Course Syllabus

Download Syllabus:
ARCH 1170 Syllabus.docx

 

Learning Goals

After this course, students will be able to:

• Evaluate and critique sources of archaeological information.
• Critically analyze the various roles archaeology plays in the public eye.
• Identify possible local perspectives and voices surrounding given archaeological issues.
• Present archaeological information to a general audience.

Prerequisites

The course is open to all students, though some previous coursework in archaeology will be helpful. The course may be of particular interest to students concentrating in archaeology or planning a career in teaching.

Teaching in the Schools

During the second half of the course, students will gain practical experience with presenting archaeological information to the public by participating in the "Think like an Archaeologist!" program, an educational outreach collaboration between the Joukowsky Institute of Archaeology and the Ancient World, the Haffenreffer Museum of Anthropology, the RISD Museum, and 6^th grade Social Studies teachers in the Providence public school system. The “Think like an Archaeologist!” program is designed to teach middle school students to think critically about how we know what we know about people in the past. Each session in the 6^th grade classroom consists of a short lecture, followed by a hands-on activity. Students in this course will learn to lead these sessions and will make presentations in classrooms in Providence. Students will also create their own classroom session on a new topic, for possible inclusion in the future “Think like an Archaeologist!” curriculum.

Each student will participate in the classroom-based units of the “Think Like an Archaeologist” program twice.  Since these teaching sessions occur outside of the Brown University classroom, the Thursday session of regularly scheduled class in weeks 9 and 10 will be an optional practice session for students who want to run through teaching sessions or consult with the professor on their final project. The teaching sessions will occur on-site at the middle schools participating in the program and will take place at several different times during the day. Scheduling classroom sessions can be complicated, so students will need to sign up for classroom teaching sessions by WEEK 3 to assure that we have adequate coverage of teaching sessions. Transportation may be provided if necessary.

 

Assignments and Assessment

Participation—25%
Response Papers—20%
Teaching Session Review—5%
Museum Response Paper—5%
Final Project:
            Proposal—5%
            Rough Draft—10%
            Presentation—5%
            Final Product—25%

Participation and Attendance: Attendance and participation are extremely important for this course, especially at scheduled meetings at the Middle School. Students may have two unexcused absences from the seminar portion of the course and may discuss other absences with the professor. Absences from the teaching portion of the course cannot be allowed except in situations cleared beforehand with the professor, because we have an obligation to provide the schools with the program we have promised to them. Each student will be required to attend and actively participate in at least two teaching sessions during the term. Participation in classroom discussion is also important, because it helps deepen engagement with the readings. Oral contributions to discussion will be supplemented by written discussion questions, to be posted by 12 midnight before each Thursday discussion.

The attendance grade will be determined through completion of the following components:  attendance (5%), completion of classroom  teaching (10%), posting discussion questions on time and contributing to in-class discussion (10%).

Response Papers: Students will write 4 short (1.5-2 page double spaced) response papers after discussion sessions. Students can choose which weeks to write responses based on their own interests. Students can answer their own discussion question, one posed by another student, or write on any topic of their choosing. The instructor is happy to consult with students on response paper topics in the case of writer’s block! Please see attached rubric on page 11 of this syllabus, which will be used for each response paper. Each paper will be worth 5% of the final grade.

Review of Teaching Session: Students will write constructive reviews of one teaching session in which they contributed, in combination with a similar self-evaluation. This assignment will help students think about different approaches to presenting lessons in the 6^th grade classroom and will help them improve their teaching. The instructor will provide a response form for the students to fill out. Worth 5% of the final grade.

Museum Response Paper: During week 13, the class will visit a local museum. Students will write a 3 page response paper to this experience, taking into consideration aspects of museum studies and public outreach discussed in class. The instructor will provide a rubric and more detailed instructors prior to the museum visit. If a student is unable to attend the museum trip due to Thanksgiving travel, they will be required to visit the museum on their own time and submit the paper on time.

Final Project: Students will design a lesson to present some aspect of archaeology (or a related field) to sixth-graders (or another specific audience, if approved by the instructor). The project may combine various media and will be presented in a shortened version to the other course participants at the end of the term. Students will also write a short, 3-page double-spaced essay reflecting on how their lesson plan responds to material from the first half of the course and the experience of teaching in actual 6^th grade classrooms. More information about the final project and requirements will be handed out in class. The assessment of the project will have several parts: a paper proposal (5%), a rough draft (10%), a presentation (5%), and the final product (25%). Students will turn in a project proposal and meet with the instructor to get feedback on their plan in Week 6. Students will also turn in a rough draft two weeks before the final product is due, which will be graded quickly and returned with specific comments. Finally, students will present their projects in class and receive feedback from the professor and other students before the final project is due.

Extra Credit: Participation in two teaching sessions is required, but the instructor encourages all students to participate in more sessions if possible! Extra credit worth 2% of the final grade can be earned by participating in two extra sessions. Further extra credit only upon discussion with the instructor.

Course Materials

Required readings for the course will be scanned and placed on the course website (posted to Discussions pages). Supplementary materials will be available as handouts and on a reserve reading shelf in the second floor library of Rhode Island Hall.

Expectations and Academic Honesty

Readings will be completed before the class period for which they are assigned. Approximately 100 pages of reading can be expected per week during the first half of the term. Discussion questions need to be posted by midnight before each discussion.

For each day late an assignment is late, 5% of the grade will be deducted, unless the instructor gives prior approval.

Plagiarism is a serious offense and will result in a failing grade for the course. Always provide careful citations for sources you have used. We will discuss how to do this in class and never hesitate to ask questions if you are in doubt. Please read and abide by Brown University’s academic code: http://www.brown.edu/academics/college/degree/policies/academic-code

Academic Support

Please inform me if you have a disability or other condition that might require some modification of any of these course procedures.  You may speak with me after class or during office hours.  For more information, contact Students and Employee Accessibility Services at 401-863-9588 or SEAS@brown.edu.

Students are encouraged to speak to the instructor about any academic problems they might experience during the term. Further academic support is offered by the Writing Center. Information on the Center and its hours can be found on its website here: http://www.brown.edu/academics/college/support/writing-center

 

Schedule and Readings

Week 1: Introduction and Organization

            Thursday: Beginnings, Archaeology and the Public

Moshenska, Gabriel, and Sarah Dhanjal. 2012. “Introduction: Thinking About, Talking About, and Doing Community Archaeology.” In Community Archaeology: Themes, Methods, and Practices, edited by Gabriel Moshenska and Sarah Dhanjal, 1–5. Oxford: Oxbow.

Holtorf, Cornelius. 2007. “Can You Hear Me at the Back? Archaeology, Communication and Society.” European Journal of Archaeology 10 (2-3): 149–165.

McManamon, Francis P. 2000. “Archaeological Messages and Messengers,” Public Archaeology 1: 5-20.

Week 2: Archaeological Publics—Definitions and Beginnings

            Tuesday: What is Community/Public Archaeology?

                  Selections from Atalay, Sonya. 2012. Community-Based Archaeology: Research with, by, and for Indigenous and Local Communities. Berkeley: University of California Press.

                  Selections from Smith, Laurajane, and Emma Waterton. 2009. Heritage, Communities, and Archaeology. London: Duckworth.

            Thursday: Multivocality

Fawcett, Clare, Junko Habu, and John M. Matsunaga. 2008. “Introduction: Evaluating Multiple Narratives: Beyond Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist Archaeologies.” In Evaluating Multiple Narratives: Beyond Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist Archaeologies, edited by Junko Habu, Clare Fawcett, and John M. Matsunaga, 1–14. New York: Springer.

Hodder, Ian. 2008. “Multivocality and Social Archaeology.” In Evaluating Multiple Narratives: Beyond Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist Archaeologies, edited by Junko Habu, Clare Fawcett, and John M. Matsunaga, 196–200. New York: Springer.

Gallivan, Martin D., and Danielle Moretti-Langholtz. 2007. “Civic Engagement at Werowocomoco: Reasserting Native Narratives from a Powhatan Place of Power.” In Archaeology as a Tool of Civic Engagement, edited by Barbara J. Little and Paul A. Shackel, 47–66. Lanham: Altamira.

Week 3: Archaeology and Activism

            Tuesday: “Archaeology as Political Action”

Introduction and Ch. 1 from McGuire, Randall H. 2008. Archaeology as Political Action. Berkeley: University of California Press. (Skim Ch. 4)          

            Thursday: Can Archaeologists Change the World?

                  Christensen, Kim. 2010. “Archaeology and Activism of the Past and Present.” In Archaeologists as Activists: Can Archaeology Change the World?, edited by M. Jay Stottman, 19–35. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.

Little, Barbara J. 2012. “Envisioning Engaged and Useful Archaeologies.” In Archaeology in Society: Its Relevance in a Modern World, edited by Marcy Rockman and Joe Flatman, 277–289. New York: Springer.

Stottman, M. Jay. 2014. "From the Bottom Up: Transforming Communities with Public Archaeology. In Transforming Archaeology: Activist Practices and Prospects, edited by Sonya Atalay, Lee Rains Clauss, Randall H. McGuire, and John R. Welch, 179-196. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press. 

Week 4: The Use and Abuse of the Past

            Tuesday: Archaeology, Nationalism, and Nation Building

Selections from Hamilakis, Yannis. 2007. The Nation and Its Ruins: Antiquity, Archaeology, and National Imagination in Greece. Oxford: Oxford University Press.

Dietler, M. 1994. “Our Ancestors the Gauls: Archaeology, Ethnic Nationalism and the Manipulation of Celtic Identity in Modern Europe.” American Anthropologist 96, 584-605.

Arnold, B. 1990. “The Past as Propaganda: Totalitarian Archaeology in Nazi Germany,” in Histories of Archaeology, p. 120-144.

            Thursday: The Appeal of Cult Archaeology and Pseudoarchaeology

Zimmerman, Larry J. 2008. “Unusual or ‘Extreme’ Beliefs About the Past, Community Identity, and Dealing with the Fringe.” In Collaboration in Archaeological Practice: Engaging Descendant Communities, edited by Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh and T.J. Ferguson, 55–86. Lanham: Altamira.

Holtorf, C. 2005. “Beyond Crusades: How (Not) to Engage with Alternative Archaeologies.” World Archaeology 37, Debates in World Archaeology, 544-551.

Fagan, B. and Feder, K. 2006. "Crusading Against Straw Men: an Alternative View of Alternative Archaeologies: Response to Holtorf (2005)," World Archaeology 38, 718-729. 

Week 5: Archaeology and Communities in the US

            Tuesday: Native American Communities and Archaeological Collaboration, NAGPRA

Lippert, Dorothy. 2008. “Not the End, Not the Middle, But the Beginning: Repatriation as a Transformative Mechanism for Archaeologists and Indigenous Peoples.” In Collaboration in Archaeological Practice: Engaging Descendant Communities, edited by Chip Colwell-Chanthaphonh and T.J. Ferguson, 119–130. Lanham: Altamira.

Nicholas, George P. 2008. "Melding Science and Community Values: Indigenous Archaeology Programs and the Negotiation of Cultural Differences." In Collaborating at the Trowel’s Edge: Teaching and Learning in Indigenous Archaeology, edited by Stephen W. Silliman, 228-249. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.

Silliman, Stephen W. 2012. "Between the Longue Duree and the Short Puree: Postcolonial Archaeologies of Indigenous History in Colonial North America." In Decolonizing Indigenous Histories: Exploring Prehistoric/Colonial Transitions in Archaeology, edited by Maxine Oland, Siobhan M. Hart, and Liam Frink, 113-131. Tuscon: University of Arizona Press.  

Bruchac, Margaret M. 2010. "Lost and Found: NAGPRA, Scattered Relics, and Restorative Methodologies." Museum Anthropology 33 (2): 137-156.  

            Thursday: Descendant Communities and Difficult Histories

Stahlgren, Lori C. 2010. “Negotiating History, Slavery, and the Present: Archaeology at Farmington Plantation.” In Archaeologists as Activists: Can Archaeology Change the World?, edited by M. Jay Stottman, 95–109. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.  

McDavid, Carol. 2002. “Archaeologies That Hurt; Descendants That Matter: A Pragmatic Approach to Collaboration in the Public Interpretation of African-American Archaeology.” World Archaeology 34 (2): 303–314.  

La Roche, Cheryl J. and Michael L. Blakely. 1997. "Seizing Intellectual Power: The Dialogue at the New York African Burial Ground." Historical Archaeology 31 (3): 84-106. 

Week 6: Archaeology and Communities in the World

            Tuesday: Dealing with Issues of Conflict and Crisis

González-Ruibal, A. 2007. “Making things public: Archaeologies of the Spanish Civil War.” Public Archaeology 6 (4): 203–226.

Shepherd, N. 2007. “Archaeology dreaming post-apartheid urban imaginaries and the bones of the Prestwich Street dead.” Journal of Social Archaeology 7(1): 3-28.

Horning, A. J. 2006. “Archaeology, conflict and contemporary identity in the north of Ireland. Implications for theory and practice in comparative archaeologies of colonialism.” Archaeological Dialogues 13(2), 183-200.

Ryzewski, Krysta, and John F. Cherry. 2012. “Communities and Archaeology under the Soufrière Hills Volcano on Montserrat, West Indies.” Journal of Field Archaeology 37 (4): 316–327.

**DUE: Project Proposal**

            Thursday: Working with Communities in Interpretation

                  Joyce, Rosemary. 2008. “Critical Histories of Archaeological Practice: Latin American and North American Interpretation in a Honduran Context.” In Evaluating Multiple Narratives: Beyond Nationalist, Colonialist, Imperialist Archaeologies, edited by Junko Habu, Clare Fawcett, and John M. Matsunaga, 56–68. New York: Springer.

                  Greer, Shelley. 2002. "Community-Based Archaeology in Australia." World Archaeology 34: 265-287. 

Lafrenz Samuels, Kathryn. 2009. "Trajectories of Development: International Heritage Management of Archaeology in the Middle East and North Africa." Archaeologies: Journal of the World Archaeological Congress 5: 68-91.

Week 7: Communicating Archaeological Knowledge

Tuesday: Archaeology, the Media, and the Digital Age

Scherzler, Diane. 2007. “Journalists and Archaeologists: Notes on Dealing Constructively with the Mass Media.” European Journal of Archaeology 10 (2-3): 185–206.

Morgan, C., & Eve, S. 2012. “DIY and digital archaeology: what are you doing to participate?” World Archaeology 44: 521-537.

Beale, Nicole. 2012. “How Community Archaeology Can Make Use of Open Data to Achieve Further Its Objectives.” World Archaeology  44: 612–633.

Watson, S. 2011. “‘Why can’t we dig like they do on Time Team?’ The meaning of the past within working class communities.” International Journal of Heritage Studies 17 4, 364-379.

           Thursday: Writing (and Speaking) for a General Audience

Fagan, Brian. 2006. Writing Archaeology: Telling Stories About the Past. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Look at the website for Archaeology for the People and come to class with questions for Profs. Cherry and Rojas: http://proteus.brown.edu/archforthepeoplecompetition/Home

Read this exemplary article for a general audience: Batuman, Elif. 2011. "The Sanctuary." The New Yorker (December 19). 

Find one example of a popular article or short video clip which presents archaeological information to a general audience. Post a link to it with your discussion question for this week, and come to class prepared to explain and critique your example.

Week 8: Educational Outreach

Tuesday: Why we're doing what we're doing

Jameson, J. H. 2003. "Purveyors of the past: education and outreach as ethical imperatives in archaeology." In Ethical issues in archaeology, edited by Larry J. Zimmerman, Karen D. Vitelli, and Julie Hollowell-Zimmer, 153-162. Walnut Creek, CA: Alta Mira.

Jeppson, Patrice L., and George Brauer. 2007. “Archaeology for Education Needs: An Archaeologist and an Educator Discuss Archaeology in the Baltimore Country Public Schools.” In Past Meets Present: Archaeologists Partnering with Museum Curators, Teachers, and Community Groups, edited by John H. Jr. Jameson and Sherene Baugher, 231–248. New York: Springer.

Jeppson, Patrice L. 2010. “Doing Our Homework: Reconsidering What Archaeology Has to Offer Schools.” In Archaeologists as Activists: Can Archaeology Change the World?, edited by M. Jay Stottman, 63–79. Tuscaloosa: The University of Alabama Press.

Thursday: How can we do it better?

Nichols, Stephen, Jonathan Prangnell, and Michael Haslam. 2005. “Hearts and Minds : Public Archaeology and the Queensland School Curriculum.” Australian Archaeology 61: 71–79. 

Smith, Claire and Heather Burke. 2007. "Lectures as Usual? Teaching Archaeology for Fun" In Archaeology to Delight and Instruct: Active Learning in the University Classroom, edited by Heather Burke and Claire Smith, 11-34. Walnut Creek, CA: Left Coast Press.

Stone, Gaynell. 2007. "Excavating the Past: 20 Years of Archaeology with Long Island, NY Students." In Past Meets Present: Archaeologists Partnering with Museum Curators, Teachers, and Community Groups, edited by John H. Jr. Jameson and Sherene Baugher, 281–298. New York: Springer.

Ellick, Carol J. 2007. "Audience, Situation, Style: Strategies for Formal and Informal Archaeological Outreach Programs." In Past Meets Present: Archaeologists Partnering with Museum Curators, Teachers, and Community Groups, edited by John H. Jr. Jameson and Sherene Baugher, 249-264. New York: Springer.

Week 9: Teaching Units 1 and 2

            Tuesday: Providence Outreach Introduction, Unit 1 and 2 Introduction

                   Unit 1 and 2 script and supplementary materials

            Thursday: Unit 1 and 2 practice

Week 10: Teaching Units 3 and 4

            Tuesday: Unit 3 and 4 Introduction

                  Units 3 and 4 script and supplementary materials

            Thursday: Units 3 and 4 practice

Week 11: Teaching Unit 5—Museums

          Tuesday: What is a museum?

Selections from MacDonald, Sharon. 2008. A Companion to Museum Studies. Malden, MA: Blackwell. (Chapter 8--The Origins of the Public Museum)

Burcaw, E.G. 1995. "Museum Defined." In Introduction to Museum Work, 3-13. Walnut Creek: Altamira.

Gurian, Elaine Heumann. 2006. "Chapter 5: Choosing Among the Options." Civilizing the Museum, 48-56. London: Routledge.

Hein, Hilde F. 2000. "Introduction," From Object to Experience. The Museum in Transition. A Philosophical Perspective, 1-16. Washington: Smithsonian Press.

          Thursday: How do museums work?

Appleton, J. 2007. “Museums for ‘The People’?” In Museums and Their Communities, edited by S. Watson, 114-126, London: Routledge.

Weil, S. 2007. "The Museum and the Public." In Museums and Their Communities, edited by S. Watson, 32-46. London: Routledge.

Clifford, James. 1999. "Museum as Contact Zones," In Representing the Nation: A Reader. Histories, heritage and museums, edited D. Boswell and J. Evans, 435-457. London: Routledge

Week 12: Museums Continued

Tuesday: Museums and Communities

Read 3 of the 4 following chapters:

Nash, Stephen E. and Nancy O'Malley. 2012. "The Changing Mission of Museums." In Archaeology in Society: Its Relevance in the Modern World, edited by Mary Rockman and Joe Flatman, 97-109. New York: Springer.

Moyer, Teresa S. 2007. “Learning Through Visitors: Exhibits as a Tool for Encouraging Civic Engagement through Archaeology.” In Archaeology as a Tool of Civic Engagement, edited by Barbara J. Little and Paul A. Shackel, 263–278. Lanham: Altamira.

Merriman, Nick. 2004. “Involving the Public in Museum Archaeology,” In Public Archaeology, edited by Nick Merriman, 85-108, London: Routledge.

Kreps, C. 2006. "Non-Western Models of Museums and Curation in Cross-cultural Perspective." In A Companion to Museum Studies, edited by S. Macdonald, 457-472. Malden: Blackwell.

Thursday: Ethical Issues in Museum Practice (the readings focus on the antiquities trade, but review also the readings from earlier weeks about indigenous archaeology and descendant communities)

Renfrew, Colin. 2006. "Museum Acquisition: Responsibilities for the Illicit Traffic in Antiquities." In Archaeology, Cultural Heritage and the Antiquities Trade, edited by N. Brodie, M.M. Kersel, C. Luke and K.W. Tubb, 245-257. Gainsville: University Press of Florida.

Gerstenblith, Patty. 2007. "The Acquisition and Exhibition of Classical Antiquities." In The Acquisition and Exhibition of Classical Antiquities, edited by R. Rhodes, 47-63. South Bend: University of Notre Dame Press.

Mead, R. 2007. "Den of Antiquity." The New Yorker (April 9th, 2007) 83: 52-61.

Cuno, J. 2007. "Art Museums, Archaeology and Antiquities in an Age of Sectarian Violence and Nationalist Politics." In The Acquisition and Exhibition of Classical Antiquities, edited by R. Rhodes, pp. 9-26. South Bend: University of Notre Dame Press.

**DUE: Teaching Session Review**

Week 13: Museums in Practice

            Tuesday: Visit to Local Museum, TBA

                  **DUE: Rough draft of final project**

            Thursday: Thanksgiving Break

Week 14: Project Presentations, Wrap-Up

Thursday:

**DUE: Museum response paper**

Week 15: Project Presentations, Wrap-Up

Finals Period:

**DUE December 15, 4 pm—Final Project**