Course syllabus

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Anthro 200                                Understanding the Past                             Semester 2, 2019

 

Lecturer:

Professor Thegn Ladefoged (t.ladefoged@auckland.ac.nz)

Office: HSB 716

Office hours: Tuesdays 10-11pm

Phone: (09) 373-7599 ext. 88569

 

Tutor:

Sarah Bradley (sbra403@aucklanduni.ac.nz)
Office: HSB 943
Office hours: Thursdays 11-12pm 

 

Lectures:

Thursdays 2:00-4:00 in HSB 370

 

Tutorials:

Absolutely, positively, mandatory. One hour per week.

 

The course:

This course is a survey of key methods and theories used to analyse and understand the human past. It includes an examination of current concepts in archaeological research and their place in the development of archaeological thought. The course is illustrated by examples taken from around the world with an emphasis on the Pacific, and it includes an introductory laboratory component and a consideration of heritage management within the context of New Zealand.


In addition to learning about the fascinating topic of archaeology, students will learn a number of practical skills including the ability to critically assess texts, quantitatively analyse data, synthesize and interpret results, and written and oral communication.

 

Assessment:

Reading Quizzes (10% total)
Stratigraphy Exercise (15%)
Article critique 1 (15%)
Article critique 2 (15%)
Midterm Test (20%)
Final Exam (25%)
                          

Students will take short READING QUIZZES at the beginning of lectures in weeks 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8, 9, 10, 11, and 12. Each quiz will be a series of questions that will be easily answered if you have done the weekly readings before the lecture. We will discuss the quizzes in class, and students will be marked on their top 8 quizzes (worth 1.25% each) for the semester. If you are late to class or miss a quiz it cannot be made up without a medical certificate.

 

The STRATIGRAPHY EXERCISE will be handed out and discussed in tutorials during week 2. The written component of this assignment should be ca. 750 words. The assignment is due August 15th, by 12:00 PM.  Please upload your text to turnitin.com and make a copy of your profile drawing before turning it in at the Arts Student Centre, Level 4 HSB, in the Anthropology drop box.

 

There are two ARTICLE CRITIQUE assignments. These are short (750 word) essays that critically evaluate the “dynamic and empirical sufficiency” (don’t worry, we will define those terms and you will definitely learn what they mean) of an archaeological case study published in a leading archaeological journal. We will give you a list of 10 articles and for each article critique essay you will choose one article to write your essay on. We will have a tutorial session on the assignment, and will teach you how to construct and write a critical essay. The first article critique essay is due  August 29th by 12:00 PM, and the second article critique essay is due October 17th by 12:00 PM. Please upload your essays to turnitin.com and hand a hardcopy with a cover-sheet in at the Arts Student Centre, Level 4 HSB, in the Anthropology drop box.

 

NOTE: If there are medical reasons or extenuating circumstances for an assignment being late you must discuss it or email with Prof. Ladefoged (not the tutor). You might be asked to provide a medical certificate. Without Prof. Ladefoged's approval, late assignments will be penalized 2% of their worth per day, including weekends.

 

The TEST and EXAM are cumulative, and will cover material presented in lectures, readings, and tutorials.  The test and exam may consist of essay questions, short answer questions, true and false, and multiple choice questions.  The test is on September 19th. Make-up tests will only be administered to students with a valid medical certificate.

 

Tutorials

Tutorials are held eleven times throughout the semester, beginning in the second week of lectures. You must attend ALL TUTORIALS as important information will be presented that you will be tested on and/or will be assessed on.  If you cannot come to the tutorials you should not enrol in the course.

 

Readings

The readings provide additional information and examples that complement the lectures and tutorials. The text for the course is the seventh edition of Archaeology: Theories, Methods and Practice by Colin Renfrew and Paul Bahn (2016). Additional readings have been assigned. The text can be purchased at the bookstore, is available as an ebook, and copies are in the short-loan library. The online resources for the book are available at http://goo.gl/WTwvu6. The articles are available via UoA Library E-Journals. It is expected that you will do all of the assigned readings, as you will be tested on this material regardless of whether or not it is covered in the lectures or tutorials.

 

Lecture, Reading, and Tutorial Schedule

 

WEEK 1   July 25   

Course introduction; Why do archaeology? Scientific and pseudo-archaeology.

Readings:         

  Tutorial:           NO TUTORIAL

 

WEEK 2   August 1

Early theoretical approaches

Readings:

  • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapters 1 & 12

Tutorial:          Stratigraphy exercise

 

WEEK 3  August 8

Modern archaeology

Readings:

  • Hegmon, M. (2003) “Setting theoretical egos aside: issues and theory in North American Archaeology”. American Antiquity 68(2):213-243. (Available via UoA Library E-Journals).
  • Kintigh, K. W. et al. (2014) “Grand Challenges for Archaeology”. American Antiquity 79(1):5-24. (Available via UoA Library E-Journals).
  • Smith, M.E. (2017) Social science and archaeological enquiry. Antiquity 91(356): 520–528. (Available via UoA Library E-Journals).

 Tutorial: Archaeological theory

 

WEEK 4  August 15

The nature of archaeological data; interpreting archaeological data; Ethnoarchaeology and analogy

Readings:        

  • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapters 2 & 13

Tutorial:          Writing an article critique essay

                       

WEEK 5   August 22      

 Excavation and survey; Dating;

Readings:        

  • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapter 3 & 4

Tutorial:          Excavation and survey techniques

 

WEEK 6  August 29

Artefact classification and analysis.

Readings:        

  • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapter 8

Tutorial:           Mid-term test revision  

 

WEEK 7  September 19

MID-TERM TEST

Tutorial:      Lab analysis (pottery tutorial) 

      

    WEEK 8   September 26                 

     Environmental reconstruction; Subsistence and diet.

    Readings:         

    • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapters 6 & 7

    Tutorial:        Faunal analysis, diet and environment reconstruction

       

      WEEK 9  October 3

      Trade and exchange; Bioarchaeology

      Readings:         

      • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapters 9 & 11

      Tutorial:        Writing an article critique essay

       

      WEEK 10  October 10

      Social systems and ideology

      Readings:         

      • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapter 5 

      Tutorial:           Investigating socio-political transformations

       

      WEEK 11  October 17

      Social systems and ideology (cont.)

      Readings:         

      Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapters 10

      Tutorial:           Heritage management

       

      WEEK 12  October 24

      Heritage management

      Readings:         

      • Renfrew and Bahn (2016), Chapters 14 & 15

      Tutorial:           Exam review

       

      Course summary:

      Date Details Due