Department of Anthropology College of Arts & Sciences The University of Alabama

Theory and Method  in Archaeology

Fall 2002

Anthropology 550

(to become 603)

Friday, 2–4:30 p.m., 
Mary Harmon  Bryant Hall (SCF), Room 416

 Ian W. Brown 
Professor of Anthropology

Course Outline

Without theory archaeology is but a mass of data.  Without methods there is no structure or coherency in its application.  Theory and methods go together in archaeology as the first provides the reason for doing, while the second provides the mechanism.  It would be ludicrous to suggest, however, that the people who professionalized archaeology in the nineteenth century were aimlessly collecting and displaying artifacts.  Most of the prime figures in this developing discipline, which was firmly rooted in anthropology in the United States, were acutely aware of objectives and had often developed carefully designed procedures for meeting them.  But the goals and objectives of archaeology have changed as the nature of anthropology itself has matured. 

The twentieth century certainly revolutionized archaeology.  The questions asked have changed over the years, as have excavation techniques, technology, and classification of materials.  Whereas culture history was dominant in the first half of the century, relevance became a concern of the processual years.  The most recent post–processual archaeologies (note the plural), on the other hand, have opened up new avenues of research that were seldom explored using earlier theoretical approaches.  Despite the fact that there have been shifts in emphasis, there is ample evidence that all of the above approaches are viable.  To be effective participants in the growth of social science, archaeologists of today must be aware of the strengths and shortcomings of past and present approaches as they design their own research.  To aid in this endeavor, this course explores contemporary archaeological theory and method and its roots, paving the way for archaeological research of the twenty–first century.

Required Books:

• Death by Theory: A Tale of Mystery and Archaeological Theory, by Adrian Praetzellis.  Altamira Press, Walnut Creek, CA etc. (2000).

• The Southern and Central Alabama Expeditions of Clarence Bloomfield Moore, edited and with an Introduction by Craig T. Sheldon, Jr.  The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa and London (2001).

• Setting the Agenda for American Archaeology: The National Council Archaeological Conferences of 1929, 1932, and 1935, edited and with an Introduction by Michael J. O’Brien and R. Lee Lyman.  The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa and London (2001).

• A Study of Archeology, by Walter W. Taylor.  Southern Illinois University Press, Carbondale and Edwardsville (1973).

• Method and Theory in American Archaeology, by Gordon R. Willey and Philip Phillips.  The University of Alabama Press, Tuscaloosa and London (2001).

• The Archaeological Process: An Introduction, by Ian Hodder.  Blackwell Publishers Ltd., Oxford (1999).

Course Requirements:  

Class Participation

This course is a seminar.  It demands a lot of reading, writing, listening, and talking. The best way to learn is to teach, so everyone must play an active role if this class is to be a success. 

Weight of Grade:      30%

 Term Paper

A topic of your choice after discussion with instructor.

Length: Approximately 25 pages (excluding bibliography and illustrations).

Important Dates:      Abstract and bibliography due—September 20

                                    Paper due—December 6

Weight of Grade:      40%  

  Take–Home Final Exam

Important Dates:      Exam handed out—December 6

                                      Exam due—December 13

Weight of Grade:      30%

Schedule

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