- Archaeology of Inequality

Catalog description

Archaeology of Inequality- An exploration of how the material world creates or reinforces inequality and the ways that historical archaeologists combine documentary and material evidence to understand how inequalities are enacted, reproduced, and challenged in the United States. Through readings, discussions, and hands-on work with material culture collections and archives, students gain an understanding of the roots of present day inequalities, the material conditions of inequalities, and archaeology's contribution to making both visible in the 21st century. Students will use an anthropological approach to analyze case studies, situating and interpreting material objects in their social, political, and economic contexts to better understand people and their relationship to power, justice, and identity. They will further consider how gender, race, class, ethnicity, and identity intersect and shape individual and community experiences of power, justice, and inequality. Students will also examine how archaeology is used to combat inequality in the 21st century U.S.