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.

Evaluation

To receive credit for ANTH 476, you 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:

To learn more about assignments and examinations, please refer to Athabasca University's online Calendar.

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 materials

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