Archaeological theory–Anthropology 210

Fall, 2006

PROFESSOR:

Deborah E. Blom, Ph.D.

University of Vermont

Department of Anthropology

Williams Hall 508

Office phone: (802) 656-2932

E-mail: dblom@uvm.edu

www.uvm.edu/~dblom/

SCHEDULE:

Tuesday, Thursday, 11:00 a.m. – 12:15 p.m., Room 511 Williams Hall

OFFICE HOURS:

My office hours are Tuesday and Thursday 12:15-12:45pm, 1:30-2:00pm, and 3:15-3:30pm and Wednesday 1:30-2:00pm. I encourage students with any problems, concerns, or additional interest to meet me during office hours, preferably with an appointment. At other times, I am generally fulfilling the research and service portions of a professor’s contract (only 40% involves teaching and advising!), so I am not always immediately available. However, you may be able to contact me by email and, if we plan in advance, we can arrange to meet or talk by phone outside of office hours if there is no alternative.

CLASS FORMAT:

This class is designed for mature students in the study of anthropology and archaeology. Although it is not necessary to have had more than Anth 024 before this class, the ability to read/review, analyze, and discuss a fair amount of material is necessary. The class will be run by student discussion with guidance provided by the instructor through reading lists, framing questions, and feedback. A large component of the grade will be earned by “engaging” the readings through critical thinking, writing position papers and participating in class discussion. Through this format we can all get the most from the readings, learn from each other and hone our abilities to analyze & discuss sometimes unfamiliar material.

REQUIRED TEXTS:

· Johnson, Matthew (1999) Archaeological Theory: An Introduction. Cambridge, MA: Blackwell Publisher. Paperback ISBN: 0-631-20295-1. [J]

· Hodder, Ian (editor) (2001) Archaeological Theory Today. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN: 0-7456-2269-0. [Chapter Author 2001]

· Hodder, Ian (1999) The Archaeological Process: An Introduction. Malden, MA: Blackwell Publishing. ISBN: 0-631-19884-7. [H]

· Dictionary

· Additional Readings–see below. These will be handed out in class or available to copy in the Anthropology Office (Williams 509, closed 12-1 and after 4:25).

ADDITIONAL READINGS:

Blom, Deborah E.

2005 Embodying borders: Human body modification and diversity in Tiwanaku society. Journal of Anthropological Archaeology 24:1-24.

Blom, Deborah E., James Petersen, and Fred Wiseman

2006 Repatriation and Monument Road: Abenaki and Archaeologists’ Efforts to Find a Solution. In Cross-Cultural Collaboration: Native Peoples and Archaeology in the Northeastern United States, edited by Jordan E. Kerber. University of Nebraska Press, pp. 76-93.

Bradley, Richard

1993 Archaeology: the loss of nerve. In Archaeological Theory: Who Sets the Agenda?, edited by Norman Yoffee & Andrew Sherratt, pp. 131-133. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

Kohl, Philip L.

1993 Limits to a post-processual archaeology (or, the dangers of a new scholasticism). In Archaeological Theory: Who Sets the Agenda?, edited by Norman Yoffee & Andrew Sherratt, pp. 13-19. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.

GRADING:

The final grade will be based on:

· Position papers for each class in which readings are assigned – well-written 1-2-page papers summarizing & critiquing readings, as well as posing at least one question for class discussion (with notes on why the question(s) is/are important). Grades returned every 2 weeks – 40%

· 2 Essay Exams – 20% total

· Class Discussion – Class Discussion is your contribution to the class. Everyone is expected to participate, and, for grading purposes, lack of participation will be interpreted as a lack of preparation. Total lack of participation cannot result in a final grade higher than “B” – 20%

· Final Position Paper – A final position paper/review of Hodder1999 will be prepared over the last two weeks of class, of 5-10 pages – 20%

· No extra credit will be available.

PENALTY FOR LATE ASSIGNMENTS:

· You receive two grace days for late assignments (they can both be used on one assignment or one on two, separate assignments). After this, one letter grade will be lowered per 24 hours for excused late assignments.

· Assignments received after 12/13 at 5pm or those that are not excused after any grace period will be given no credit.

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY:

Students are expected to adhere to the Academic Integrity Policy in this class. Plagiarism and copying will not be tolerated. For more information see the UVM web pages (http://www.uvm.edu/%7Euvmppg/ppg/student/acadintegrity.html). Although it is painful, I do turn students in for lack of academic integrity.

TIPS FOR IMPROVING YOUR GRADES

·First & foremost, be honest with yourself–are you putting in enough time studying?

·Have you consulted the glossaries, indexes, and suggestions for further readings sections?

·Are you taking the time to read and understand the material?

·Can you explain the material coherently to someone else? Try forming study groups.

·Are you actually answering questions/answers posed, or are you just giving me a “mind dump” on the topic?

·Are you taking notes in class and while reading the texts?

·Have you taken advantage of making an appointment to come in & see me with additional questions or explanations before assignments are due?

·Have you considered using the writing center to aid in your writing?

·Is there something bothering you about the discussions? Bring it up in class or to me privately.

ACCOMMODATIONS FOR DISABILITIES

· I am more than happy to make extra arrangements for students with documented disabilities and those requiring out-of-town travel to attend their games. I just need you to communicate your needs in a timely fashion.

· If you have a disability that will require accommodations or will be away for your team, you must notify me about it with written documentation within the first two weeks of class. If a new condition arises, bring this documentation in immediately.

· In the case of new conditions, if you do not let me know within a week before an exam, I will not be able to accommodate you, no matter how much I sympathize.

CLASS SCHEDULE*

Date(s)	Description	Readings
T 8/29	Classes Begin, Discussion Ideas
Th 8/31	Whats & Hows of Archaeological Theory?	J–Preface
T 9/5	Introduction to Archaeological Theory	J–Ch. 1, Hodder 2001
Th 9/7	“New Archaeology”	J–Ch. 2
T 9/12	Behavioral Archaeology	LaMotta & Schiffer 2001
Th 9/14	Archaeology as Science	J–Ch. 3
T 9/19	Middle Range Theory	J–Ch. 4
Th 9/21	Culture as a System	J–Ch. 5
T 9/26	Evolutionary Archaeology	J–Ch. 9; Leonard 2001
Th 9/28	Cognitive Archaeology	J–Ch. 6; Mithen 2001
T 10/3	Exam I Review (Exam 1 handed out 10/5, due 10/7, 4:00pm)
Th 10/5	Post-Processual and Interpretive Archaeologies	J–Ch. 7
T 10/10	Processual vs. Post-Processual Archaeology	Bradley 1993; Kohl 1993; H–Ch. 1
Th 10/12	Agency (Remember the Amazon presentations)	Barrett 2001
T 10/17	Place and Landscape	Thomas 2001
Th 10/19	Archaeology and Gender	Meskell 2001; J–Ch. 8
T 10/24	Archaeology and Ethnicity	Meskell 2001; Blom 2004
Th 10/26	Archaeology & History	J–Ch. 10
T 10/31	Archaeology in a Post-Modern World	J–Ch. 11; Gosden 2001
Th 11/2	Archaeological Representations	Moser 2001, Blom et al. 2006
T 11/7	Culture as a Concept	Shanks 2001
Th 11/9	Conflict and Consensus	J–Ch. 12; H–Chs. 1, 2
T 11/14	Exam II
Th 11/16	Is a Consensus Possible?	H–Chs. 3, 4, 5
11/20-24	Thanksgiving Recess
T 11/28	Is a Consensus Possible? (continued)	H–Chs. 6, 7
Th 11/30		H–Chs. 8, 9
T 12/5		H–Ch. 10, 11
Th 12/7	Last Class
M 12/11	Final Paper Due

*Any changes to this syllabus will be announced in class.