ANG6110a - Archaeological Theory and Method (an "M" class)
Arlen Chase

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Goals and Themes:

Archaeology is one of the four primary subdivisions of Anthropology. This subfield has developed its own extensive body of "method and theory" for dealing with the material remains of past human societies. Anthropology 6110 is designed to familiarize the student with several distinct, but inter-related, aspects of archaeological method and theory. First, archaeology has developed its own history in relation to anthropology. Second, archaeology has its own distinct set of "methods" by which reconnaissance, excavation, and analysis is carried out. Third, all of archaeology is interpretive and reliant upon the methods utilized to collect data as well as upon the theoretical backgrounds and assumptions that are applied. Finally, archaeologists must be concerned with a host of ethical questions that are of concern to field research in the present. This course hopes to provide a background in all of these varied areas and to specifically emphasize the ways in which material culture can be utilized to make interpretations concerning both past and present behavior.

Required Texts:

• Chapman, Robert 2003 The Archaeologies of Complexity, Routledge, London.
• Daniels, Steve and Nicholas David 1982 The Archaeology Workbook, University of Pennsylvania Press, Philadelphia.
• Patterson, Thomas C. 2004 Marx's Ghost: Conservations with Archaeologists, Berg, New York.
• Sharer, Robert J. and Wendy Ashmore 2002 Archaeology: Discovering our Past, 3rd Edition, McGraw Hill, New York.

Recommended Texts:

• Haywood, John and Simon Hall (Editors) 2005 The Penguin Historical Atlas of Ancient Civilizations, Penguin, New York.
• Renfrew, Colin and Paul Bahn (Editors) 2005 Archaeology: The Key Concepts, Routledge, London.

Academic Dishonesty:

Academic Dishonesty will not be tolerated in any form. Violations of student academic behavior standards are outlined in The Golden Rule, the University of Central Florida's Student Handbook. See http://www.goldenrule.sdes.ucf.edu/ for further details.

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