ANTHROPOLOGY 235: PRINCIPLES OF ARCHAEOLOGY
Instructor: Regents’ Professor David Soren, School of Anthropology and Department of Classics
Office: Haury Anthropology Building, Room 321
Phone: 621-4321
Email: soren@email.arizona.edu
Office Hours: Soren Wednesdays, 10 - 11:15 AM in 321 Haury
Soto Tuesdays 3-4 p.m. in 120 Haury; Boswell Wed. 11-12 in 120
Class Venue & Time: Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9 to 9:50 AM; Haury Building, Room 215
Course Website: http://soren.faculty.arizona.edu/anth_235
Graduate Assistant Gabriella Soto sotog@email.arizona.edu
Preceptor Jenny Boswell jboswel1@email.arizona.edu.
Required Textbook & Additional Readings:
The Course Textbook: Sutton, Mark Q. and Robert M. Yohe II. 2008. Archaeology: The Science of the Human Past, Third Edition. Boston: Pearson/Allyn & Bacon. ISBN: 0-205-45540-9. NOTE: earlier editions of this textbook must not be substituted; only the 2008 3rd edition will suffice!
Additional Online Readings: Students are expected to complete all required readings in the Sutton and Yohe (2008) textbook as well as those available as PDFs on the course website Readings page by the dates indicated below. The textbook, additional readings, and lectures are complementary and all include appropriate material from which examination questions will be drawn.
Attendance: Every student is required to attend all lectures every week. Attendance is a factor in calculating final grades in ANTH 235. Students must sign in at the front of the room when they arrive or at the end of the class. Do NOT sign in for another student as this is considered cheating and will result in your dismissal from the class. Students should not leave class early unless they have pre-arranged this with the professor. Students not signing in will lose 2 points from their final examination grade and those who do sign in will receive a 2 point bonus.
Essays, Examinations, and Grading Policy: There will be 3 quizzes, a midterm examination and a final examination. The quizzes will comprise one third of your grade, the midterm another third and the final another third. Quizzes will be held on September 26th, October 24th and November 21st. The midterm will be held on October 3rd. The final examination will be held on the last day of class December 7th.The midterm and final examinations will contain essays. You will receive a list of terms for each quiz that you must learn and for the midterm and final you will be told in class about the format of the exam and the possible essay questions you may encounter.
Make-up Exams: With the exception of students with documented learning disabilities or documented medical emergencies or university related requirements, special individual arrangements for the timing of exams cannot be made! If you cannot be present to take the midterm, final or quizzes at their scheduled times, let the professor know your situation at the beginning of the course or drop the course now!
Writing Assignments: Although Anthropology 235 is not a Writing Emphasis Course, substantial writing will nonetheless be required of every student on examinations and quizzes. If you are concerned about your writing skills, you should contact the UA Writing Center (1031 North Mountain, 621-3182) for remedial help. First-year students can take advantage of free drop-in tutoring at the Freshman Year Student Study Center in Room 103 of the Integrated Learning Center (http://www.tutoring.arizona.edu/). You may also be eligible for assistance through the Writing Skills Improvement Program (1201 East Helen, 621-5849; http://wsip.web.arizona.edu/). Online version of the American Antiquity Style Guide.
Students with Disabilities: If you anticipate the need for reasonable accommodations to meet the requirements of this course, you must register with the Disability Resource Center (1224 E. Lowell Street, 621-3268, http://drc.arizona.edu/) and request that the DRC send Dr. Soren official notification of your accommodation needs as soon as possible. Carol Funckes (carolf@email.arizona.edu) normally assists Dr. Soren in his courses at the DRC. Please plan to meet with Dr. Soren by appointment or during office hours early in the semester to discuss accommodations and how the course requirements and activities may impact your ability to fully participate. The DRC letter of accommodation must be presented at least one week before any request for accommodation is made. Material covered in this course is often technical in nature; therefore students must be proficient in both reading and writing Standard American English. Students with diagnosed or suspected learning disabilities should contact the Strategic Alternative Learning Techniques (SALT) Center (621-1242; www.salt.arizona.edu). Students requiring a notetaker for the class should know that such positions are done on a volunteer basis by other students and the professor cannot gurarantee the quality of the notetaker's work, although every effort will be made to obtain a qualified notetaker.
Policy on Incomplete Grades: Incompletes will be granted only under exceptional circumstances in strict accordance with University policy. For deaths in the family, grave illnesses, and similar emergencies, there is a regular procedure for being excused from classes available through the Dean of Students Office in Old Main 203 (621-7057; http://dos.web.arizona.edu/). Students who for valid reasons cannot complete the entire course requirements may (at the instructor’s discretion) be issued a final grade of “I”. The grade of “I” may be awarded when all but a minor portion of the coursework has been satisfactorily completed. The grade of “I” is not to be awarded when the student is expected to repeat the course; in such a case, a failing grade must be assigned. Students should make arrangements with the instructor to receive an Incomplete grade before the end of the term.
Lecture notes: An outline of each lecture will be posted as a downloadable MS-Word document on the course web-page following each lecture, generally within 24 hours. Although students are advised to use these outlines as a study guide for exam preparation, they do not in themselves constitute sufficient preparation, even if committed to memory. They provide, optimally, a diagnostic self-check to determine whether or not you’re absorbing the basic material covered in the lectures; especially important since formal review sessions for exams are not scheduled.
Statement on Cheating & Plagiarism: Cheating and plagiarism are violations of the University of Arizona Code of Academic Integrity (http://web.arizona.edu/~dos/uapolicies/UACAIpolicies.pdf) and the Student Code of Conduct (http://studpubs.web.arizona.edu/policies/studcofc.htm), and carry penalties as severe as dismissal from the University. While most students are aware of what constitutes cheating in the case of examinations, many are genuinely confused about what it means to “plagiarize” in writing a paper. “Plagiarism” means representing the words or ideas of another as one's own. Practically, what it means is that when you take a fact, an idea, or a passage of writing (a “quotation”) from the work of another author, you must provide an appropriate citation. Sometimes the meaning of “take an idea” can be unclear. Some ideas need not be cited: ideas that are in the public domain (that Tucson is very hot, for instance), well-established and generic ideas, like asserting that “Language is the fundamental behavior that differentiates human beings from their nearest primate relatives,” and folkloric or vernacular ideas: “It has been said that in the American West, water flows uphill to money.” If you use a fact, idea, or quotation from your reading, you must attribute it! There are standard formats for such attribution, including lists of “References Cited,” which differ slightly from field to field. American archaeology uses a citation format established by the journal American Antiquity and described in detail in the October 1992 issue (Volume 57, Number 4, pages 749-770), or available as a PDF document at the following URL: http://www.saa.org/AbouttheSociety/Publications/StyleGuide/tabid/984/De…; You must follow American Antiquity style guidelines for all written exercises in this course. If you have any doubt about the meaning of plagiarism or how to define the boundary between legitimate information-sharing and outright cheating, you should consult with Dr. Soren at your earliest convenience and you should read the article, “Plagiarism: What it is and How to Recognize and Avoid it,” available at http://www.indiana.edu/~wts/pamphlets/plagiarism.shtml. Using the University of Arizona D2L system for your own promotional gain, such as affiliating for profit with cheat-sheet organizations designed to sell guidelines and notes to students, constitutes a violation of academic integrity and is considered grounds for dismissal from the class and the awarding of a failed grade.
General Problems: In the event of difficulties, or if you wish to discuss matters related to the course lectures or readings, you should not hesitate to contact Dr. Soren o directly by phone (621-5013) or e-mail (soren@email.arizona.edu), and/or come to Room 321 on the third floor of the Haury Building during office hours or at other times by prearranged appointment.
IMPORTANT DATES & DEADLINES
For other calendars, dates, and deadlines see http://catalog.arizona.edu/acadcals.html
Labor Day (no classes): Monday, September 5th
Quizzes September 26, October 24, November 18
Midterm exams: Monday, October 3rd
Veterans’ Day (no classes): Friday, 11 November
Thanksgiving Recess: Thursday-Friday, 24-25 November
Last Day of Classes: Wednesday, December 7
Final Exam: December 7, 9:00 to 9:50 AM, Haury Building, Room 215. Do not schedule your departure from Tucson before 10:00 AM on Wednesday, December 7! If you must leave Tucson earlier, drop the course today!
SCHEDULE OF LECTURES & READING ASSIGNMENTS
DATE LECTURE TOPIC READING ASSIGNMENTS
PART I: THE FRAMEWORK OF ARCHAEOLOGY
Aug 22 Introduction & Preview S & Y 1-30
Aug 24 Archaeology & Antiquarianism S & Y 31-54
Aug. 26 - Archaeology & Antiquarianism Part 2
Aug 29 Archaeology Today: The Twelve Questions S & Y 55-78
Aug 31 Science, Art, & Critical Thinking Shipman 2005; Wise 19981
Sep 02 Culture & Adaptation: Archaeology as Anthropology SAA 2000A; Watkins 19991
Sep 07 The Variety of the Evidence: What is “The Archaeological Record”? S & Y 79-101; 141-163
Sep 09 Preservation of Archaeological Data: Formation Processes S & Y 102-110
Sept 12 - Case Study: Seismic Archaeology at Kourion, Cyprus with David Soren and Michael Schiffer & How to Combine Science & Archaeology http://www.ringofchrist.com/earthquake-house/4-archaeological-team.html
Sep 14 The Process of Archaeological Research S & Y 111-116
Sep 16 Data collection: Reconnaissance & Survey begin S & Y 116-140
Sep 19 Data collection: Excavation I finish S & Y 116-140
Sep 21 Data collection: Excavation II Read the following article: http://www.assemblage.group.shef.ac.uk/3/3chad.htm
Sep 23 - Case Study: Lugnano In Teverina, Umbria, Italy & Data Collection http://www.coh.arizona.edu/projects/lugnano/default.html
Sep 26 Chronometry: Absolute and Relative Time S & Y 164-191
Sept 28 -Review in Class for the Midterm Examination
Sept 30- In-Class Jeopardy Contest - Preparation for Midterm Examination
Oct 03 - Midterm Examination
Oct 05 - Problems in Historical and Archaeological Chonometry & Chronology http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_of_Kings
PART II: DISCOVERING THE VARIETY OF HUMAN EXPERIENCE
Oct 07 Settlement Archaeology & Spatial Analysis S & Y 268-286
Oct 10 Social Archaeology S & Y 287-321
Oct 12 Environmental Archaeology S & Y 222-249
Oct 14 Reconstructing Subsistence & Diet S & Y 250-268
Oct 17 Technology, Typology & Classification S & Y 141-163
Oct 19 Trade, Exchange, and Power S & Y 340-350
Oct 21 Cognitive Archaeology, Art, & Ceremonialism Bednarik 1990
Oct 24 The Archaeology of People: Individuals in Prehistory S & Y 192-221
Oct 26 Ethnoarchaeology & Experimental Archaeology S & Y 63-66
Oct 28 Explanation in Archaeology S & Y 322-339
PART III: EXPLORING THE WORLD OF ARCHAEOLOGY
Oct 31 Case Study: Winckelmann and the Historiography of Pompeii http://dsc.discovery.com/tv/pompeii/history.html
Nov 02 - Guest Lecture by Gabriella Soto
Nov 04 - Case Study: Malaria Research & Plasmodium Falciparum http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/malaria_01.shtml
Nov. 07 Ancient Epidemics: Can Archaeology Unearth Ancient Diseases? http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/romans/malaria_01.shtml
Nov 09 - Archaeology & The Movies: Indiana Jones to Documentaries http://www.archaeologymovies.com/lara-croft-tomb-raider.htm
Nov 14 - Case Study: Early Complex Societies no assigned reading
Nov 16- Case Study: Filming Ancient Phoenician and Roman Carthage http://www.livius.org/cao-caz/carthage/carthage.html
Nov. 18 -Hydrology, Virtual Reality and Archaeology- Chianciano Terme http://www.coh.arizona.edu/projects/terme/terme.html
Nov. 20- Where Did It Come From? The Origins of Everyday Technology
Nov 28 Archaeology and the Public: Who Owns the Past? S & Y 351-3893
Nov 30 - Reconstructing Ancient Roman Sacred and Domestic Architecture http://www.flickr.com/photos/7549203@N04/3261208096/
Dec 02 World Archaeology & the Human Past; S & Y 389-400
Student Course Evaluations
Dec 05 - Review session for the final examination on Dec 7
Dec 07 - Final Examination
NOTE: This document is a course syllabus, not a legal contract. As such, it is a good-faith outline of course requirements and expectations. Note, however, that specific assignments, dates, deadlines, readings, and lecture topics are subject to alteration and emendation during the course of the semester. While such changes will be announced in lectures, it is each student’s sole responsibility, especially in the event of absences, to ascertain whether or not such alterations have been made.
1 Available as .pdf posted in file folder under ADDITIONAL ON-LINE READINGS above.
2 Available as .pdf posted in file folder under ADDITIONAL ON-LINE READINGS above.
3 Read also Bruhns (2000); Cuno (2008); SAA (2000B); and Willems (2008), all posted as .pdf’s in ADDITIONAL ON-LINE READINGS section above.
IMPORTANT- Students are responsible to keep their examinations and quizzes until the end of the class. Any claims of unrecorded grades cannot be substantiated without the student providing the examinations or quizzes to the instructor. Examinations and students are counted at each exam and quiz to make sure no quizzes or examinations are missing.
IMPORTANT- Rescheduling for missed examinations or quizzes will only be done for documented university required excuses or for documented medical illnesses. Any other emergencies are not acceptable including going to weddings, attending family trips or previously booking travel. Students expecting to have examinations altered to accomodate their schedule should take another course.