Academic Programs
COURSE SYLLABUS
Fieldwork in Archaeology
ANTH 345 (23160)
Instructor: Christina Brooks Phone: 803.323.4655 Cell: 980.355.9313
Email: brooksc@winthrop.edu Web: www.faculty.winthrop.edu/brooksc
Office: Kinard 332 Lab: Kinard 017 Office Hours: Mon 9:30-11:30; Others By Appointment
Course Description:
This is a very hands-on course designed to introduce students to basic archaeological field methods, connect the
goals of field investigation with field techniques, and gain an understanding of what the archaeological record is
and how an archaeologist analyzes it.
This course will provide opportunities to learn all dimensions of excavation and postexcavation. From using a trowel to surveying, fieldwalking, archaeological photography, drawing
site plans and profiles, artifact cleaning and conservation as well as developing artifact and site
interpretation.
In addition to field techniques this course will also introduce a lab experience, which involves
cataloguing artifacts, digitizing maps, drawing finds and writing excavation reports.
This course participates in the Global Learning Initiative by its very nature. The global learning component(s)
of this course is/are the following: cultural based semester project, field experience, and relevant reading
assignments.
Student Goals and Outcomes:
Upon completion of this course the student will be able to:
Identify the archeological record;
Demonstrate basic archaeological field techniques;
Understand map reading and surveying;
Understand conducting background research;
Demonstrate knowledge in project report writing
Course Requirements:
Successful progress in the course requires that students remain active in the course and the class projects. Basic
rules of classroom and field etiquette will be expected in this course. Therefore, please refrain from
participating in any behaviors that may disrupt the class, such as talking during lecture, having pagers and cell
phones sound, leaving class early, and coming into class late. If you arrive to class late or to leave class early,
please do so quietly.
Please visit the class website regularly at www.faculty.winthrop.edu/brooksc for updates and schedules.
Student Learning Objectives and General Education Goals:
This course is designed to meet Goals 3 and 5 – To use problem solving skills, critical thinking and a variety of
research methods and to understand scientific knowledge in terms of its methods or acquisition, its specific
quantitative nature, and its dynamic and contingent character.
The course is designed to meet Objectives 2, 3, 4 and 5 of the Natural Science Component. This course helps
students make progress toward the following University Level Competencies. Competency 1: Graduates will
be able to think critically and solve problems. Competency2: Graduates will be personally and socially
responsible. Competency 3: Graduates will understand the global interconnected and nature of the world and
the time in which they live. Competency 4: Graduates will be able to communicate more effectively both
orally and written.
Students carry out an original investigation in which they collect and anlalyze data and then write up
conclusions, demonstrating that they understand and can apply scientific methods of inquiry and that they can
defend conclusions based on their own observations (Objectives 2, 5 and Competency 1 and 4). They will be
able to discuss strengths and limitations of archaeology as an earth science. Students will also be able to
demonstrate an understading of the history of scientific discovery in the life sciences generally and the earth and
archeoligcal sciences specifically. Through the study of material culture students will better understand the
interconnected nature of the world and how they contribute to its function (Objectives 3, 4 and Competency 2
and 3).
Student Materials Required:
Readings and materials will be provided.
Field Journal/ Notebook (to be turned in)
This is a fieldwork class and you WILL GET DIRTY!! Other materials you may wish to bring to the field:
 Water bottle
 Old towel or garden kneeling pad
 Work gloves
 Sunscreen/ Hat
 Lunch/ Snack (there are no restaurants out there)
Evaluation:
Papers
Fieldwork Participation
Bibliographies
Letter
Grade
A
B
Numerical Grade
90-100
80-89
200
120
200
= 520 total possible points
Explanation
Excellent
Good
C
D
F
70-79
60-79
59 below
Average
Below Average
Failing
Attendance
In order to ensure that students are benefiting from this fieldwork experience, attendance is required and will be
taken at each class meeting time. In addition, some scientific concepts are most easily learned with direct,
hands-on experience. If you miss a class, please make sure that you contact a fellow classmate to get notes and
announcements (please do not ask me to provide you with the material you missed in class... I do not repeat
lectures). You are responsible for all work and announcements even when you are not able to attend class. For
the sake of time, I will not respond to individual emails asking what was covered during class. Students are
responsible for the consequences of all absences and for meeting all of the requirements of the class.
Make-Ups and Late Work: Make-up exams will be given ONLY in the event of students providing a
legitimate excuse (see class website for acceptable excuses) and turning in a Missed Exam Form. I only allow
one missed exam to be made up per semester. Any other missed exam will be assigned 0 points. Please read the
Missed Exam Policy on our Class Website. You are responsible for the information on this site.
Academic Integrity
A note on academic integrity…. DON’T CHEAT!!! If you get caught, the full range of penalties will be
used! This includes cheating, fabrication and falsification, plagiarism, multiple submissions and complicity in
academic dishonesty. You are responsible for knowing the content of the Winthrop code of academic integrity
Academic Success Center
Winthrop's Academic Success Center is a free resource for all undergraduate students seeking to perform their
best academically. The ASC offers a variety of personalized and structured resources that help students become
effective and efficient learners. The services available to students are as follows: peer tutoring, academic skill
development (test taking strategies, time management counseling, and study techniques), group and individual
study spaces, and academic coaching. The ASC is located in University College on the first floor of Dinkins
Hall, Suite 106. Please contact the ASC at 803-323-3929 or success@winthrop.edu. For more information on
ASC services, please visit www.winthrop.edu/success.
Students with Disabilities
Winthrop University is dedicated to providing access to education. If you have a disability and require specific
accommodations to complete this course, contact Gena Smith, Program Director, Services for Students with
Disabilities, at 323-3290. Once you have your official notice of accommodations from Services for Students
with Disabilities, please inform me as early as possible in the semester.
**Syllabus subject to change at the discretion of the instructor with a class announcement**
Your Responsibilities (how you earn your grade):
There is a total of 520 possible points that can be earned in this course.
How to earn class participation points: 120 possible points
We will meet in the field and lab weekly this semester. Attendance is required and earns a grade. Each field class
is worth 15pts (so make sure you sign in each class… no points will be given if you forgot).
13*15pts each= 195 pts
How to earn assignment points: 160 possible pts
Students are expected to be working on preparing an annotated bibliography entry for each assigned reading
(reading list attached) for that week and the previous. This will be due every two weeks (via email) on the
Saturdays we do not meet in the field (schedule attached). In addition to the list of readings for each week, every
student will be expected to find and read a related article not on the reading list. Once I have received all of the
additional annotated bibliographies I will distribute the annotations to the class.
8*25pts each= 200
How to earn research/ essay points: 200 possible pts
In addition to reading and annotating students are expected to write two papers in this course. The first paper will
be a technical report of the site. The second paper will be a comprehensive paper about the entire site (meaning
you will be simply adding to your technical report to include a background history of the site as well as
interpretations of the findings).
100pts per paper*2= 200 pts.
Course Schedule:
Week
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
Bibliographies
Welcome/ Introduction to the Course/ Syllabus
Introduction to Archaeology/ Historical Archaeology
Intro to Research Design/ Preparing for Fieldwork
Meet at the Louis Pettus Archives
Finding Sites/ Surveying Sites
Michael Scoggins on the History of Brattonsville
Basic Excavation Techniques- 1
Basic Excavation Techniques- 2
Recording Sites/ Technical Report Due
Analyzing and Cataloging Artifacts
Managing Cultural Materials
Drawing Conclusions and Public Interaction
Careers in Archaeology
No Class- Thanksgiving Holiday
Final Reports Due/ Field Journal Due
Bibs Due
Bibs Due
Bibs Due
Bibs Due
Bibs Due
Bibs Due
Bibs Due (Tuesday before)
Reading List
Intro to Archaeology/ Historical Archaeology
Kelly, Kenneth G. 2005. Historical Archaeology. In Handbook of Archaeological Methods, ed. Christopher
Maschner, Herbert and Chippindale, 1108-1137. Altimira Press.
Deetz, James. 1988. “American Historical Archaeology: Methods and Results.” Science 239: 362-367.
African American Archaeology/ Plantation Archaeology
Orser, Charles E., and Pedro P. A. Funari. 2001. “Archaeology and Slave Resistance and Rebellion.” World
Archaeology 33 (1) (June): 61-72.
Russell, Aaron E. 1995. “Material Culture and African- American Spirituality at the Hermitage.” Historical
Archaeology.
Young, Amy. 1996. “Archaeological evidence of African-style ritual and healing practices in the upland South.”
Tennessee Anthropologist 21 (2): 139–155.
Fairbanks, Charles H. 1984. “The Plantation Archaeology of the Southeastern Coast.” Historical Archaeology 18
(1) (January): 1-14.
Orser, Charles E. 1998a. “The Archaeological Analysis of Plantation Society: Replacing Status and Caste with
Economics.” American Antiquity 53 (4): 735-751.
Singleton, Theresa A. 1999. An Introduction to African American Archaeology. In "I, Too, Am American". Ed
Theresa Singleton. 1-20. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.
Howson, Jean E. 1990. “Social Relations and Material Culture : A Critique of the Archaeology of Plantation
Slavery.” Historical archaeology 24 (4): 78-91.
Interpretations
Christy, S. 1997. “Where Do We Go from Here ? Researching and Interpreting the African-American Experience.”
Historical Archaeology 31 (3): 107-113.
Leone, M.P. 1996. “Interpreting Ideology in Historical Archaeology: Using the Rules of Perspective." in the
Images of the recent past: Readings in historical archaeology: 371.
Leone, Mark P., and Gladys-Marie Fry. 1999. “Conjuring in the Big House Kitchen: An Interpretation of African
American Belief Systems Based on the Uses of Archaeology and Folklore Sources.” The Journal of American
Folklore 112 (445) (July): 372-403.
Mcdavld, C. (1997). Descendants , Decisions , and Power : The Public Interpretation of the Archaeology of the
Levi Jordan Plantation. Historical Archaeology, 31(3), 114-131.
Technical Reports
Glbb, James G. 1997. “Necessary but Insufficient : Plantation Archaeology Reports and Community Action.”
Historical Archaeology 1 (3).
Daniel, I Randolph. 1996. A Preliminary Archaeological Survey and Assessment of the Meadowmon Property.
North. Chapel Hill.
Adams, Natalie. 2006. Archaeological Investigations at the Yourhaney Plantation ( 38GE18 ) Georgetown County
, South Carolina. National Wildlife. Goergetown.
Zierden, Martha, Suzanne Linder, and Ronald Anthony. 1999. Willtown: An Archaeological and Historical
Perspective. Methods. Charleston. (Ch5-6)
How to Prepare an Annotated Bibliography
Published on olinuris.library.cornell.edu (http://olinuris.library.cornell.edu)
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WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?
ANNOTATIONS VS. ABSTRACTS
THE PROCESS
CRITICALLY APPRAISING THE BOOK, ARTICLE, OR DOCUMENT
CHOOSING THE CORRECT FORMAT FOR THE CITATIONS
SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY FOR A JOURNAL ARTICLE
WHAT IS AN ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY?
An annotated bibliography is a list of citations to books, articles, and documents. Each citation is followed by a
brief (usually about 150 words) descriptive and evaluative paragraph, the annotation. The purpose of the
annotation is to inform the reader of the relevance, accuracy, and quality of the sources cited.
ANNOTATIONS VS. ABSTRACTS
Abstracts are the purely descriptive summaries often found at the beginning of scholarly journal articles or in
periodical indexes. Annotations are descriptive and critical; they expose the author's point of view, clarity and
appropriateness of expression, and authority.
THE PROCESS
Creating an annotated bibliography calls for the application of a variety of intellectual skills: concise exposition,
succinct analysis, and informed library research.
First, locate and record citations to books, periodicals, and documents that may contain useful information and
ideas on your topic. Briefly examine and review the actual items. Then choose those works that provide a variety
of perspectives on your topic.
Cite the book, article, or document using the appropriate style.
Write a concise annotation that summarizes the central theme and scope of the book or article. Include one or more
sentences that (a) evaluate the authority or background of the author, (b) comment on the intended audience, (c)
compare or contrast this work with another you have cited, or (d) explain how this work illuminates your
bibliography topic.
CRITICALLY APPRAISING THE BOOK, ARTICLE, OR DOCUMENT
For guidance in critically appraising and analyzing the sources for your bibliography, seeHow to Critically
Analyze Information Sources. For information on the author's background and views, ask at the reference desk for
help finding appropriate biographical reference materials and book review sources.
CHOOSING THE CORRECT FORMAT FOR THE CITATIONS
Check with your instructor to find out which style is preferred for your class. Online citation guides for both the
Modern Language Association (MLA) and the American Psychological Association (APA) styles are linked from
the Library's Citation Management page.
SAMPLE ANNOTATED BIBLIOGRAPHY ENTRY FOR A JOURNAL ARTICLE
The following example uses the APA format for the journal citation.
Waite, L. J., Goldschneider, F. K., & Witsberger, C. (1986). Nonfamily living and the erosion of traditional
family orientations among young adults. American Sociological Review, 51 (4), 541-554.
The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National
Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by
young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in
traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were
fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased
individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by
Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily
living.
This example uses the MLA format for the journal citation. NOTE: Standard MLA practice requires double
spacing within citations.
Waite, Linda J., Frances Kobrin Goldscheider, and Christina Witsberger. "Nonfamily Living and the
Erosion of Traditional Family Orientations Among Young Adults." American Sociological Review 51.4
(1986): 541-554. Print.
The authors, researchers at the Rand Corporation and Brown University, use data from the National
Longitudinal Surveys of Young Women and Young Men to test their hypothesis that nonfamily living by
young adults alters their attitudes, values, plans, and expectations, moving them away from their belief in
traditional sex roles. They find their hypothesis strongly supported in young females, while the effects were
fewer in studies of young males. Increasing the time away from parents before marrying increased
individualism, self-sufficiency, and changes in attitudes about families. In contrast, an earlier study by
Williams cited below shows no significant gender differences in sex role attitudes as a result of nonfamily
living.