Anthropology P200: Introduction to Archaeology
Fall 2008
Course Number: 7084
Class time: Mondays and Wednesdays 11:15 am-12:05 pm
Class location: Student Building 150
Discussion Section
All students must be enrolled in a discussion section along with the
main lecture. Sections meet in Student Building 050, directly
beneath our classroom, starting the first week of classes.
Section 14501 Tuesdays 11:15 am-12:05 pm, AI
Section 14500 Tuesdays 12:20-1:10 pm, AI
Section 15612 Wednesdays 12:20-1:10 pm, AI
Section 14502 Wednesdays 1:25-2:15 pm, Prof. King (Honors section)
Instructors and Office Hours
Professor Stacie M. King
Office Location: Student Building 245
Office Hours: Mondays 1:30-3:30 pm, or by appointment
Office Phone: 855-3900
Email: kingsm@indiana.edu
Mailbox: Anthropology Department Office, Student Building 130
Assistant Instructor Meghan Buchanan
Office Location: Starbucks on Indiana Ave!
Office Hours: Mondays 12:30-1:30 pm and Tuesdays 1:30–3:30 pm, or by appointment
Email: meghbuch@indiana.edu
Course Description
This course is an introduction to the methods and theories of archaeology. Archaeology is the
study of human societies based on material remains left behind by people. We will explore the
kinds of questions that archaeologists ask about past human societies, and the different ways that
archaeologists use archaeological data to interpret social organization, subsistence, environment,
architecture, trade, economic systems, interpersonal relations and political life. You will learn
about the goals of archaeology as a subfield of anthropology, the development of archaeology as
a scientific discipline and the wide range of methods archaeologists use to collect and analyze
material remains.
Throughout the semester, we will draw on examples of archaeological research from across the
globe, discuss major transitions in world history and evaluate how archaeologists reached those
conclusions. Examples include the transition from hunting and gathering to sedentary lifestyles,
the development of cities and complex societies, and interpretations of everyday life, identity,
burial customs, and community membership. We will also discuss contemporary issues
including museums, site preservation, looting, and use of the archaeological past in nation
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building and ethnic politics. Students should come away from this class with a solid background
in how archaeologists do their work, what kinds of things we have learned and can learn about
ancient human societies, and how archaeological research is relevant in our modern lives.
Course Prerequisites
None. This class is intended for undergraduate students interested in archaeology and fulfills a
requirement toward the Anthropology minor and major.
Required Text
Renfrew, Colin and Paul Bahn. 2007. Archaeology Essentials: Theories, Methods and Practice.
London: Thames and Hudson. Available at the IU Bookstores, TIS and online.
Any other readings will be made available for download and links will be provided on Oncourse.
Information will be provided in class about these.
Course Grade
Course grades will be calculated based on 400 points, and will include two exams (50%), and
eight section assignments (40%). Attendance at lecture and section will also count toward your
overall grade (10%).
Breakdown of Course Grade
Exam 1 (Midterm)
Exam 2 (Final)
Section Assignments (8 @ 20 pts each)
Section Attendance (14 weeks @ 2 pts each)
Lecture Attendance (6 times @ 2 pts each)
100 points
100 points
160 points
28 points
12 points
Total
400 points
Late Policy
All assignments are due on the date listed in the syllabus, unless otherwise noted. Section
assignments will be collected at the beginning of section. Assignments turned in late will be
assessed a penalty of 3.5% for every day that they are late (A to A-, B+ to B, etc.). Never
sacrifice attendance points by skipping class because you haven’t yet completed an assignment.
Come to class and finish your assignment later! Late section assignments should be turned into
Prof. King’s mailbox in the Anthropology Department office. The Anthropology Office is only
open during business hours M-F and is closed for lunch and for staff meetings (9:00 am-12:00
pm, 1:00-5:00 pm). Please do not slide assignments underneath office or building doors.
For those of you who regrettably miss several assignments please come see Prof. King to discuss
your makeup options and strategies for improvement – it is always important to take initiative
and come see us as early as possible to come up with a solution. I will always give some points
for completing an assignment. No one should fail this class!
A PAPER copy of all section assignments is required. We will not accept emailed assignments
unless advance arrangements have been made.
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Attendance Policy
I like to have a record of attendance for record-keeping and evaluation purposes. I always find a
direct correlation between attendance, exam grades, and final grades. Attendance is especially
important since most of the exam content comes from lecture and section. I will take attendance
randomly in lecture 7 times during the semester, and attendance will be taken each week in
section. For both sections and lecture, you are allowed one free miss. Please respect that it is not
fair to give you credit for attending if you are not present in class, so my attendance policy does
not exempt absences for important personal reasons, illness or university sponsored activities –
this is why you are allowed a free miss. If you enrolled late, or are a member of an
organization/team that will result in missing class on a regular basis, please see me in office
hours so we can make a note of it. Also if you will miss class because of religious holidays,
please bring that to our attention promptly.
Academic Honesty
We encourage all students in P200 to discuss ideas and study for exams with fellow classmates.
However, we expect you to complete your assignments alone. In addition, we expect that you
will abide by all of the rules of academic honesty presented in the Indiana University Code of
Student Rights, Responsibilities, and Conduct, available at
www.dsa.indiana.edu/code/index1.html. If you have any concerns or questions about these
guidelines, please talk to either Meghan or myself.
Classroom Professionalism
I expect that students will act in a professional manner while in class. This means that you
should not check email, wear headphones, text, surf the web, read the newspaper, habitually
arrive late, talk loudly with classmates, or otherwise disrupt class. Please turn your cell phone
ringers off. I will ask people to leave if they seem more interested in something else. If
excessive violations occur, I reserve the right to reduce your grade by up to 10%.
Disabled Student Services
If any student will require assistance or academic accommodations for a disability, please contact
us after class, during our office hours or by individual appointment. You must have established
your eligibility for disability support services through the Office of Disabled Student Services in
Franklin Hall 096, 855-7578.
Oncourse (http://oncourse.iu.edu)
I will set up access to assignments, important announcements, and an on-line gradebook through
Oncourse. Please check Oncourse regularly for announcements, links to assignments, and
grades. The gradebook is especially important to check at least weekly because I want you to be
well aware of how you are doing in class! Please talk to Meghan or Prof. King if you have any
questions about the gradebook, and since data entry errors are possible, please be sure to alert us
if you find a mistake.
Course Schedule
The first half of the class is dedicated to the history, methods, and theories of archaeology, and
the second half addresses how archaeologists interpret archaeological data to address important
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questions. Readings should be completed before class, so that you will be able to take better
notes during lecture. Please come prepared! NOTE: Assignments and readings are DUE on
the date listed, reading pages INCLUDE box items.
Week
Date
Sept 3
Topic
Introduction; How do we know what
we know?
Section
Introduction
Sept 8
Sept 10
Section
Sept 15
Practicing archaeology
Early archaeology to the 19th Century
Research questions and evidence
Culture history: 1900-1960 &
Processual archaeology: 1960-1980
Postprocessual archaeologies: 1980 to
present
Where do you find sites?
Typology and classification
What is left to find?
Taphonomy and Preservation
Regional scale archaeology
Maps and archaeology
Defining a site
Site scale archaeology
Interpretation of stratigraphy
Excavation and artifact processing
When were they there? Dating
methods
Seriation and stylistic change
Environment
What did they eat? Subsistence
Review for midterm
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
Sept 17
Section
Sept 22
Sept 24
Section
Sept 29
Oct 1
Section
Oct 6
Oct 8
Section
Oct 13
Oct 15
Section
Assignment
Readings
Introduction
Chapter 1, pp. 13-22
Chapter 1, pp. 23-28
Chapter 1, pp. 28-34
Assignment 1
Chapter 2, pp. 37-49
Chapter 2, pp. 49-56
Assignment 2
Chapter 3, pp. 59-73
Chapter 3, pp. 74-83
Assignment 3
Chapter 3, pp. 84-95
Chapter 4 (entire chapter)
Assignment 4
Chapter 6, pp. 163-167
Chapter 6, pp. 167-184
Oct 20 Exam 1, Midterm Exam
8
9
10
11
12
Oct 22
Section
Oct 27
Oct 29
Section
Nov 3
Nov 5
Section
Nov 10
Nov 12
Section
Nov 17
Nov 19
Plants and animals
Plant and animal remains
Plant and animal domestication
Stone tool production
Biography of an object
Trade and exchange
Sociopolitical organization
Materials laboratory
Why did things change? Social
complexity
Household and gender
Sociopolitical organization
Who were they? Human bodies and
bioarchaeology
Burial practices
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Chapter 6, pp. 185-193
Chapter 7, pp. 195-206
Assignment 5
Chapter 7, pp. 206-217
Chapter 5, pp. 131-145
Assignment 6
Chapter 9 (entire chapter)
Chapter 5, pp. 145-161
Chapter 8, pp. 236-245
Chapter 5, pp. 145-149
(review again)
13
Section
Nov 24
Nov 26
Section
Dec 1
14
Dec 3
Section
Dec 8
15
Dec 10
Section
Mortuary analysis
CLASS CANCELLED
THANKSGIVING. NO CLASS
SECTION CANCELLED, all students will get attendance credit
What did they think? Symbols, art and
Chapter 8, pp. 219-235
religion
Ethics, early legislation, and cultural
Chapter 10, pp. 269-276
resources management
Archaeological ethics
Assignment 7
SAA Ethics Guidelines
National and international cultural
Chapter 10, pp. 276-289
resources laws and debates
Class summary
Review for final exam
Assignment 8
Exam 2, Final Exam: Wednesday December 17, 12:30-2:30 pm
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