Special Topics Course Proposal Form
SUFFOLK COUNTY COMMUNITY COLLEGE
SPECIAL TOPICS COURSE PROPOSAL FORM
ORIGINATING CAMPUS: (X) Ammerman ( ) Eastern
( ) Grant
Date Submitted to Campus Dean: _____mm/yy_____
To meet the ideals of Suffolk County Community College, new courses should, if appropriate, consider issues arising
from elements of cultural diversity in areas of textbook choice, selection of library and audio-visual materials, and
teaching methodology.
CAMPUS DEAN E-MAILS ENTIRE PROPOSAL PACKET TO THE COLLEGE CURRICULUM
COMMITTEE CHAIR AS A WORD DOCUMENT UPON ITS APPROVAL.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
PROCEDURES
1. Instructor downloads and drafts proposal and syllabus from Special Topics link on the Curriculum Website
2. Proposer sends the files (proposal and syllabus) electronically to the Academic Chair for distribution and support
from Academic Department.
3. Academic Chair initials the proposal upon approval and electronically forwards file and syllabus to the Campus
Dean.
4. Upon approval, the Campus Dean initials the proposal and electronically forwards file and syllabus to the College
Curriculum Committee Chair for posting on the Curriculum Website.
5. The College Curriculum Chair will electronically forward the files (including syllabus) to the College Associate Dean
for Curriculum and Assessment.
___________________________________________________________________________
Proposed by__Thaddeus Nelson_______
Date of Proposal 3/4/15
Department/Discipline Anthropology (Archaeology)_________________
Course #___ANT 295_____
I.
Course Title__Introduction To Archaeology_____
RELATIONSHIP TO STUDENTS
A.
*Credit Hours__3_
Contact Hours__3_
Lecture Hours___3_
Lab/Studio Hours_____
*See Curriculum Website for Credit/Contact Hours Formula.
II.
B.
Class Size 35 students
C.
Course Fees
Lab Fees__0__
Course Fees__0__
RELATIONSHIP TO MASTER SCHEDULE
A.
**Proposed Semesters Course will run:
Fall__2015___
Winter_(yr.)____ Spring_2016____ Summer_(yr.)____
B.
**Projected Termination Date
Fall_(yr.)____
Winter_(yr.)____
Spring_2016____ Summer_(yr.)____
**Special Topics courses may run for only two semesters. Upon the completion of the second semester, the
course must be withdrawn from the schedule unless it has been re-approved as a Special Topics course or
approved as a permanent course. Under no circumstances may a Special Topics course run for more than four
semesters.
III.
Rationale for Course:
Anthropologists require a holistic approach integrating the four subfields: archaeology, cultural
anthropology, physical anthropology, and linguistic anthropology. Students enrolled at SCCC currently
have the opportunity to study physical and cultural anthropologies. Studying archaeology better prepares
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Special Topics Course Proposal Form
them to enter the academic field of anthropology through exposure to an additional subfield.
Professionally, archaeology is the subfield of anthropology most commonly practiced outside of an
academic environment (i.e. Cultural Resource Management), and this class provides exposure to the
possible career path.
Within the broader curriculum, archaeology provides students with an important tool in assessing
information presented in the fields of history, biology, evolution and ecology, and political sciences. The
data and methods that are key to archaeological research touch on each of these areas of research.
On an individual level, students who study how archaeological data is collected, interpreted, and
presented will be better able to understand arguments presented in the public media (i.e. Ancient Aliens,
The Naked Archaeologist, or The Paleodiet), politics (i.e. debates over national identity or property rights),
and ethics (i.e. the Native American Graves and Repatriation Act). Students with a strong knowledge of
archaeology will be able to approach these topics with an open, but analytical mind when people argue for
their loyalty or money, and make informed decisions.
IV.
Description of Course:
Archaeology is the branch of anthropology which addresses humanities past behaviors, beliefs, and
technologies. In most cases, researchers rely on the material record deposited in sediments. The focus of
the course will be on the four key tools to reading this record:
1) Archaeological Theory: The historical development of archaeologists from collectors to scientists to
interpreters/preservers of the material record.
2) The Material Record: Common parts of the material record studied by anthropologists (i.e. lithics,
ceramics, faunal remains, botanical remains, architectural remains), and how they are preserved
after deposition.
3) Archaeological Methods: How archaeologists find and unearth the remains of human past existence
so that they can be meaningfully interpreted: survey, excavation, dating, and artifact analysis.
4) Archaeological Ethics: Archaeologists have the potential to unearth all of our pasts. Their
responsibilities include conserving the record and making their results accessible to those who are
invested in it as well as the general public.
Understanding of these four major topics will allow students to approach archaeological information with
familiarity and determine the validity of claims made about the past. It will also help them understand
why it is important to be ethical stewards of our archaeological record and how to do this in their lives.
V.
Approvals
Department Approval_Judith Travers
Date_______________
Academic Chair
Campus Dean Approval George P. Tvelia
Date March 4, 2015
Campus Dean
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Special Topics Course Proposal Form
SPECIAL TOPICS • COURSE SYLLABUS
I.
Course Number and Title:
ANT 295: Introduction to Archaeology
II.
Description of Course:
Introductory course studying the materials, methods, theoretical approaches, and ethics of archaeology.
Using worldwide archaeological studies as a dataset, students will learn the processes behind finding,
recording, interpreting, and protecting the archaeological record. Applying these understandings will help
students understand their relation to the past as beneficiaries and stewards.
III.
Course Objectives:
Provide students with a background in the archaeology through exposures to the material record of the
Old and New World. Focus will be on the four key parts of archaeological research.
1) Archaeological Theory: The historical development of archaeologists from collectors to scientists to
interpreters/preservers of the material record.
2) The Material Record: Common parts of the material record studied by anthropologists (i.e. lithics,
ceramics, faunal remains, botanical remains, architectural remains), and how they are preserved
after deposition.
3) Archaeological Methods: How archaeologists find and unearth the remains of human past existence
so that they can be meaningfully interpreted: survey, excavation, dating, and artifact analysis.
4) Archaeological Ethics: Archaeologists have the potential to unearth all of our pasts. Their
responsibilities include conserving the record and making their results accessible to those who are
invested in it as well as the general public.
Upon completion of this course students will:
1) Identify and describe important archaeological case studies in the Old and New Worlds.
2) Compare and contrast the major bodies of archaeological theory and their impact on research
outcomes.
3) Identify and describe common parts of the material record and how they are preserved after
deposition.
4) Identify and describe the methods used by archaeologists to access and analyze the material
record.
5) Assess, discuss, and apply the personal and professional roles of ethics in archaeology.
IV. Required Texts and Materials:
(List textbooks, newspapers, journals, Internet resources, CD-ROMS, Videos, other teaching materials
to be used in the course.)
Required Texts:
Newman, Elizabeth T. Biography of a Hacienda: Work and Revolution in Rural Mexico. , 2014.
Deetz, James. In Small Things Forgotten: [an Archaeology of Early American Life]. New York: Anchor Books, 1996.
Suggested Text for Reference and Review:
Renfrew, Colin, and Paul G. Bahn. Archaeology: Theories, Methods, and Practice. London: Thames and Hudson, 1996.
V.
Assessment of Student Learning:
(Describe assessment measures, i.e., instruments that measure the attainment of course
objectives.)
1) Three exams (25% of final grade each) – Exams will be a mix of short answer and multiple
choice based on readings and classroom lectures.
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Special Topics Course Proposal Form
2) Written Assignments (20%) – Each student will be responsible for 6 separate writing
assignments of roughly 1 page each. The assignments will ask the student to present an
interpretation of archaeological data provided in class from an example site. Papers will be
collected periodically through the semester, graded, and returned so that they can be
submitted as a final “site report” with the sixth assignment at the end of the semester.
3) Attendance and Participation (5%) – Students will be permitted two unexcused absences
following university policy. Make ups for exams will only be provided based on the presentation
of a doctor’s note.
VI. Weekly Outline of Topics and Assignments:
Week 1: What is Archaeology?
Assigned Reading: Deetz IX – 38
Week 2: History of Archaeological Theory: Collect, reconstruct, or interpret?
Assigned Reading: Deetz 38-68, Newman 3-21
Week 3: What is the Archaeological Record?
Assigned Reading: Deetz 68-89, Newman 21-33
Week 4: Chronologies: How old is it?
Assigned Reading: Deetz 89-125, Newman 33-56 Written Assignment 1
Week 5a: Exam 1
Week 5b: Excavations and Surveys: How we find the past.
Assigned Reading: Newman:56-84 Written Assignment 2 Due
Week 6a: Excavations and Surveys Continued:
Week 6b: Environmental and Settlement Archaeology
Assigned Reading: Deetz 125-165
Week 7: Technology
Assigned Reading: Deetz 165-187 Written Assignment 3 Due
Week 8: Social Organization
Assigned Reading: Newman 84-133
Week 9: Bioarchaeology
Assigned Reading: Newman 113-139 Written Assignment 4 Due
Week 10: Subsistence
Assigned Reading: Newman 139-169
Week 11a: Trade and Exchange
Assigned Reading: Newman 169-199
Week11b: Exam 2
Week 12: Cognition and Belief
Assigned Reading: Deetz 187-212 Written Assignment 5 Due
Week 13: Ethics
Assigned Reading: Deetz 212-253
Week 14a: Course Summation
Assigned Reading: Newman 199-211, Deetz 253-261 Written Assignment 6 Due
Week 14b: Final Exam
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9/2006