Anthropology 424 – Ethnoarchaeology – Fall 2015 – Hudson – p.1

Ethnoarchaeology

Anthropology 424 – Fall 2016 - Class meets Tues/Thurs 12:30-1:45 – Sabin G28

Instructor: Jean Hudson () – Office Sabin 398, Hours Wed 1-3 or by appointment

Course Description

Ethnoarchaeology involves the gathering and analysis of ethnographic data to answer questions about material culture and archaeological interpretation. This class will emphasize applied studies. We will frame our readings by archaeological material types (lithics, ceramics, and food remains) and by spatial and behavioral scope (intra-site and inter-site, households & communities & regions). Interpretive discussions will include aspects of social identity (gender, age, kinship, community, culture) and their archaeological visibility, as well as the visibility of specific activities or behaviors.

Learning Goals

  • knowledge of past human cultures & increased awareness of human cultural diversity
  • analytic skills in evaluating connections between interpretive generalizations & supporting examples
  • critical & creative thinking expressed through written & oral communication

This class teaches you how to: 1) recognize & analyze socio-cultural aspects of human behavior through their material remains; and 2) identify & apply archaeological and ethnographic methods for studying societies. These skills will be developed through a combination of readings, discussions, and a research project. This class helps you build your skills in effective spoken & written communication through weekly summaries & discussions and your literature review powerpoint & write-up.

Credit Hours

This is a 3-credit course. To achieve the learning goals of this class you should expect to spend on average at least 9 hours a week attending class, preparing for class (reading and D2L discussion forum work), and creating your final research project.

Required Readings & Where to Find Them

1)All requiredreadings areavailable on D2Las pdf files.

2)Additional optional readings are available in the library on 2-hour reserve or via library digital access.

Class Structure

Readings and Reading Response Worksheets: Each week we will have at least tworequired readings; unless otherwise noted in class we will discuss the first-listed one on Tuesday and the second-listed on Thursday. For each of these readings you will complete a Reading Response worksheet which you will bring in typed/printed form to class; these are critical for our shared discussion and will not be accepted late or hand-written. As a buffer for life’s surprises, your lowest worksheet score will be dropped.

Literature Review: Each student will choose a particular material type (eg, ceramics, lithics, hearth, floor) as the focus of a Literature Review. This project will be developed with graded interim tasks and deadlines (see due items on the class schedule) and culminate in a powerpoint presentation to the class, following the provided template, and a written version.

This will involvea stepped process of 1) initial literature search; 2) citation network search; 3) narrowing the scope to a focused research question(s) associated with the targeted material type and drafting an abstract that reflects this; 4) creating a timeline for the literature being reviewed and an annotated bibliography for key sources; 5) presenting results via a 10 to 15 minute powerpoint; 6) finalizing a professional written version with in-text citations and full citations, the form and length of which will differ between undergraduates and graduate students.

For undergrads the written version takes the form of the text for a formal spoken presentation (about 8 pages) with citations.

For graduate students the written version takes the form a chapter-length or article-length professional manuscript (about 15 pages) suitable for inclusion in a thesis or dissertation or as a journal submission.

Assessment & Grading

Grades will be based on:

  • Reading Response Worksheets & participation in class discussion – 30% of grade
  • Literature Review
  • interim deadlines – 10% of grade
  • powerpoint presentation – 25% of grade
  • written version –25% of grade
  • In-class short-answer Final Exam & discussion – 10% of grade

Grading rubrics are as follows:

Reading Response Worksheets & Interim Items for Literature Review

Score / Criteria Met
2 / item follows directions, is complete and on-time, and demonstrates thought and understanding
1 / some attempt made but missing required aspects and/or comprehension is not well evidenced
0 / nothing submitted

Powerpoint Presentation & Written Version of Literature Review

Score / Criteria Met
9-10 / all required (template) items are included & presented clearly in terms of logic, spelling & grammar
there is clear analysis & synthesis of multiple relevant sources to address the clearly stated research questions
there is a coherent style of presentation & some degree of relevant creativity
8-8.9 / most required items are included & presented clearly in terms of logic, spelling & grammar
there is some degree of analysis & synthesis of multiple relevant sources
there is a coherent style of presentation
7-7.9 / most required items are included
presentation is more descriptive than analytic or synthetic
there are repeated errors in data and/or spelling & grammar; interim feedback is not addressed
6-6.9 / less than half the required items are present & presentation lacks coherence & clarity
there are major errors in data, spelling, grammar; interim feedback is not addressed
0 / nothing submitted by the deadline

Final Exam (in-class short-answer & subsequent discussion)

Score / Criteria Met
2 / demonstrates thought and understanding of the topic and solid mastery of class readings & discussions
1 / demonstrates partial mastery of class readings & discussions; may include errors or omit key points
0 / comprehension of class materials is not demonstrated

Overall Grading Scale for Class (% correct)

A = 93-100% / B+ = 87-89% / C+ = 77-79% / D+ = 67-69% / F = < 60%
A- = 90-92% / B = 83-86% / C = 73-76% / D = 63-66%
B- = 80-82% / C- = 70-72% / D- = 60-62%

Late Policy. Please note that, as stated in the grading rubrics, being on time with your work matters in this class.

See the following link for University Policies:

See the associated Class Schedule for the full list of readings and when they should be read, as well as interim deadlines for your Literature Review. Monitor the D2L news wall for any updates to this syllabus or other course concerns. All written and powerpoint work should be submitted digitally via the D2L dropbox in one of the following formats: ppt, pptx, doc, docx, or pdf.

CLASS SCHEDULE

Week / Topics / Assignments
bold = everyone reads; italics = library reserve or specialist reading; D&K = David & Kramer
1) Sept 6-8 / Introduction
What is ethnoarchaeology? / Kramer 1982:1-5 Ethnoarchaeology: some assumptions & practices
D&K 2001:1-32 Ethnoarchaeology: nature, origins, history
2) Sept 13-15 / Trash rules? / Lane 2014 Hunter-Gatherer-Fishers, Ethnoarchaeology, Analogical
Hayden & Cannon 1983 Where the Garbage Goes
3) Sept 20-22 / Ceramics / due: sign up for your topic/material focus
DeBoer & Lathrap 1979 The making and breaking of S-C ceramics
Kramer 1985 Ceramic Ethnoarchaeology(literature review example)
Longacre & Skibo Kalinga Ethnoarchaeology
Arnold Domestic Ceramic Production
Deal Pottery Ethnoarchaeology
4) Sept 27-29 / Chipped Stone / due: literature search worksheet
Gould 1980 anthropology of human residues
Gould 1980 materialist approach in living archaeology
5) Oct 4-6 / Ground Stone / Hamon and Le Gall 2013 Millet and sauce... querns
Kenoyer et al 1991 contemporary stone beadmaking
Searcy The life-giving stone
6) Oct 11-13 / Hearths and Storage Pits / due: citation network worksheet & abstract
Mallol et al 2007 Ethnoarchaeological Signals of Hadza Fires
Kent 1999 Archaeological visibility of storage
7) Oct 18-20 / Floors and Soils / Friesem 2016 Geo-ethnoarchaeology in action
Rondelli et al 2014 Anthropic activity markers
8) Oct 25-27 / Food Remains / Kent 1993 Variability in Faunal Assemblages
Binford 1978/2012 Nunamiut Ethnoarchaeology
Broderick 2016 People with Animals
Jones 2009 Food & Gender in Fiji
9) Nov 1-3 / Forager Camps & Shelters / due: annotated bibliography for at least 10 citations
Janes 1989 Ethnoarchaeological model of tepee remains
Svoboda et al 2011 Resources & spatial analysis at Nenets campsites
Politis 2006 Nukak mobility
Fisher and Strickland 1989 Ethnoarchaeology Efe camp space
Jones 1993 The archaeological structure of a short-term camp
Yellen 1977 Archaeological approaches to the present
10) Nov 8-10 / Herder Tents & Compounds / Cribb 1991 Mobile Villagers Pastoral Campsites
David 1971 The Fulani Compound
Simms 1988 The Archaeological Structure of a Bedouin Camp
11) Nov 15-17 / Farmer Villages & Houses / due: timeline slide for powerpoint
Horne 1994 Village Spaces chapters 1, 5, and 8
Kramer 1982 Village Ethnoarchaeology
12) Nov 22
Thanksgiving / Abandonment / Joyce & Johannessen 1993 Abandonment at domestic sites
13) Nov 29-Dec 1 / Gender roles / Jarvenpa & Brumbach 2006 Gender Subsistence & Ethnoarchaeology
Jarvenpa & Brumbach 2006 Chipewyan Hunters
Brumbach & Jarvenpa 2006 Comparative Ethnoarchaeology Gender
14) Dec 6-8 / Presentations & discussion / due: powerpoint presentation of your literature review
be ready to present on the day assigned; submit via D2L beforehand
be ready to evaluate and discuss presentations on both days
15) Dec 13 / Synthesis / in-class short-answer final exam & discussion
Friday, Dec 16 / OFFICIAL EXAM DATE / LAST DAY TO SUBMIT THE FINAL VERSION OF YOUR LIT REVIEW