1
USF ANT3101 Sec002 Cooper 103 Mon/Wed 8-9:15 am
Nancy White, SOC 47, office hrs: Thurs 9-10 a.m. SOC 47
or by appointment in person or by phone
Phone: 974-0815 email: nmw@usf.edu
Fall 2020
1500–year-old Middle Woodland
DRAFT cutout red-painted ceramic jar with
bird head, from Bristol mound, northwest Florida
ARCHAEOLOGY
Required texts:
– Ashmore, W. and R. Sharer, DISCOVERING OUR PAST, A Brief Introduction to Archaeology, 6th ed. McGraw
Hill, NY, 2014 (A&S)
– Price, T. and G. Feinman, IMAGES OF THE PAST. 7th ed. Mayfield, NY, 2010 (P&F)
Suggested text: White, N.M., Archaeology for Dummies. Wiley, Hoboken, NJ, 2008
COURSE OUTLINE:
Date Discussion Topics Assigned Readings (pages)
24-31 Aug Definition and kinds of archaeology, history of archaeology A&S ix-38, P&F 1-8
2-9 Sept Archaeological theory, data, site formation processes A&S 39–85
7 Sept, no class, Labor Day holiday
14–16 Sept Archaeological survey and excavation: where, how to dig A&S 86-115, P&F 8-18
21-23 Sept Archaeological lab work and analysis of the remains A&S 115-178, P&F 19–33
28-30 Sept Archaeological interpretation and reconstruction A&S 179–236
5-7 Oct Public archaeology, modern society, cultural resources A&S 237-end; P&F 543-46
** 12 Oct Mon Midterm exam **
12-14 Oct Human prehistory: first people, culture, Lower Paleolithic P&F 35-96
19-21 Oct Middle and Upper Paleolithic hunter-gatherers; emergence P&F 99-133, 147-164
of modern humans; Mesolithic, origins of food production 170-76
26-28 Oct Old-World Neolithic, Metal Ages P&F 179-224, 242-244,
** 26 Oct GEA PAPER 1 DUE ** 489-513
2-4 Nov Old World States, later African, Asian states P&F 419-469, 483-87,
9-18 Nov North American archaeology P&F 139–148, 165–69, 249-99
++ GEA PAPER 2 DUE Mon 16 Nov ++
23–30 Nov Mesoamerican archaeology, S. American archaeology P&F 143-5, 225–41, 303–
417,470–482
26–29 Nov no class, Thanksgiving holiday
*** Mon 7 Dec 7:30-9:30 FINAL EXAM ***
COURSE OBJECTIVES AND EMPHASES
Archaeology investigates past peoples through study of their material remains. This course
explores different kinds of archaeology, theory, methods, and techniques to reconstruct, interpret,
preserve, and learn from the past. We will explore how archaeological knowledge is obtained, then
review the human cultural chronology from the time of the first people and the long Paleolithic
ages to the present. We want to understand not only the material remains but also the important
social, economic, and ideological questions: the origins of culture, food production, social
inequality, and civilization. The course emphasizes archaeology as anthropology and the relevance
of archaeology to modern human society, politics, and daily life.
This course is part of USF’s Foundations of Knowledge and Learning Core Curriculum, certified in the
area of Cultural Diversity and Global Context for the following dimensions: Critical Thinking, Inquiry-Based
Learning, Scientific Processes, Global Context, Human Historical Context and Process.
In addition, as part of USF’s General Education Curriculum, and certified for “Information and Data
Literacy,” the course will help you learn to evaluate differences in interpretation by experts, formulate
research questions based on these differences, and evaluate and organize disparate interpretations of the
same evidence. The course builds on previous social science General Education Knowledge coursework by
helping you with critical thinking, problem solving, and writing skills, along with a deeper understanding of
the diversity of the human experience in the past. These skills will be useful for you in college and in life!
Students in this course may be asked to participate in the USF General Education assessment effort, which
includes submitting writing assignments (the two #GEA papers) for review via a second place on Canvas.
BECAUSE OF THESE STRINGENT REQUIREMENTS, THIS COURSE IS NOT RECOMMENDED FOR STUDENTS IN
THEIR FIRST YEAR AT USF.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
