North American Archaeology

Catalog description

Credits 3. 3 Lecture Hours. COURSE OVERVIEW. Explores the archaeology of North America from the first arrival of humans on the continent through recent historical archaeology. Emphasis will be upon the geographic area of the continental United States and Canada, with a focus on past Indigenous lifeways and their variation in time and in space. Discusses individual sites and places them into their regional context. Develops critical analysis skills of the lines of evidence most common to North American archaeology, including archaeological site reports, academic papers, historical records and other primary sources. Compares sites across space and time to form ideas of changing lifeways, technologies and social and individual identities of past people of North America. TOPICS AND THEMES. Topics include the concept of culture areas and its evolution over time, environmental archaeology, migration; adaption and environment; domestication and agriculture; technological innovation and development; trade; social complexity, warfare, culture contact, archaeological laws, ethics and politics, including the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act and Indigenous archaeology in North America. The course will include historical archaeology but focuses upon pre-European archaeology. Special attention is given to the diverse lines of evidence archaeologists use to explore these themes—including paleoenvironmental proxies, material culture analysis, iconography, colonial-era documents and ethnographic accounts. This multidisciplinary approach fosters a more holistic understanding of North American societies and their rich, complex histories. This course may incorporate topics that respond to current events, student interests or emerging issues relevant to North American archaeology. Course content may include complex or sensitive topics and is designed to foster respectful, evidence-based discussion and critical engagement with multiple perspectives, skills essential for navigating a diverse and changing world. Prerequisite: ANTH 201 , ANTH 202 , ANTH 204 , ANTH 205 , or ANTH 210 .