Anthropology 200: World Archaeology Course Resources

Archaeology and archaeological discoveries can incite wonder and inspire curiosity. At the very least, archaeology brings color to a seemingly monochrome past, but at its best, it can challenge received histories, elevate lost voices, and trigger real social change. In this course, we will take a deep dive into the archaeological record to explore our shared, diverse, and ever evolving human histories.

Our perspective in this exploration will be global and cross-cultural as we navigate varying material pasts through the lens of some of the most enduringly fascinating areas of both global and local archaeological research including, but not limited to: bioarchaeology, community archaeology, Indigenous archaeology, remote sensing, combatting the illegal antiquities trade, corporations and archaeology, the archaeology of St. Louis, the question of justice and equity within the field, and more.

The central concern of this course, however, will be to reckon with archaeology in the world. Archaeology does not exist in a vacuum. Archaeology cannot be understood without considering its social and political context in the present. For this reason, a major objective of this course is to examine how archaeology intersects with critical discourses of the present, including those centered on race, gender, climate, science, liberty, equitability, governance, etc. Both the past itself and the process of producing knowledge about the past has countless lessons to offer the present.

In this class, students can expect an introduction to what archaeology is, what archaeologists do, and who archaeologists are by reading actual archaeological articles and monographs and through a robust slate of guest speakers. This class is less about a planetary survey of past societies and “ancient civilizations” and more of a snapshot of the wide range of perspectives and practices in the field today.

Resources

Journal List for Archaeology Weekly News Roundup

Fall 2024 Guest Speakers

Anne Austin, University of Missouri, St. Louis

Stefani Crabtree, Utah State University

Petra Creamer, Emory University

Allison Davis, US Department of State

Neha Gupta, University of British Columbia

Christopher Heaney, Pennsylvania State University

Kathryn Lafrenz Samuels, University of Maryland

Michael J. Meyer, Lochmueller Group

William A. White, University of California Berkeley

Fall 2023 Guest Speakers

Anne Austin, University of Missouri, St. Louis
Marking the Flesh: Tattooed Women in Ancient Egypt

Sarah Baires, Eastern Connecticut State University
Religion and the Making of the Native American City Cahokia

Qin Cao, Durham University
‘Auspicious Gold’ and ‘Precious Stones’: Rethinking Weapons in Bronze Age China (c.1250-1050 BCE)

Tiffany Fryer, University of Michigan
Doing Collaborative Archaeologies in the Yucatan: Some Insights from the Tihosuco Heritage Preservation & Community Development Project

Anthony Graesch, Connecticut College
An Archaeology of Discard(-s)(-ers)(-ing)

Edward Gonzalez-Tennant, University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Digital Tools for Inclusive Pasts: The Role of Transdisciplinary Archaeology in Rosewood & Beyond

Elif Koparal, Mimar Sinan Güzel Sanatlar Üniversitesi
Practicing archaeology in the ruins of Late Capitalism: Perspectives from Turkey

Allison Mickel, Lehigh University
Essential Excavation Experts and the Economy of Labor

Alicia Odewale, Rice University
A Black City on a Hill: Finding Life in the Aftermath of a Massacre

Craig Stevens, Northwestern University
The Love of Liberty Met Us Here: Archaeology as a Tool of Restoration and Reclamation

Fall 2022 Guest Speakers

Dylan S. Davis, Columbia University
Satellites, machine learning, and community collaboration: A 21st century approach to environmental archaeology

Jade d’Alpoim Guedes, University of California, San Diego
Collaborative Archaeological Fieldwork in Jiuzhaigou National Park 

Morag Kersel, DePauw University
The (W)hole story: Looting, Loss, and Landscape at an Early Bronze Age Site, Jordan

Wilhelm Londoño Díaz, Universidad del Magdalena (Colombia)
Objects, texts, and relates: decolonial and collaborative archaeology in the Colombian Caribbean

Danika Parikh, University of Cambridge Museums
Caste, Race, and Empire: the archaeology of South Asia through museum collections

Gertjan Plets, University of Utrecht
The Politics of Archaeology and Indigenous Activism in the Altai Republic

Michael B.C. Rivera, University of Hong Kong
Perspectives from Hong Kong on bioarchaeology and biological anthropology

Kisha Supernant, University of Alberta
Doing Archaeology from the Heart