Anthropology (ANTH) 272

Introduction to Archaeology (Revision 3)

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Delivery Mode: Individualized study online

Credits: 3

Area of Study: Social Science

Prerequisite: None

Faculty: Faculty of Humanities & Social Sciences

Anthropology Studies home page

ANTH 272 is not available for challenge.

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Overview

This course is designed to provide you with an extensive overview of the theories, methods, and practice of archaeology. It examines the nature and aims of archaeology; the methods and material remains used to reconstruct the past; the economic, social, political, and ideological systems of human experience; the biology of people of the past; the causes of culture change; and the place of archaeology in our contemporary world.

Outline

The course consists of the following three units:

Unit 1: The Framework of Archaeology
Unit 2: Discovering the Variety of Human Experience
Unit 3: The World of Archaeology

Evaluation

To receive credit in ANTH 272, you must achieve a minimum of D (50 percent) on both the midterm and final examinations and an overall grade of D (50 percent) for the entire course. The weighting of the composite grade is as follows:

Activity	Weighting
Quiz 1	5%
Assignment 1	20%
Midterm Exam	20%
Quiz 2	5%
Assignment 2	30%
Final Exam	20%
Total	100%

The mid-term and final examinations for this course must be taken online with an AU-approved exam invigilator at an approved invigilation centre. It is your responsibility to ensure your chosen invigilation centre can accommodate online exams. For a list of invigilators who can accommodate online exams, visit the Exam Invigilation Network.

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

Course Materials

Textbooks

Muckle, Robert J., ed. Reading Archaeology: An Introduction. Toronto, ON: University of Toronto Press Incorporated, 2011.

Renfrew, Colin, and Paul Bahn. Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. 7th ed. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc., 2016.

Other Materials

All other course materials are provided online via the course homepage.

Additional Course Components

To successfully complete this course, you must watch the following video:

The African Burial Ground: An American Discovery. Produced and directed by David Kutz. Brooklyn: Kutz Television, Inc., 1994.

This video is available in the course Digital Reading Room and from the Athabasca University Library.

Optional Course Components

Several video programs are listed as optional, but highly recommended, viewing for this course. All the videos are either available in the course DRR or from the Athabasca University Library. Although the videos are not required viewing, they will add significantly to your learning experience. If you are unable to view any of these programs, alternative readings are listed in the Study Guide.

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.

Opened in Revision 3, April 27, 2017.