and other commitments accordingly. Deadlines for coursework are set by the first day of class and will be advertised in course material. You must submit your work on time. In extreme circumstances, such as illness, you may seek an extension but you will be required to provide supporting information before the assignment is due. Late assignments without a pre-approved extension will be penalised by loss of marks – check assignment submission information for details.