Instructor Description Texts Evaluation Guidelines Goals Schedule

ANTH 482D  HISTORICAL ARCHAEOLOGY Winter 2008 MW 1200-1400 HSS 111

"Perhaps if we learn more about our unwritten history, we won't be so vulnerable to the capriciousness of events as we are today. And in the process of becoming more aware of ourselves, we will recognize that one of the functions of our vernacular culture is that of preparing for the emergence of the unexpected, whether it takes the form of the disasterous or the marvelous." Ralph Ellison in Going to the Territory (1986)

DESCRIPTION

We survey the global and interdisciplinary field of archeology that specializes in the interpretation of the recent past. Methods of combining documentary research with analysis of material culture are reviewed. As we explore the contributions of historical archaeologists to anthropology, we encounter complex issues such as representation of ethnicity, development of class differences, changing gender roles, and the growing interconnectivity of the modern world following the rise of capitalism.  WR 222 and ANTH 215 are recommended.  Junior or higher standing required.  Your presence and participation at all meetings is essential to the success of this seminar.

TEXT

Deetz, James A.

1996 In Small Things Forgotten: An Archaeology of Early American Life. 2nd Ed. New York: Doubleday.

ARTICLES

 

(1) Beck, Wendy and Margaret Somerville
2005 Conversations between disciplines: historical archaeology and oral history at Yarrawarra. World Archaeology 37(3):468-483.

(2) Deagan, Kathleen
1973 Mestizaje in Colonial St. Augustine. Ethnohistory 20(1):53-65. (AN 7681295)

(3) Ferguson, Leland
1991 Struggling with Pots in Colonial South Carolina. In The Archaeology of Inequality, edited by Randall H. McGuire and Robert Payner, pp. 260-271. Oxford: Blackwell Publishers.

(4)Welch, James with Paul Steckler
1994 Killing Custer: The Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Fate of the Plains Indians. Chapter 4, pp 95-110. New York: Penguin Group.

(5) Scott, Douglas D.
2003 Oral Tradition and Archaeology: Conflict and Concordance Examples from Two Indian War Sites. Historical Archaeology 37(3):55-65. [need pdf]

(6) Braatz, Timothy
2004 Clash of Cultures as Euphemism: Avoiding History at the Little Bighorn. American Indian Culture and Research Journal 28(4): 107-130). [need pdf]

(7) Taylor, Alan
2001 Virginia, 1570-1650. Ch 6, American Colonies. New York: Viking Penguin. [found on web]

(8) Luccketti, Nicholas and Beverly Straube
1998 1997 Interim Report on the APVA Excavations at Jamestown, Virginia. Jamestown Rediscovery. [posted at Jamestown web site]

(9) Deagan, Kathleen A. and Jane Landers
1999 Fort Mosé: Earliest Free African-American Town in the United States. In "I, Too, Am America": Archaeological Studies of African-American Life, edited by Theresa A. Singleton, pp. 261-282. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia.

(10) Bassett, Everett
1994 "We Took Care of Each Other Like Families Were Meant To": Gender, Social Organization, and Wage Labor Among the Apache at Roosevelt. In Those of Little Note:Gender, Race, and Class in Historical Archaeology, edited by Elizabeth M. Scott, pp. 55-79. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press.

(11) Parrington, Michael, Helen Schenck, and Jacqueline Thibaut
1984 The Material World of the Revolutionary War Soldier at Valley Forge. In The Scope of Historical Archaeology: Essays in Honor of John L. Cotter, David G. Orr and Daniel G. Corzier, eds., pp. 125-161. Philadelphia: Laboratory of Anthropology, Temple University. [need pdf]

(12) Seifert, Donna J.
1994 Mrs. Starr's Profession. In Those of Little Note:Gender, Race, and Class in Historical Archaeology, edited by Elizabeth M. Scott, pp. 149-173. Tucson: The University of Arizona Press. [need pdf]

(13) Richardson, Shaun
2005 Welcome to the Cheap Seats: Cinemas, Sex, and Landscape. Industrial Archaeology Review XXVII(1):145-152). (AN 18339184)

(14) Beaudry, Mary C.
1998 Farm Journal: First Person, Four Voices. Historical Archaeology 32(1):20-33. [need pdf]

(15) Hall, Martin and Markell
1993 Historical Archaeology in the Western Cape. South African Archaeological Society Goodwin Series 7:3-7. [need pdf]

(16) Griggs, Heather J.
2001 "By Virtue of Reason and Nature": Competition and Economic Strategy in the Needletrades at New York's Five Points, 1855-1880. Historical Archaeology 35(3):76-88. [need pdf]

(17) Praetzellis, Adrian and Mary Praetzellis

2001 Mangling Symbols of Gentility in the Wild West: Case Studies in Interpretive Archaeology. American Anthropologist 103(3): 645-654. (AN 5949747)

(18) Shackel, Paul

2001 Public Memory and the Search for Power in American Historical Archaeology. American Anthropologist 103(3):655-670. (AN 5949748)

(19) Hamilton, Scott
1993 Over-Hunting and Local Extinctions: Socio-Economic Implications of Fur Trade Subsistence. In Culture and Environment: A Fragile Coexistence. Proceedings of the Twenty-Fourth Annual Conference of the Archaeological Association of the University of Calgary, R. W. Jamison, S. Abonyi, and N. A. Mirau, eds, pp. 43-59. Calgary: The University of Calgary Arcaheological Association. [need pdf]

(20) Silberman, Neil Asher
1989 Tobacco Pipes, Cotton Prices, and Progress. In Between Past and Present: Archaeology, Ideology, and Nationalism in the Modern Middle East, pp. 228-243. New York: Henry Holt. [need pdf]

This is a seminar course built upon collaborative analysis of assigned readings (one book and twenty articles).  Preparation and attendance are required. Responsibility for leading in-class discussion of the readings rotates among members of the seminar.  When the schedule indicates "come prepared" you will bring notes on the reading: a list of key words and main points plus at least one discussion question. When the schedule indicates "bring a seminar paper" you will prepare a 2-3 page response paper based on the pair of journal readings to share with the class. NB: the seminar paper is your contribution to our learning. You must be present and participate in the discussion by sharing ideas from your paper in order to submit it for credit.

In additon, each member conducts individual research on a topic & place not covered in our common readings. This is submitted as a formal paper at the end of week 10 and presented to the class as an illustrated mini-lecture during the final exam period.  To receive credit for your presentation, you must attend the presentations of all other members of the seminar. Please note that the final exam is noon Friday of exam week. Plan to attend.

• You are responsible for a grade if your name remains on the Registrar's role past the last drop date, at the end of week 6.  The "Incomplete" grade is reserved for the rare case in which the student was making satisfactory progress when documented circumstances beyond the student's control caused a significant but discrete portion of the course to remain unfinished at the end of dead week.
• I place a high value on academic honesty and expect my students to do the same.  Please ensure you understand the definition of academic dishonesty in the Code of Student Responsibility.  I refer apparent cases of academic dishonesty to the Coordinator of Campus Judicial Affairs for ajudication.  If you have any questions or concerns about how you have quoted, paraphrased or cited sources, seek my assistance before you submit your work.
  
• Please make wise use of email.  Use the subject line to identify the course and yourself:  "ANTH 494 Last Name".  Do not send written assignments by email; submit them in hard copy.  Avoid sending email messages (to anyone) when angry or upset.  Requests for special accomodations are best made in person during office hours.
  
• Please turn off and put away cell phones at the beginning of class.
  

Participation in this course will strengthen your skills as a reader, researcher, writer, speaker, and listener and will enhance your knowledge and appreciation of:

• The relationship between archaeology and history.
• The major themes addressed by scholars in the field of historical archaeology.
• The interplay of materialist and idealist approaches to understanding the recent past.
• The ethical issues raised in the study and interpretation of the histories of particular peoples, by themselves and by others.
• The influence of cultural environments and political events on what is asked about the past.
• Some major contributions of historical archaeology to our understanding of the human condition.

SCHEDULE

WEEK ONE: INTRODUCTION AND DEFINITIONS

January 7: Introductions of participants and course. Obtain the text today so that you can prepare for Wednesday.

January 9: READ: Deetz Ch 1 Recalling Things Forgotten: Archaeology and the American Artifact. Come prepared with a list of main points, key words, and one discussion question on the readings. {film & discussion: Jefferson's Blood}

January 14: READ: Deetz Ch 2 The Anglo-American Past. Come prepared (see above).

January 16: READ:(1)Beck and Somerville (2005) Conversations between disciplines: historical archaeology and oral history at Yarrawarra. (2)Deagan (1973) Mestizaje in Colonial St. Augustine. Bring a seminar paper.

January 21: No Class -- ML King Day. Start digging for a research topic. Survey the readings, sift through article titles in Historical Archaeology, Industrial Archaeology, International Journal of Historical Archaeology, Australasian Historical Archaeology, Journal of Social Archaeology, ... or simply search "historical archaeology" in Academic Search Premier. Find a topic and place not covered in our common readings that interests you.

January 23: READ: Deetz Ch 3 All the Earthenware Plain and Flowered; (3)Ferguson (1991) Struggling with Pots in Colonial South Carolina. Bring a seminar paper.

January 28: Research Topic Due. READ: James Welch (1994) Ch 4 in Killing Custer Come prepared {film: Welch & Steckler - Last Stand at Little Big Horn}

January 30: READ: (5)Scott (2003) Oral Tradition and Archaeology: Conflict and Concordance Examples from Two Indian War Sites; (6)Braatz (2004) Clash of Cultures as Euphemism: Avoiding History at the Little Bighorn. Bring a seminar paper.

February 4: READ: Deetz Ch 4 Remember Me as You Pass By. Come prepared. {film clip: Pocahontas and Jamestown}

February 6: READ: (7)Taylor (2001) Ch 6, American Colonies; (8)Luccketti & Straube (1998) Interim Report on the APVA Excavations at Jamestown, Virginia. Bring a seminar paper. {film: Jamestown Rediscovery}

February 11: READ: Deetz Ch 7 and 8, Parting Ways and The African American Past. Come prepared

February 13: READ: (9)Deagan & Landers (1999) Fort Mosé: Earliest Free African-American Town in the United States; (10)Bassett (1994) "We Took Care of Each Other Like Families Were Meant To" {film: The Language You Cry In} Bring a seminar paper.

February 18: READ: (11)Parrington et al. (1984) The Material World of the Revolutionary War Soldier at Valley Forge; (12)Seifert (1994) Mrs. Starr's Profession. Bring a seminar paper. {film: Curse of the Somers}

February 20: READ:(13)Richardson (2005) Welcome to the Cheap Seats: Cinemas, Sex, and Landscape; (14)Beaudry (1998) Farm Journal: First Person, Four Voices. Bring a seminar paper.

February 25: READ: (15)Hall & Markell (1993) Historical Archaeology in the Western Cape; (16)Griggs (2001) "By Virtue of Reason and Nature" {film clip: Gangs of New York} Bring a seminar paper.

February 27: READ:(17)Praetzellis & Praetzellis (2001) Mangling Symbols of Gentility in the Wild West; (18)Shackel (2001) Public Memory and the Search for Power in American Historical Archaeology. Bring a seminar paper.

March 3: {film: Parnian} no readings; work on your research paper.

March 5: READ: (19)Hamilton (1993) Over-Hunting and Local Extinctions; (20)Silberman (1989) Tobacco Pipes, Cotton Prices, and Progress. Bring a seminar paper.

March 10: Read: Deetz Ch 6 & 9, Small Things Remembered and Small Things Forgotten. Come prepared.

March 12: Research Paper due

March 21: Friday 1200-1400 Presentations

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