Anthropology (ANTH) 476
Archaeology: Principles in Practice

This version of ANTH 476 closed Oct. 15, 2004. To current version.
View previous syllabus

Delivery mode: Individualized study. Video component.*
*Overseas students, please contact the University Library before registering in a course that has an audio/visual component.
Credits: 3 - Social Science
Prerequisite:

ANTH 277
Centre: Centre for Work and Community Studies
Challenge for Credit: ANTH 476 has a Challenge for Credit option
Learn more online: Course home page

>> Overview | Outline | Evaluation | Course Materials | Course Fees | Course Availability

Overview

Archaeology and archaeologists have been romanticised and popularised as daredevil explorers of the exotic. In actuality, modern archaeologists constantly confront new ground as they devise a variety of unique tools and solutions to illuminate the actions and beliefs of extinct societies.

ANTH 476 explores the processes and goals of archaeological research. Both excavation and non-excavation techniques are examined to reconstruct ancient lifeways: subsistence, social systems, and religious beliefs.

Written assignments use case studies to give students the opportunity to apply the principles of archaeological interpretation.

Outline

The course consists of the following five units.

  • Unit 1 Archaeology and Anthropology
  • Unit 2 Recovering Archaeological Data
  • Unit 3 Establishing Chronological Controls
  • Unit 4 Reconstructing the Past
  • Unit 5 Challenges to Archaeology

Evaluation

To receive credit for ANTH 476, students must achieve a composite course grade of at least a "D" (50 percent) and a grade of at least 50 percent in the examination. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Assignment 1 Assignment 2 Assignment 3Assignment 4 Quizzes 1-3Final Exam Total
10% 15% 15%20%10%30% 100%

Course Materials

Textbooks

Johnston, Richard B. 1984. The McIntyre Site: Archaeology, Subsistence and Environment. Mercury Series. Paper 126. Ottawa: National Museum of Man.

Smith, P. J., & D. Mitchell, eds. 1998. Bringing Back the Past: Historical Perspectives on Canadian Archaeology. Hull, Quebec: Canadian Museum of Civilization.

Thomas, David Hurst. 1998. Archaeology. 3rd ed. New York: Harcourt Brace and Company.

Other material

The course materials include a student manual, a study guide, assignment manual and reading files.

Athabasca University reserves the right to amend course outlines occasionally and without notice.
Courses offered by other delivery methods may vary from their individualized-study counterparts.

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Opened in Revision 2, Nov. 28/02. To archived version.
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